Dr. Omar Lateef has led the RUSH team toward the future of health care with a steadfast eye on quality and equity. He has served as president and CEO of RUSH University Medical Center since May 2019, was appointed president of RUSH in 2021 and became CEO in July 2022.
Under Lateef’s leadership, RUSH has set the nation’s standard in health care quality and safety, modeled excellence in clinical leadership both regionally and nationally, and maintained its deep and long-standing commitment to health equity. RUSH leaders, along with others across the nation, educate the world’s top health care professionals. RUSH is laser-focused on serving its patients and communities by addressing the root causes of disease through strong partnerships and innovative research.
Lateef, and other RUSH leaders, spent years working to achieve excellence in patient safety, quality metrics, innovation, next-generation education, and health equity – to make a difference for patients. All three RUSH hospitals repeatedly have received high marks for quality and patient experience from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Vizient, Inc., ranked RUSH University Medical Center No. 3 among 107 academic medical centers for quality and accountability in 2022. The Medical Center has earned a spot on the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals Honor Roll three consecutive times, and in 2023, Newsweek ranked RUSH University Medical Center No. 18 in the U.S. and No. 54 in the world.
Everyone deserves access to high-quality health care, no matter where they live or their ability to pay. RUSH’s longstanding commitment to addressing the social determinants of health has led to the development of initiatives in education, workforce development, healthy food, access to care and several partnerships to help to achieve health equity for our community.
Looking towards the future, RUSH is expanding its reach, making care more accessible through advancements in digital opportunities, new locations and partnerships.
Prior to becoming president and CEO of the Medical Center, Lateef was its chief medical officer. He earned a bachelor's degree in religious studies from the University of Florida-Gainesville in 1995. He received his medical degree from Des Moines University and completed his internship and residency at New York University Downtown Hospital. He completed a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at RUSH University Medical Center in 2005.