Omar B. Lateef DO

Omar Lateef, DO, became the CEO of Rush University Medical Center in May 2019. He was the chief medical officer of the Medical Center and of Rush University System for Health from January 2015 - to June 2018, respectively, until June 2019. Lateef is currently a professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine.

As a chief medical officer, Lateef helped design, implement, and oversee initiatives related to clinical quality, patient safety, and performance improvement. Under his leadership, Rush system hospitals have performed exceptionally well in rankings by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), U.S. News & World Report, the Leapfrog Group, and Vizient, which in 2019 listed Rush University Medical Center first among 93 participating academic health systems across the nation in quality and accountability.

Lateef, a recognized leader in the measurement of healthcare quality, has worked with physicians and analysts at Rush and academic medical centers across the nation to evaluate the driving factors and methodology for quality rankings by CMS, U.S. News, and others. Lateef and his colleagues have evaluated and recommended changes to the rating systems to confirm they are accurate, and a fair reflection of quality. His work to ensure that key national measures are transparent measures how health care quality is viewed and reported at Rush and across the country.

Lateef joined Rush in 2002, was appointed associate chief medical officer in 2009, and vice-chair of the Department of Internal Medicine in 2012. He also served as program director for the Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship Program and as director of the medical intensive care unit.

A former associate dean of medical sciences at Rush University, Lateef has won numerous teaching awards at the University and led educational programs that ranked repeatedly among the top five in the country.

In 1995, Lateef earned a bachelor’s of science in religious studies from the University of Florida—Gainesville, and received his medical degree from Des Moines University, in 1999. He completed his internship and residency at New York University Downtown Hospital, followed by a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Rush in 2005.

Lateef has published extensively on scientific and ethical issues in critical care medicine and spoken internationally on improving healthcare and its delivery. He is a member of the American College of Chest Physicians, the American Thoracic Society, the Society of Critical Care Medicine, and a fellow of the American College of Physicians.