Dr. Lauren Smith serves as Chief Medical Officer. In this role, she leads the health system’s clinical standards of care, measuring and improving outcomes and aligning provider services in keeping with CCH’s strategies and industry best practices.

Dr. Smith most recently served as Associate Chief Medical Officer, Patient Logistics and Emergency Medicine at UI Health. In this role, she optimized transitions of care throughout the UI Health enterprise and led the UI Hospital Emergency Department. Prior to joining UI Health, Dr. Smith served as an Emergency Medicine physician at CCH’s Stroger Hospital and also served as the Emergency Medicine Department’s Interim Medical Director.

She has a deep commitment to ensuring regulatory compliance, leveraging data analysis for continuous improvement in quality, enhancing medical staff engagement and satisfaction and fostering a culture of excellence in patient care.

Dr. Smith earned her medical degree from the University of Maryland and completed her residency at Stroger Hospital. She also earned an MBA from Indiana University, Kelley School of Business. Dr. Smith’s voluntary efforts include serving as the Chair of the Emergency Medicine Section of the National Medical Association and previously serving as Chair of Board of Directors of Chicago Jesuit Academy.