Dr. Rahel Berhane, Medical Director of Dell Children’s Comprehensive Care Clinic (CCC), has been honored with the 2025 Pediatric Complex Care Mid-Career Achievement Award for her groundbreaking work improving care for children with medical complexity. The award is presented by the Systems and Policy Research Network (SPRNetwork, formerly CYSHCNet) and the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health.
Dr. Berhane founded the Comprehensive Care Clinic (CCC), one of the few programs of its kind in the country, to provide seamless and coordinated care for children with multiple chronic conditions. The Comprehensive Care Clinic (CCC) bridges hospital, home and school-based care, serving as a model for integrated pediatric complex care nationwide.
"I am incredibly honored to receive this award from this wonderful organization," said Dr. Rahel Berhane. "This award truly reflects the unwavering dedication and support of my colleagues and friends throughout the pediatric medical community. I am steadfast in my commitment to advancing comprehensive pediatric complex care through research, policy, advocacy, and training, all directly aimed at delivering the highest quality care to our pediatric patients."
Recipients are celebrated for their exceptional and lasting contributions in areas such as clinical care, advocacy, healthcare policy, administration, research, and education, training, particularly when these efforts incorporate lived experience. Honorees are selected through a rigorous nomination process and reviewed by a multi-disciplinary committee of clinicians, lived experience partners, administrators, policymakers, and researchers for children with medical complexity. Each recipient receives an Honorarium provided by Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health.
“Simply put Rahel Berhane is an icon in the field of Comprehensive Complex Care Medicine, Rahel is both a champion and ambassador for children and adults with complex care needs and their families. Dr. Berhane has changed the landscape for children with medical complexity here in Austin, across the state of Texas and influenced numerous clinical programs nationally. Dr. Berhane has a calm resolve that drives her commitment and a sense of moral and social obligation that defines her. Rahel Berhane is my hero!”
-Dr. Leah Harris, Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, Dell Medical School and Physician-in-Chief at Dell Children’s Medical Center.
A graduate of Addis Ababa University in 1984, Dr. Berhane completed her pediatric training at Case Western Reserve University and a fellowship in Pediatric Gastroenterology at Tufts University. Driven by her personal experience as a parent of a child with medical complexities, Dr. Berhane shifted to primary care for medically complex children in 2012 and founded the Comprehensive Care Clinic (CCC) at Specially for Children clinic, which is now part of Dell Children’s Medical Center.
Dr. Berhane also developed a Nurse Case Management model, secured funding for programs including The Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (COIIN), and created one of the first electronic medical record programs for complex care. Her vision led to the establishment of the Rosedale Clinic, which is embedded within the Rosedale School in the Austin Independent School District, providing seamless care for children with complex medical needs.
Dell Children's Comprehensive Care Clinic (CCC) offers primary care for children aged 17 and under with chronic medical conditions in the Austin metropolitan area. Their team of pediatric specialists provides checkups, care for chronic and minor illnesses, mental and emotional health care, nutritional counseling, vaccinations, and referrals to other specialists. Located on the second floor of Rosedale School's campus, the clinic treats children that have complex medical needs and reside in the Austin area.
