Sharon O'Keefe named one of Modern Healthcare's Top 25 Women in Healthcare

April 10, 2013

University of Chicago Medical Center President Sharon O'Keefe was named one of Modern Healthcare's Top 25 Women in Healthcare in the magazine's prestigious biennial awards.

The successful completion of the $700 million Center for Care and Discovery, which opened in February 2013, and her transition from critical care nurse to the upper echelons of hospital administration were among the factors behind her selection, according to Modern Healthcare. She became the medical center's president in 2011.

"It is gratifying that her talents, which we all know so well, have gained wider recognition," said Kenneth Polonsky, MD, executive vice president for medical affairs at the University of Chicago and dean of the Biological Sciences Division and Pritzker School of Medicine.

O'Keefe is joined on the list by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius; U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, MD; Irene Thompson, CEO of University HealthSystem Consortium; Ardis Hoven, MD, president-elect of the American Medical Association; and Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, among others.

"I'm very honored to be considered among such a class of successful women in health care," said O'Keefe, a nationally recognized authority on hospital operations, health care quality and patient satisfaction. "I feel this recognition reflects the dedication and commitment of the entire University of Chicago Medicine family who work hard every day to ensure the most advanced patient-centric care in the country."

The Top 25 honor, which was announced Monday, will be presented on Aug. 6 at the Modern Healthcare's Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference in Nashville, Tenn.