Erik Mikaitis, MD, has been named CEO of Chicago-based Cook County Health, following an Oct. 24 vote by the Cook County Board of Commissioners.
The approval comes after an eight-month search and prior nomination to the role. Dr. Mikaitis had been serving as interim CEO since December, according to an Oct. 24 health system news release.
As interim CEO, Dr. Mikaitis oversaw the system's investment in clinical technology, including the robotic-assisted surgery program, the release said. He joined Cook County Health in 2022 as chief quality officer.
Cook County Health is one of the largest public health systems in the U.S., comprising John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital, Provident Hospital and community health centers. It also includes the Cook County Department of Public Health and Cermak Health Services, which provides healthcare to individuals at the Cook County Jail, the release said.
The system's proposed fiscal year 2025 budget is more than $5 billion. Cook County Health provides care to more than 600,000 people annually, the release said.
Dr. Mikaitis succeeds Israel Rocha, who exited the role in December and was named president of Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente's Mid-Atlantic states region.