Michael McKenna, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer of Grand Blanc, Mich.-based McLaren Health Care, died May 9 at age 69, according to Mlive.
Dr. McKenna was born in Elgin, Ill., in 1953. He decided to follow in his father's footsteps and pursue medicine as a career, attending Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Maywood, Ill.
Dr. McKenna started his medical career as a gastroenterologist with Midwest Digestive Disease Specialists in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. He went on to serve as the CMO of Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, Ill., and Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Ill., before joining McLaren in 2013 as the system's first CMO.
"Dr. McKenna served as a mentor to hundreds of physicians, nurses and healthcare professionals," McLaren wrote in a memorial post to Dr. McKenna on its website. "As a leader in healthcare quality, health systems from around the country reached out to Mike for guidance, and he earned the respect and admiration of professional colleagues nationally."