The president and CEO of Rush University System for Health, Dr. Omar Lateef, plans to retire from his post, the system announced Thursday morning.
Lateef, who has served as system CEO since 2022, plans to step down in June 2027. Lateef, 52, intends to return to clinical practice and expand his work in community and public health.
The Rush Board of Directors will launch a national search for a new leader in the fall, according to the system.
“I really enjoy working as a CEO, but I miss patients and I also, over the last six years, got to see a lot of the challenges in healthcare, and I want to get more involved in trying to solve some of those at a broader level,” Lateef said.
He said he would like to see if there are opportunities to replicate some of the work that has been done at Rush to improve life in its surrounding communities in other cities across the country. He said he would also like to return to working in the intensive care unit in the future.
Lateef’s relationship with Rush goes back nearly 25 years. He completed his fellowship training in pulmonary and critical care medicine in 2005 before joining the faculty.
Lateef was appointed president and CEO of Rush University Medical Center in 2019 — shortly before beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic — and then added to his title president of the system in 2021 and CEO of the system in 2022.
“It was initially overwhelming, like it was to everyone else in the country,” Lateef said of helming Rush during the pandemic. But he said, “You saw the best of people in healthcare, of wanting to come together and solve problems and then it became a privilege to be in a position where you could try to help.”
Rush includes Rush University Medical Center, Rush Copley Medical Center in Aurora and Rush Oak Park Hospital.
“Omar’s career at Rush exemplifies extraordinary dedication to our mission and our patients,” said William Downe, chair of the system’s board of directors, in a news release. “… We are grateful for his many contributions and for his decision to provide significant advance notice of his retirement, allowing for a deliberate and thoughtful transition process.”