USF Health’s John Curran, MD, was named deputy secretary of Children’s Medical Services (CMS) by the Florida Department of Health.
Dr. Curran, who is professor of pediatrics, associate vice president for Faculty and Academic Affairs at USF Health, and senior executive associate dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, will serve as deputy secretary for Children’s Medical Services (CMS) overseeing the Office of the CMS Managed Care Plan and Specialty Programs, the Division of Children’s Medical Services and CMS area offices. Prior to this new appointment, he had served CMS since 1974 and as medical director for the Tampa Bay Region since 1986 for children with special health care needs.
Dr. John Curran.
“I am pleased that we continue to receive valuable input from the public and our health care community when it comes to caring for Florida’s children with complex medical conditions,” said Interim State Surgeon General Dr. Celeste Philip. “Dr. Curran is an accomplished pediatrician and has long served the children of our CMS program as a consultant and regional medical director. We are confident his knowledge of pediatric medicine and his extensive leadership experience will guide him as he shepherds CMS into its next chapter.”
“We congratulate Dr. Curran on his appointment as deputy secretary of statewide CMS,” said Patricia Emmanuel, professor and chair of pediatrics at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. “Dr Curran has worked tirelessly for children in the state during his tenure and has been a major force in assuring access and quality health care. We are very proud of him and his many accomplishments – and confident that his appointment will help advance children’s health in Florida.”
Dr. Curran is a charter member of the USF College of Medicine faculty (1972) and the founding neonatologist at Tampa General Hospital.
He has taken active and leadership roles in countless organizations including the Society of Air Force Flight Surgeons (he is a Member Emeritus), Florida Medical Association, American Medical Association, Florida Society of Neonatal-Perinatologists, Hillsborough County Healthy Start, Inc., American Lung Association of Gulf Coast Florida, President, American Lung Association of Florida, the Tri Agency Council (American Heart Association of Florida, American Lung Association of Florida, and American Cancer Society, Florida Affiliate), March of Dimes, and Florida Department of Health.
Dr. Curran’s leadership has been recognized with the Abraham Jacobi Award of the American Medical Association, a Lifetime Healthcare Hero Award in the Tampa Bay Region, and the March of Dimes Lawton Chiles Perinatal Award, among many other awards.
In 2013, he was presented with USF’s Distinguished Service Award.
Dr. Curran graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor’s degree and University of Pennsylvania College of Medicine with training in both internal medicine and pediatrics. He completed his residency in pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Curran served 26 years in the U.S. Air Force Medical Corps and retired as a Colonel.
A former president of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Curran has made achievements in legislative initiatives related to child health advocacy and funding of children’s programs. Recently, he facilitated the development of the Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative, a statewide initiative that seeks to improve Florida’s maternal and infant health outcomes through quality improvement processes.
-USF Health-
USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, and the USF Physician’s Group. USF Health is an integral part of the University of South Florida, a high-impact, global research university dedicated to student success. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu
-About the Florida Department of Health-
The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts. Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook. For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.
