Pictured above: Marissa G. Kiefer, MHSA, President, UH Rainbow Babies & Children's and UH MacDonald Women’s Hospital with Patti DePompei, RN, MSN, past President, UH Rainbow Babies & Children's and UH MacDonald Women’s Hospital.

For nearly 40 years, Patti DePompei, RN, MSN, was a tireless champion of health and wellness, first as a nurse in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital and lastly as President of UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s and MacDonald Women’s Hospital. In recognition of her incredible impact on the children, women and families of our region, friends and supporters established the Patti DePompei, RN, MSN, Distinguished Chair in Women’s and Children’s Healthcare Leadership.

Marissa Kiefer, MHSA, who was named President of UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s and MacDonald Women’s Hospital following Patti’s retirement last year, is the inaugural chairholder.

Patti was the driving force behind numerous strategic initiatives, such as the UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Ahuja Center for Women & Children, which transformed health care for women, babies and children in the Midtown neighborhood and beyond.

“Patti was a courageous innovator, leading UH Rainbow and MacDonald through tremendous growth and opportunities,” said Marissa. “This endowed position will allow me to continue to build on her incredible work to not only support women’s and children’s health, but to further advance innovation in healthcare.”

“I can’t thank everyone enough for this incredible honor,” Patti said. “To have an endowed position named after me is a legacy I could have never imagined when I first started at Rainbow so many years ago. I know Marissa will do incredible work, and I’m excited to see how she will lead Rainbow and MacDonald to even greater successes.”

Marissa came to UH in June 2025, after more than two decades in healthcare administration, most recently as Senior Vice President and Chief Executive Officer at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, TX. While at Children’s Memorial, she oversaw strategic leadership, academic and research advancement, operational oversight, and philanthropy. Additionally, she developed a comprehensive 10-year strategic plan to improve quality and outcomes, which led to multiple specialties being ranked in the top 50 on U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospitals list.

“While we celebrate Rainbow’s more than 135 years of incredible advancements, we know there is more work to do,” Marissa explained. “I’m excited about what the future holds and know we will continue to build on Rainbow’s national reputation as a regional powerhouse for clinical care, from general pediatrics to the most complex, multi-disciplinary care, rooted in a deep legacy of academic medicine.”