Stanford Medicine Children’s Health Pediatric Surgeon is Named 2024 Presidential Leadership Scholar

March 1, 2024

Stephanie Chao, MD

PALO ALTO, Calif.—Stephanie Chao, MD, pediatric surgeon and trauma medical director at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and associate professor of Surgery, Division of Pediatric General Surgery at Stanford Medicine, has been named one of the 2024 Presidential Leadership Scholars (PLS), a partnership between the presidential centers of George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson.

Dr. Chao is one of 60 national leaders selected by the PLS program to create meaningful change in the United States and around the world. Dr. Chao’s P.L.E.D.G.E Campaign is a national school education program she is building to reduce gun violence among youth. Her work was chosen based on its promise to improve a national problem and aid civic engagement and social good across the country.

“As a pediatric surgeon in the trauma program, I sadly know too well that the leading cause of death for children was firearm violence in recent years,” she said. “I believe we must draw on the data gathered from research, the lessons learned at the bedside, and the power of education to create an evidence-based gun safety program for schools that can improve the safety of all children and their families.”

For nearly a decade, PLS has served as a catalyst for a diverse network of leaders brought together to collaborate and create meaningful change in the United States and around the world as they learn about leadership through the lens of the presidential experiences of George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson and their administrations.

Over the course of the five-month program, Dr. Chao will travel to each participating presidential center to meet with key former administration officials, business and civic leaders, and leading academics. She plans to draw on the leadership lesson from the past administrations and the richness of perspective among the PLS Scholar community to strengthen how the P.L.E.D.G.E campaign can be integrated into diverse communities across the country.

“This will be an amazing growth opportunity,” said Dr. Chao. “This program is the only one of its kind that provides the insight drawn from the experiences of former presidents, the advisers who worked closely with them, and diverse experiences of fellow scholars. I’m excited draw on their collective strength and wisdom so that we can reduce the impact that gun violence has on children.” 

The PLS program brings together a network of thought leaders, including service members, educators, physicians, public servants, and corporate professionals. The 2024 program kicked off in Washington, D.C.