Gil Peri
President
Gil Peri, an accomplished pediatric healthcare executive with more than 20 years of success at achieving the best outcomes for children and adults, joined IU Health as president of Riley Children’s Health in 2021.
Previously, Peri had been president and chief operating officer at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford, where he oversaw health system operations, strategy and innovation. Over a four-year period, he had led the Connecticut hospital’s interdisciplinary team and strategically scaled pediatric expertise across a three-state region in the northeast.
Prior to that, he was senior vice president and chief strategy officer at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora where he led enterprise strategy and clinical program development and oversaw service line operations and financial performance. Before that, he led strategic growth, partnerships and retail ambulatory operations at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
Peri holds master’s degrees in business administration and public health from the University of South Florida, where he also obtained his bachelor’s degree in biology. He is passionate about community service and is active in the healthcare industry.
Elaine Cox, MD
Chief Medical Officer
As chief medical officer, Elaine Cox oversees key clinical hospital operations and helps create an excellent practice environment to ensure optimal outcomes for patients. She is responsible for quality and safety programs, helps with physician recruitment, and supports research and teaching initiatives for Riley Children’s Health while working closely with medical staff.
Cox has served several leadership roles at Riley since joining the team in 1995, including patient safety officer and medical director of infection prevention. She played a key role in the development of the Ryan White Center for Pediatric Infectious Disease and Global Health, based at Indiana University School of Medicine, and ran the outpatient center for 16 years.
She is a graduate of IU School of Medicine, serves as professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the school, and is president of the IU Health academic health center medical staff for 2018.
Megan Isley, DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, NPD-BC
Chief Nursing Officer
As chief nursing officer, Megan Isley is responsible for oversight of all Riley Children’s Health nursing staff and respiratory therapists. She coordinates and manages nursing operations to support the health system’s clinical care objectives and outcomes.
Isley is a nurse leader with more than a decade of clinical pediatrics and management experience at three of the nation’s top children’s hospitals. Prior to joining Riley Children’s Health, Isley was Assistant Vice President of Patient Services at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. A few of her accomplishments include leading the development of transition-to-practice work and supporting the creation of an innovative virtual reality methodology to assist new nurse skill acquisition.
She received her doctor of nursing practice and master’s degree in nursing from Duke University, and her master’s in business administration and bachelor’s degree in nursing from West Liberty University.
Frank Runion
Chief Financial Officer
As chief financial officer for Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health, Frank Runion directs the financial operations and strategic financial planning for Riley at IU Health and the pediatric service line. His areas of oversight include budget, financial analysis and planning, capital management and workforce contract management.
Runion has been with IU Health for 13 years. Before that, he worked at St.Vincent Health and Wishard Health Services. He has close to 25 years of healthcare financial experience in various healthcare settings.
He has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Anderson University, is a certified public accountant and a member of the Children’s Hospital Association, CFO Forum. Runion is also on the Board of the Central Indiana Council of Aging and serves as the treasurer for their foundation. Runion is also active in his community serving on the Fishers Youth Baseball Board as well as serving on the board at his church.
D. Wade Clapp, MD
Chairman, Department of Pediatrics
D. Wade Clapp, MD, is the Chairman of the department of Pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Clapp was named Chairman of Pediatrics in 2009. He oversees 960 Pediatric faculty members throughout the state of Indiana and more than 150 pediatric residents. Physicians in the department of Pediatrics provide medical care for the patients of Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health—ranked one of the nation's best children's hospitals by U.S. News and World Report.
Dr. Clapp is a neonatologist and a physician/scientist with an active research lab and NIH grant support focusing on translational research in childhood cancer. He is the Richard L. Schreiner Professor of Pediatrics, a professor of Microbiology & Immunology and professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Indiana University. He joined the faculty of Indiana University School of Medicine in 1991 as a physician and researcher at the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research. His research is internationally acclaimed and has resulted in several breakthrough clinical trials.
Dr. Clapp graduated cum laude from Hanover College and received his medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine in 1982. He completed his residency and chief residency at Indiana University School of Medicine followed by a fellowship at Case Western Reserve University.
As a physician, he does clinical work at the neonatal intensive care units at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health and Eskenazi, where he served as director of the unit for five years.
Fred Rescorla, MD
Surgeon-in-Chief
Fred Rescorla, MD, is surgeon-in-chief and director of the Division of Pediatric Surgery for Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health. He is certified by the American Board of Surgery in general surgery, pediatric surgery and surgical critical care and was named a “Top Doctor” by U.S. News & World Report.
After completing undergraduate studies at Calvin College, Rescorla attended medical school at the University of Wisconsin. He completed a general surgery residency and a pediatric surgery residency at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Rescorla then joined the faculty in the section of pediatric surgery at IU School of Medicine, developing an active clinical practice focused on minimally invasive surgery and oncologic surgery.
Rescorla has been active with clinical research through the Children Oncology Group (COG), with a focus on germ cell tumors. He is a member of the surgical executive committee of COG. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and American Association of Pediatrics and is a member of various societies, including the Society of University Surgeons, American Pediatric Surgical Association, Central Surgical Association, British Association of Pediatric Surgeons and the Association of Academic Surgery. He has published more than 150 peer-reviewed journal articles, as well as more than 60 book chapters.
Rescorla is active in teaching and has been recognized by the medical students as an outstanding professor on many occasions and has also received the Trustees Teaching Award. He has served as an active member of the faculty, instructing residents in general surgery and post-graduate residents in pediatric surgery. He has also been active in advancing pediatric surgical care in several Third World countries and has lectured and taught pediatric surgical techniques on many occasions in Africa.