Chicago Health Executives Forum (CHEF), Chicago’s premier health care executive organization, is proud to announce the recipients of the first CHEF awards. The awards were presented during a ceremony at the association’s annual meeting at Sofitel Water Tower Place, with more than 150 area healthcare leaders in attendance.

James Orlikoff, the keynote speaker, gave a presentation titled "Leadership and governance within the chaos – successful navigation of emerging trends in healthcare."

Awards were voted on by a panel of peer-related judges, with honors presented by CHEF incoming president Deborah Hodges. The recipients were honored in three categories: Excellence, Innovation and Community Health.

This year’s recipients are:

Excellence – Bruce Campbell, Advocate Lutheran General Hospital (ALGH) - For creating a new 192-bed facility that enhances Advocate Lutheran General Hospital’s (ALGH) leadership in providing quality healthcare on a regional basis and seeking to achieve Gold LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Community Health – Xichel A. Woods, Erie Family Health Center - For 50 years of community service and recent achievements, including a maternal health program for uninsured mothers and babies, a group that represents about 40 percent of its patient volume.

Innovation – Tony Chen, HFMA - For creating www.hospitalimpact.org, the world’s first healthcare blog dedicated to emerging hospital leaders.

Also presented with certificates of merit were Richard Lavacchi, St. Francis Hospital; Peter E. Goschy, St. Benedict Nursing & Rehabilitation Center; Rush University Medical Center and the University of Chicago Hospital’s Dental Care Mobile Unit.

(l-r) Tony Chen, Deborah Hodges, Bruce Campbell, Xichel A. Woods, Jennifer Draudt, and Anil Lal

"Our first CHEF Awards was exactly what we had in mind – an incredible way to highlight the important accomplishments of our members," said Hodges, who served as President-Elect and was recognized as the incoming President of CHEF for 2006. "We hope the CHEF Awards help place more of an emphasis on healthcare in the Chicago area, as there are truly innovative, talented providers and professionals in the market."

Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter announces that Monica Malec, M.D., recently joined the organization’s south suburban office in Olympia Fields as Associate Medical Director. She comes to the organization from Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center where she directed the Section of Palliative Care in the Department of Internal Medicine. Dr. Malec graduated from The University of Illinois College of Medicine and received her B.S in Zoology from Duke University. Dr. Malec is board certified in Palliative Medicine and Internal Medicine

Stuart Rollings, a twenty-seven-year veteran of healthcare operations and sales brings his expertise and insight to Sodexho Health Care Services. He was recently named as the new Sales Vice President for the company’s North Central division, which includes greater Chicago as the centerpiece of the region.

Stuart’s career encompasses many years of high level experience across all service lines, including Food and Nutrition, Environmental Services, Engineering and more. He began his career with the ServiceMaster Company, as a Director of Support Services for Mary Immaculate Hospital in Newport News, VA. In less than 10 years, Stuart rose to become a Division Manager responsible for marketing, operations and support services for over 60 hospitals in the Washington D.C., Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland markets. He received numerous accolades, including being named the top producer among Division Managers with the highest profitability and retention rates in the company and he was twice named National Operations award winner for Growth, Development of People, Quality and Profitability. He went on to new successes in operations in Texas and as the Senior Vice President of Integrated Services before bringing his operations expertise to bear in the sales arena as Vice President of Sales.

Stuart’s in-depth knowledge of the healthcare industry’s needs and expectations will benefit prospective clients as Sodexho customizes their service offerings to enhance each client hospital’s patient experience.