Rady Children’s Health co-CEO to take job in Atlanta

It is back to Atlanta for Dr. Patrick Frias, co-chief executive officer of Rady Children’s Health.

Rady, which completed a merger with Children’s Hospital of Orange County in early 2025 under Frias’ leadership, announced Thursday that the executive accepted a job as the new CEO of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Frias, a cardiologist and electrophysiologist, was the chief operating officer of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta when Rady lured him to San Diego in 2018 to replace retiring CEO Dr. Donald Kearns.

With Frias’ departure, co-CEO Kimberly Chavalas Cripe will serve as the organization’s sole president. Cripe was the chief executive of Children’s Hospital of Orange County, becoming co-CEO with Frias after the merger.

It is the opposite of the result that was anticipated during the merger. The previously shared plan was for the two executives to run their respective operations for two years with Chavalas Cripe retiring after a 30-year career, leaving Frias as sole CEO.

Through a spokesperson, Frias declined to discuss his tenure at Rady or his reasons for heading back to Atlanta instead of sticking with the succession plan that the CHOC merger...