Carolyn Wilson promoted to chief operating officer
Carolyn Wilson promoted to chief operating officer
July 22, 2008
Carolyn S. Wilson, RN, MBA, has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer (COO), from Associate Dean and Vice President/Faculty Practice Administration, David S. Hefner, President of the University of Chicago Medical Center announced. Wilson's new responsibilities will focus on unifying Medical Center operations in the areas of patient care, education and research and aligning them with the biomedical-enterprise strategy of the future.
"Carolyn's background and track record make her uniquely qualified and prepared to lead as a future-oriented COO," said Hefner. "Her knowledge base as well as skill set comes from being a nurse, having senior-level responsibilities in hospital operations, developing and managing a physician practice plan, and leading the reengineering of patient care processes. We are the beneficiary of this rare and extraordinary body of work that redefines the role of a COO, and completely complements our existing talent of experienced operational vice presidents."
Departments newly reporting directly to Wilson include nursing and related support areas, perioperative services, pharmacy and pediatric and Comer Children's services.
Wilson's senior administrative success evolved from her duties as Director of Managed Care Operations, Associate Dean within the Biological Sciences Division and COO of the University of Chicago Practice Plan. She has enhanced operational efficiencies and exceeded industry standards in these varied settings and roles.
Wilson was recruited to UCMC after helping two local hospitals improve clinical operations, financial performance, customer service and business operations. Prior to that, she was a practicing critical-care nurse.
Wilson graduated summa cum laude from Rush University's School of Nursing, was valedictorian from Blodgett Memorial Medical Center, in Grand Rapids, MI, and most recently earned a master's degree in business administration from Benedictine University. She has two daughters and lives with her husband in Lemont, IL.
About the University of Chicago Medical Center
The University of Chicago Medical Center, established in 1927, is one of the nation's leading academic medical institutions. University of Chicago physician-scientists performed the first organ transplant and the first bone marrow transplant in animal models, the first successful living-donor liver transplant, the first hormone therapy for cancer and the first successful application of cancer chemotherapy. They discovered REM sleep and were the first to describe many of the stages of sleep. Care is provided by more than 700 attending physicians--most of whom are full-time University faculty members--620 residents and fellows, more than 1,000 nurses and 9,500 employees. The Medical Center, consistently recognized as a leading provider of complex medical care, is the only Illinois hospital ever to make the U.S. News and World Report Honor Roll, with eight clinical specialties--digestive disorders; cancer; endocrinology; neurology and neurosurgery; heart and heart surgery; kidney disease; geriatrics; and ear, nose and throat--ranked among the top 25 programs nationwide. The Medical Center was awarded Magnet status in 2007, the highest level of recognition for nursing care.