PRESS RELEASE: William Dirksenn, M.D., Joins Driscoll Children's Hospital

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 25, 2005

MEDIA - FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Deborah Perry Phone (361) 442-4538

WILLIAM DIRKSEN, M.D.,
JOINS DRISCOLL CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

(Corpus Christi, TX) Driscoll Children's Hospital and its Governing Board are pleased to announce William Dirksen, M.D. has joined the medical staff as a Director of Medical Education, after acting as Interim Director for six months. The announcement was made by Rick Merrill, C.E.O. and President of Driscoll Children's Hospital. In his new position, Dr. Dirksen will be responsible for 42 resident physicians each year who are in training to become pediatricians.

Prior to joining Driscoll, Dr. Dirksen was a pediatrician at the United States Air Force Hospital at F. E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming and has been in Corpus Christi for the past 25 years as a pediatrician with the Children’s Clinic. He holds an appointment as Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Texas A & M University System Health Science Center and twice has served as Chief of Staff at Driscoll, from 1986 until 1987 and 1999 to 2000. Dr. Dirksen is currently Co-Medical Director of Driscoll Children’s Urgent Care, an after-hours minor emergency clinic on Saratoga Blvd., and plans on maintaining his private practice in Corpus Christi as a pediatrician in a more limited role.

A graduate of the University of South Dakota and Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Dr. Dirksen completed his residency at Wilford Hall United States Air Force Hospital at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. He is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and is a member of the American Medical Association, American Board of Pediatrics, Texas Pediatric Society, Texas Medical Association, and Nueces County Medical Society.

Driscoll Children's Hospital Logo
About Driscoll Children’s Hospital
“Improve the health of adults and you give them back their health …
Improve the health of children and you give them their life.”

Since opening its doors in 1953, Driscoll Children’s Hospital has been offering hope and healing to the children of South Texas for half a century. The facility is a 189-bed pediatric tertiary care center with pediatric board-certified specialists representing 19 medical and nine surgical specialties. Each year, more than 6,000 children are admitted for inpatient care, 5,000 for day surgery, and 50,000 for outpatient primary and specialty care, as well as 40,000 for emergency care, as the first South Texas hospital with emergency services exclusively for children. Additionally, Driscoll maintains a state-of-the-art ground/air transport team, 20-bed pediatric intensive care unit, 40-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and specialized medical outreach.

www.driscollchildrens.org

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