In tapping a distinguished pediatrician as head of its children’s medical programs, the Florida Department of Health signaled a new approach to caring for the state’s sickest kids.

The appointment of John Curran, senior administrator and faculty member at the University of South Florida’s College of Medicine, to be a deputy secretary of the agency was announced Wednesday at the start of a rule-making workshop on the Children’s Medical Services Network, which Curran will now oversee.