Leadership
John E. Phillips, FACHE
President
Methodist Dallas Medical Center
John Phillips, FACHE, is president of Methodist Dallas Medical Center. Prior to coming to Methodist
Dallas in 2018, Philips served seven years as president of Methodist Mansfield
Medical Center, where he oversaw operations of a 254-bed non-profit acute
care hospital with more than 1,000 employees and 200 physicians. Phillips
was instrumental in leading and growing the hospital, which achieved Magnet
designation for excellence in nursing during his time as president.
In 2017, Philips led Methodist Mansfield Medical Center’s new $11.8-million professional office building, and in 2015, the facility opened the $118-million Amon G. Carter Foundation Heart and Vascular Center and patient tower.
Phillips earned a MBA from Hardin-Simmons University and a Master of Health Care Administration from Trinity University.
Barbara Madson Madden, MSN, RN
Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer
Methodist Dallas Medical Center
Barbara Madden, MSN, RN, is a driven clinical leader with over 22 years of experience in acute inpatient
and outpatient services. She began her career at Methodist Dallas in 1985
as a staff nurse in acute medical-surgical.
Barbara holds a Bachelor of Science in nursing from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, and a Master of Science in nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington. After serving as a staff nurse for six years, Barbara earned several promotions including critical care educator, manager of the surgical/trauma intensive care unit, and director of nursing for adult critical care services. She held this latest leadership role for 19 years until her recent promotion to vice president, chief nursing officer.
Kevin P. Vaughn, MBA
Vice President of Finance
Methodist Dallas Medical Center
Kevin Vaughn is Vice President of Finance of Methodist Dallas Medical Center. Prior
to joining Methodist Dallas, Kevin served as the Chief Financial Officer
of Kansas Spine & Specialty Hospital in Wichita, KS for nine years.
Previously, Kevin also held the position of Controller at St. Vincent
Health System and worked in Finance and IT at St. Therese Medical Center.
In total, Kevin has more than thirty years of experience within the healthcare industry. Kevin graduated from North Central College in 1982 with a double major in Business Administration and Computer Science. He received his Master of Business Administration from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management in 1994.
Tracy Giacoma, MSN, MBA, RN, FACHE
Vice President Transplant Services
Methodist Dallas Medical Center
Tracy Giacoma, MSN, MBA, RN, FACHE, is Vice President of Transplant Services at Methodist Dallas Medical
Center. Tracy has worked in the field of transplantation for more than
30 years, first working as a staff nurse caring for kidney transplant
patients. She was employed by the academic institutions of Indiana University
Hospital/Riley Hospital for Children/ Methodist Hospital for 19 years
with 11 of those years as Director, Transplant Services at all 3 hospitals.
She was first recruited to Methodist Dallas in 2000 as the Administrative
Director, Transplant Services to expand kidney transplant services and
initiate the liver transplant program which performed the first liver
transplant in 2003. After leaving in 2008, to join the academic institutions
of Baylor College of Medicine and The University of Kansas Hospital, Tracy
returned to Methodist Dallas in 2014 to lead Transplant Services which
includes The Liver Institute, The Transplant Institute and the Methodist
Transplant Specialists Group practice.
Tracy has received multiple awards for her contributions to the field of transplantation from multiple local and national organizations, including the United Network for Organ Sharing’s 2015 Deedle Heckenkemper Leader in Transplant Administration Award. In addition, she also devotes a lot of her private time to volunteer and community groups, and has served on the Board of Directors of the Southwest Transplant Alliance and the Indiana Organ Procurement Organization. A strong believer in education and clinical research, Tracy has held Faculty appointments at the University of Kansas Medical Center, the University of Texas at Arlington, and Indiana University; and published a number of scientific articles in medical journals and textbooks. Among her many credentials, Tracy holds a Bachelors of Science in Nursing from the University of Indianapolis in Indianapolis, IN, and Master of Science in Nursing and a Master of Business Administration from Indiana University in Indianapolis, IN.
Leslie Cler, MD, FACP, CPE
Chief Medical Officer
Methodist Dallas Medical Center
Leslie Cler, MD, FACP, CPE, is Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Methodist Dallas Medical Center (MDMC).
Dr. Cler has been a practicing physician with Methodist Dallas Medical
Center for eight years. Dr. Cler graduated from Texas Tech University
in 1996 and later earned his medical degree from the University of Texas
Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) in 2006. He then completed a three-year
residency in Internal Medicine at UTSW and subsequently joined the Internal
Medicine faculty at Methodist Dallas in 2010 after a short time as an
internist in central Texas. Dr. Cler is a Certified Physician Executive
(CPE), a certification awarded by the American Association for Physician
Leadership. While at Methodist Dallas, Dr. Cler has had the opportunity
to serve as chair of the Pharmaceuticals and Therapeutics Committee, co-chair
of the system-wide Sepsis Committee, and co-owner of the system-wide Physician
Wellness Committee amongst numerous other committees with which he has
been involved. He has continued to find time where available to provide
hospitalist care at the bedside. He remains an active member of the Internal
Medicine core faculty, regularly teaching and attending on internal medicine
wards. He also serves as the Utilization Management Medical Director for
the Methodist Health System. Dr. Cler is a Fellow of the American College
of Physicians (FACP) and a member of the Society of Hospital Medicine
and the Dallas County Medical Society.
Benson P. Chacko, FACHE
Vice President of Operations
Methodist Dallas Medical Center
Benson P. Chacko, FACHE, is Vice President of Operations of Methodist Dallas Medical Center. His
healthcare career spans nearly two decades in various areas to include
human resources, project management, ambulatory care, business development,
and hospital operations. Prior to joining Methodist Dallas, Benson served
as Interim Chief Executive Officer/Chief Operating Officer at Baylor Scott
& White Medical Center Lake Pointe, where he led the organization
through a successful Joint Commission Survey, achieved the Leap Frog “A”
Rating for the organization, and led the corporate transition from Tenet
Healthcare to Baylor Scott & White. Previously, Benson also held the
Chief Operating Officer role at Des Peres Hospital in St. Louis, MO, and
The Hospitals of Providence-Sierra Campus in El Paso, TX, where he managed
a $53 million, two-year renovation of the 329-bed tertiary care hospital.
Born and raised in Dallas County, Benson started his career as a junior volunteer at St. Paul Medical Center, which defined his career path to serve in healthcare. He holds a Bachelors of Healthcare Administration from Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, TX, and Master of Healthcare Administration and Master of Business Administration degrees from Texas Women’s University in Dallas. Throughout his career as a healthcare executive, Benson has continued to find time to serve on professional councils with the Texas Hospital Association and serving for community nonprofits such as The Boys & Girls Club and Center Against Sexual and Family Violence. He’s also had the honor of being recognized by the United States Congress for Community Service during his time at Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, CA