Leadership for Dallas

President, Methodist Dallas Medical Center

John Phillips is president of Methodist Dallas Medical Center. Phillips has been a member of the Methodist family since 2011, having 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. 

Phillips is leading the development of the new Methodist Midlothian Medical Center. In 2017, he 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 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 Vaughn, MBA, 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, 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 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, 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