Connect Newsletter (Oct. 13, 2026)

M. Scott Perry, M.D., Appointed Interim Chief Research Officer

Following years of distinguished leadership across research, education and clinical care, M. Scott Perry, M.D., will serve as Interim Chief Research Officer for Cook Children's.

Earlier this month, William Stigall, M.D., concluded his service at Cook Children's as Vice President and Chief Research Officer. As we continue to build on the strong foundation of research and discovery established across our system, Dr. Perry will provide leadership and continuity for our research enterprise while a national search is conducted for a permanent Chief Research Officer.

Throughout his tenure at Cook Children's, Dr. Perry has been a dedicated champion of research and clinical discovery. He has helped bring greater rigor, structure and strategic focus to our research enterprise while playing an instrumental role in identifying, developing and supporting endowed chairs that drive innovation across our system.

In addition to his leadership contributions, Dr. Perry helped conceive the Neuroscience Research Endowment that led to the establishment of the Neurosciences Research Center and remains an active investigator with a nationally recognized body of work that includes more than 150 peer-reviewed publications.

Since joining Cook Children's in 2009, Dr. Perry has served in several key clinical and administrative leadership capacities, including Medical Director of Neurology, Head of the Neurosciences Institute, Director of the Jane and John Justin Institute for Mind Health, and Vice President of Faculty Development. Across every role, he has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to advancing pediatric care through research, collaboration and academic excellence.

Colleagues across the system know Dr. Perry as a thoughtful, collaborative leader who understands the vital role research plays in fulfilling the Cook Children's Promise. His ability to connect clinical care, education and research has strengthened our academic foundation, expanded opportunities for innovation and helped position Cook Children's for continued growth.

As Interim Chief Research Officer, Dr. Perry will help advance ongoing research initiatives, support our investigators and research teams, and guide our research enterprise during this transition while a national search is conducted for a permanent Chief Research Officer.

Please join us in thanking Dr. Perry for his willingness to step into this important role and in offering him your support during this transition.

A New Way to Manage System Forms Launching Oct. 14

Information Services is launching a new Forms Management System, creating a central location for managing and accessing approved Cook Children's system forms in OnBase. 

Why this change?

Forms are used throughout Cook Children’s every day but managing multiple forms can make it difficult to ensure team members are accessing the most current, approved version. The new Forms Management System will provide a one-stop shop for forms, making it easier to:

• Find and print current, approved forms
• Request a new form or changes to an existing form
• Identify form ownership and maintain appropriate oversight
• Manage form revisions and version history
• Support standardized review and approval processes
• Receive notifications when forms are approaching their required review date

For more information about compliance, where to get on-going support and more, visit Connect Newsroom. 

Introducing 'What's New' Designed to Support Your Work in Epic 

Introducing What’s New, an improvement that makes staying up-to-date easier than ever. Soon, training updates will be available in one easy-to-access location, and they’ll be customized based on where you work within Epic. You’ll see training updates that are relevant to the specific areas you use exactly when you need them. You’ll see timely, targeted resources designed to support your workflow patterns. Epic customizes the content in What’s New, so you’ll see upgraded education prioritized based on the amount of time you document in various activities.

This Epic Upgrade and all its updates will be live on Oct.16 For more information, visit What's New on CookNet. 

T-Shirts Available from Online Cook Children's Store

Need a new addition to your closet this season? Visit the Cook Children's online store and shop shirts that support causes important to our patients, families and community, including:

• Safe Sleep Awareness
• Brain Tumor Awareness
• Epilepsy Awareness
• Sickle Cell Awareness
• Erase Kid Cancer

Find your favorite design and help spread awareness. Click here to shop. 

Retirement Announcement

Join us in congratulating a staff member who is retiring from Cook Children's.

Marie Howell, Volunteer Program Manager, is retiring after 22 years at Cook Children's on Oct. 31. Please join us for a retirement celebration from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16 in the Family Support Meeting Room.

To read more about Marie, along with other recent retirees, please visit the Retirement CookNet page. 

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To find more content about our employees and news you need to know, bookmark our Connect Newsroom website.