Dr. Matthew Alder named Pediatrician-in-Chief and Chief Medical Officer for St. Louis Children’s at CoxHealth

St. Louis Children’s at CoxHealth is pleased to announce that Matthew N. Alder, MD, PhD, a highly regarded pediatric critical care physician, has been named the inaugural pediatrician-in-chief and chief medical officer at St. Louis Children’s at CoxHealth. He is also a WashU Medicine voluntary clinical professor of pediatrics.

Dr. Alder’s new role advances a collaboration between St. Louis Children’s Hospital and CoxHealth — supported by the expertise of WashU Medicine pediatric physicians — to expand access to pediatric specialty care across southwest Missouri. 

Dr. Alder will oversee the joint venture’s pediatric services at the new St. Louis Children’s at CoxHealth, the only independently licensed pediatric hospital in southwest Missouri. St. Louis Children’s at CoxHealth, which opened March 1 within the walls of Cox South, includes an advanced neonatal intensive care unit, a pediatric intensive care unit, and inpatient pediatric care.

“Dr. Alder brings broad experience in pediatric critical care medicine across diverse intensive care unit settings and care teams to his new role, where he also will coordinate and direct strategic initiatives for pediatric specialty care,” says Dr. Paul Scheel Jr., vice chancellor for clinical affairs at WashU Medicine, CEO of WashU Medicine Physicians and president of WashU Medicine & BJC HealthCare Physician Provider Organization.

Dr. Alder previously served as an attending physician in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at Cox Medical Center South and is board certified in pediatric critical care. 

His leadership will be integral to the new, 133,000 square-foot outpatient Specialty Care Center, scheduled to open in 2027 on the Cox South campus. The Center will feature ambulatory surgery, imaging, laboratory services, infusion, pediatric specialty care clinics, and more. Specialties will significantly expand access to advanced pediatric care with the addition of cardiology, hematology, oncology, ophthalmology, surgery, and urology.

Dr. Alder earned his medical degree and a doctor of philosophy in immunology in 2009, both from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He completed his residency in pediatrics and fellowship in pediatric critical care medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. 

From 2015 to 2023, he earned accolades as an academic physician and researcher at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. His clinical expertise includes mechanical ventilation, advanced hemodynamic monitoring, extracorporeal support modalities, and leadership in resuscitation.

At CoxHealth, Dr. Alder has led educational initiatives for nursing, respiratory therapy, and emergency department teams to elevate pediatric critical care capabilities within our regional hospital system.

“Dr. Alder’s experience and dedication to elevating pediatric care greatly enhances our efforts in Springfield,” says Dr. Gary Silverman, the Harriet B. Spoehrer Professor of Pediatrics and head of the WashU Medicine Department of Pediatrics, and physician-in-chief at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. “His efforts will further expand our nationally recognized pediatric expertise to children and families across the region.”