It was her first job out of college that inspired Emily Chapman, MD, to go to medical school. In August 2025, Dr. Chapman became the new president and CEO of Children’s Minnesota.
In this brief blog, Dr. Chapman shares more about herself, one of her most memorable days at Children’s Minnesota and her life outside of work.
How did you decide to become a pediatrician?
I studied child psychology in college and after graduation got a job as a child life specialist in a children’s hospital. I absolutely loved communicating with families about their children and their children’s care. But in order to help children more fully, I realized I needed to take care of their medical needs as well. So, I went back to school to become a pediatrician.
Throughout your 20 years working at Children’s Minnesota, is there a particular day that stands out?
There was a singular day when Children’s Minnesota and the people who work here
absolutely took my breath away. It was the day of a horrific event, when a child suffered severe injuries to multiple systems in their body.
Our response was immediately all hands on deck. There was barely a person on our Minneapolis campus that wasn’t in some way ensuring that this child received the full strength of the multi-specialty expertise and support systems we have at Children’s Minnesota.
Everyone and everything were devoted to saving this child’s life and starting their journey to healing. Ever since that day, I’ve reflected differently on Children’s Minnesota. I saw such power and such grace. I hope we never have to draw on it again under those circumstances, but we have it if we need it.
Tell us about your life outside of Children’s Minnesota.
I live in St. Paul, not too far from our St. Paul campus. I’m the proud mom of two grown sons and I have a wonderful golden retriever who I got during COVID. His name is Anchor. With my sons now off on their own, it’s my dog who now “anchors” me to my home and lovingly demands my attention.
What is your perfect day off?
My perfect day off would probably be under sail off the coast of Maine…with someone in the boat who really knows what they’re doing, just in case!
What’s the best advice you’ve received?
Shortly after COVID began I ran across a quote that said, “Just because you carry it well doesn’t mean it isn’t heavy.” I remember thinking to myself, though they may look calm and professional, there is so much going on with each person with whom I work every day. I should never make assumptions about what they’re carrying in their hearts or in their lives. Whether it’s colleagues who I know well or patients and families who come to visit us, if we keep that quote in mind, we’ll be better partners to everyone.
Have you ever been on the patient family side at Children’s Minnesota?
I don’t think you can have two active kids and not visit Children’s Minnesota at least once! One experience that really stands out is when one of my sons was in preschool, he had to have minor outpatient surgery at the Children’s Minnesota Surgery Center – Minnetonka. Even though I’m a doctor, I was still apprehensive about what his experience was going to be.
From the minute we walked in the door, the way the team responded to my son, his developmental level, and his unique needs was impeccable. When it was all over, I was strapping him into his car seat and he grabbed my arm and said, “Wait, Mommy, we forgot to have my surgery.” The team was so good, he didn’t even remember it. That’s the beauty of a health care system like ours, devoted solely to children.
What do you wish for the next 100 years of Children’s Minnesota?
I wish for Children’s Minnesota to stand out as the system of choice for our patients and families, for our community partners and for our kid experts through the exceptional experiences that we create. That’s a goal we’re aiming to reach in the next 10 years.
Children’s Minnesota is absolutely essential to the health of kids in our region. We need to be as resilient as possible so we can continue to serve the families who need us. We will continue to build that resilience through strategic growth and targeted innovation so no matter what challenges the next 90 years hold, we’re ready to meet them.
