La Rabida Children’s Hospital recently appointed Dr. Peter Smith as the hospital’s Chief of Medical Staff, and also named Dr. Dilek Bishku to the newly created position of Vice President of Medical Affairs.

Dr. Smith holds an M.D. from Duke University School of Medicine and an M.A. in Theology (Medical Ethics) from Boston College.

Dr. Bishku holds an M.D. from Ege University School of Medicine in Izmir, Turkey, an M.S. from the Biomedical Engineering Institute at the Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey, and an M.P.H. from Harvard School of Public Health.

Howard Brown announced that James Thomas (Tom) Barrett, M.D., has been named Howard Brown’s Chief Medical Officer.

Dr. Barrett has been a medical provider at Howard Brown since 2000, and has been instrumental in the development and implementation of many programs including the HIV/Hepatitis C co-infection treatment protocol, the transgender health program, and Institute for Healthcare Improvement initiatives in HIV and depression.

Dr. Barrett is an Illinois Licensed Physician and Surgeon, and an HIV Specialist certified by The American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM).

Northwestern Memorial Hospital has officially received Magnet status, the gold standard for nursing excellence and an honor that recognizes an organizational commitment to the best in patient care.

Approximately 3 percent of the nation's 5,700 hospitals and healthcare organizations have been recognized with Magnet status and only 33 of those are academic medical centers.

Hundreds of employees throughout the organization contributed time and effort to the Magnet application and review process, which culminated with a three-day site visit by the American Nurses Credentialing Center in May.

Northwestern Memorial was the sole recipient of the prestigious 2005 National Quality Health Care Award and eight of its medical specialties are listed in this year’s U.S. News & World Report’s issue of "America’s Best Hospitals." The hospital also has been cited as one of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" by Working Mother magazine six consecutive years and has been chosen by Chicago-area consumers for more than a decade as their "most preferred hospital" in National Research Corporation’s annual survey.