JULY 28, 2026 – In effort to continue prioritizing the expansion of access to world-class pediatric care throughout the region, Nicklaus Children’s Health System has announced two executive leadership appointments designed to strengthen clinical and operational alignment across its expanding pediatric health care network.
The appointments come as Nicklaus Children’s continues to expand from a single-hospital institution to a regional health system serving children and families through a growing network of hospitals, specialty centers, ambulatory locations, urgent care centers and community-based partnerships across South Florida.
Yair Katz
Yair Katz has been appointed senior vice president and chief operating officer of Nicklaus Children’s Health System, the parent organization of Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and its outpatient facilities. Dr. Marcos Mestre has been appointed senior vice president, chief physician executive and chief clinical officer.
Katz will oversee operational leadership across the health system, including its three hospitals, clinical institutes, ambulatory network, urgent care centers, and market operations. He will be responsible for advancing operational excellence, strengthening integration across the organization’s growing network, and ensuring a consistent, high-quality experience for patients and families.
His responsibilities include oversight of regional operations, operational leadership of Nicklaus Children’s Pediatric Specialists, institute administrative leadership, and other operational leaders throughout the health system.
Dr. Marcos Mestre
In his new role, Dr. Mestre will lead the health system’s clinical enterprise and oversee efforts to advance its academic mission in partnership with FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, strengthen physician alignment, improve quality and clinical outcomes, while also supporting the continued growth of its pediatric clinical institutes.
Dr. Mestre will oversee physician leadership across the organization, including the chief medical officer of Nicklaus Children’s hospitals, chief medical officer of Nicklaus Children’s Pediatric Specialists, chief quality officer and physician leaders.
“These leadership appointments reflect the continued evolution of Nicklaus Children’s as a regional pediatric leader,” said Matthew A. Love, president and CEO of Nicklaus Children’s Health System. “As we expand our mission to bring specialized pediatric care closer to more families in the region, it is essential that we strengthen alignment across our clinical, operational and administrative teams. Dr. Mestre and Yair are exceptional leaders whose expertise and commitment to our mission will help ensure we continue delivering the highest-quality care while supporting future expansion of our life-saving work.”
The leadership changes are intended to enhance coordination across the growing health system, support continued growth and expand access to pediatric specialty care throughout the communities Nicklaus Children’s serves.
About Nicklaus Children’s Health System – Where Your Child Matters Most ™
For more than 75 years, Nicklaus Children’s Health System has stood as a beacon of hope for children and families across the state of Florida and beyond. Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is South Florida’s #1 nonprofit, freestanding specialty licensed hospital exclusively for children. Nicklaus Children’s provides pediatric care across a growing network of hospital and community-based partnerships, including within NCH North Hospital in Naples, Jupiter Medical Center, select Baptist Health Hospital pediatric emergency units, as well as at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Fort Lauderdale and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Coral Springs, each located on the campuses of Broward Health. The hospitals and their network of more than 35 outpatient locations offer lifesaving care in Miami-Dade, Broward, Martin and Palm Beach counties. Outpatient locations include an array of urgent, pediatric primary and specialty care centers and are either hospital-based or outpatient locations under Nicklaus Children’s Pediatric Specialists, LLC (NCPS). Providing a pipeline of future physicians and groundbreaking research, Nicklaus Children’s is an academic and clinical affiliate of the Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and home to centers of excellence including the Helen & Jacob Shaham Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute, the Orthopedic, Sports Medicine and Spine Institute, the Neuroscience Institute and the Heart Institute. The 474-bed system is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine, with many programs routinely ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report since 2008. Nicklaus Children’s also includes a nonprofit physician practice subsidiary with more than 40 pediatric specialties and an ambulatory surgery center. For more information, visit nicklauschildrens.org.
