Sharon O'Keefe has served as president of University of Chicago Medical Center since Feb. 23, 2011. As president, Ms. O'Keefe has worked to improve patient experience, develop outstanding clinical programs and enhance staff and physician satisfaction. She is a nationally recognized authority on hospital operations, healthcare quality, patient satisfaction and employee engagement.
"I have worked in healthcare for more than three decades, as a nurse, consultant, administrator and a hospital president, and I still have the passion for helping people that attracted me at the beginning," said Ms. O'Keefe to UChicagoNews when she was appointed as president.
Prior to joining University of Chicago, Ms. O'Keefe served as president of Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill., since April 2009. She began her healthcare career as a critical care nurse. In 1979, she was recruited to Johns Hopkins Hospitals as the director of nursing for surgical services. After six years, she became an associate hospital director of Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, N.Y. Following this, she served in executive leadership roles for University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore and Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center before joining Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis as COO.
In May, Ms. O'Keefe was named to the board of Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy. CURE funds grants to explore new areas of epilepsy research and collects data to further funding from the National Institutes of Health.
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"I have worked in healthcare for more than three decades, as a nurse, consultant, administrator and a hospital president, and I still have the passion for helping people that attracted me at the beginning," said Ms. O'Keefe to UChicagoNews when she was appointed as president.
Prior to joining University of Chicago, Ms. O'Keefe served as president of Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill., since April 2009. She began her healthcare career as a critical care nurse. In 1979, she was recruited to Johns Hopkins Hospitals as the director of nursing for surgical services. After six years, she became an associate hospital director of Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, N.Y. Following this, she served in executive leadership roles for University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore and Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center before joining Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis as COO.
In May, Ms. O'Keefe was named to the board of Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy. CURE funds grants to explore new areas of epilepsy research and collects data to further funding from the National Institutes of Health.
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