Newswise — Sharon O'Keefe, RN, MSN, has been named president of Loyola University Hospital, effective Monday, April 27, 2009. O'Keefe was recruited to Loyola from Barnes-Jewish Hospital where she has served as chief operating officer since July 2002.
"I am delighted that Ms. O'Keefe will join our senior leadership team," said Paul K. Whelton, MD, president and CEO of Loyola University Health System. "Her professional abilities and personal attributes, combined with her high level of energy and experience, make her a tremendous addition to our organization."
O'Keefe will assume duties that had been held by former executive vice president of health care services and chief operating officer Martin Massiello and interim chief operating officer Daniel Post. Post concurrently served as senior vice president of ambulatory services for Loyola University Health System, and he will continue in this role.
"I commend Dan Post and for his exemplary work and dedication to the organization," said Dr. Whelton. "He has been an invaluable resource to the hospital during the transition."
Originally from Chicago, O'Keefe obtained a bachelor of science in nursing from Northern Illinois University in 1974. She then began her career as a critical care nurse at Loyola in 1974 and obtained a master of science in nursing from the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing in 1976.
"I am excited to return to the organization that shaped my academic and early professional years," said O'Keefe. "I believe in Loyola's mission and commitment to excellence in patient care and look forward to working with senior leadership to guide the organization."
O'Keefe was recruited to Johns Hopkins Hospital as director of nursing, surgical services in 1979 and subsequently to senior management roles at several other prominent health care institutions, including Montefiore Medical Center in New York, University of Maryland Medical System in Baltimore and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. O'Keefe also served as a senior manager for Ernst & Whinney, where she developed a consulting practice focused on organizational design and operations improvement.
O'Keefe has had significant experience in operations management, improvement in financial performance, achievement of quality, safety and patient satisfaction goals, support of the academic environment and appreciation of mission objectives.
"Ms. O'Keefe has an excellent track record of success, wonderful interpersonal skills and a proven capacity to lead and inspire others," said Dr. Whelton. "I look forward to working with her and am confident that she will be an outstanding member of the senior leadership team."
Based in the western suburbs of Chicago, Loyola University Health System is a quaternary care system with a 61-acre main medical center campus, the 36-acre Gottlieb Memorial Hospital campus and 25 primary and specialty care facilities in Cook, Will and DuPage counties. The medical center campus is conveniently located in Maywood, 13 miles west of the Chicago Loop and 8 miles east of Oak Brook, Ill. The heart of the medical center campus, Loyola University Hospital, is a 561-licensed bed facility. It houses a Level 1 Trauma Center, a Burn Center and the Ronald McDonald® Children's Hospital of Loyola University Medical Center. Also on campus are the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Loyola Outpatient Center, Center for Heart & Vascular Medicine and Loyola Oral Health Center as well as the LUC Stritch School of Medicine, the LUC Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing and the Loyola Center for Fitness. Loyola's Gottlieb campus in Melrose Park includes the 250-bed community hospital, the Gottlieb Center for Fitness and the Marjorie G. Weinberg Cancer Care Center.
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