Chief Medical Officer Near North Health Chicago, IL
Near North Health has been providing primary care to Chicago's north, west, and south side communities for 58 years. We are a Federally Qualified Health Center serving more than 20,000 patients annually across three sites: Oakwood Shores, Winfield Moody, and Kostner. Our patient population is predominantly uninsured and underinsured, with significant chronic disease burden, behavioral health need, and social complexity.
Near North Health has served Chicago through every era of this city's story, through disinvestment, through the opioid crisis, through a pandemic, through neighborhoods that the broader healthcare system decided weren't worth the effort. We are still here. We have never left. We are also in the middle of the most significant transformation in our history.
We are consolidating to three clinic sites. We are executing a Baldrige Excellence Framework transformation under a five-year True North initiative. We are building a Triad leadership model: COO, CMO, and CEO, which distributes authority and demands genuine partnership at the top. In August of 2026, we are beginning Year One of a five-year True North initiative designed to make Near North Health a model for what community health can be: not just adequate, but excellent.
The physician who takes this role will not inherit a finished clinical program. They will help build one. They will make decisions that shape care for 20,000 patients across three clinic sites on the South, North and West sides of Chicago. That is not a responsibility to be managed. It is a calling to be answered.
Role Summary The Chief Medical Officer serves as the clinical conscience of the organization, responsible for clinical quality, population health strategy, provider leadership, and the integration of evidence-based practice across all care settings. The CMO reports to the CEO and serves as an equal partner in the Triad leadership model alongside the Chief Operating Officer.
This is not a role where clinical leadership is separate from organizational leadership. At Near North Health, those things are the same. The CMO shapes strategy, carries culture, and is present in the life of the organization in ways that extend well beyond clinical outcomes dashboards.
What You Will Lead
Clinical quality strategy, including oversight of the Quality, Patient Safety, and Risk Committee structure and performance workgroups spanning population health, care management, patient access, and infection control
Provider recruitment, retention, credentialing, and performance, building a medical staff that reflects both clinical excellence and deep commitment to the communities we serve
Population health and value-based care strategy in partnership with managed care leadership, with a focus on closing gaps for our highest-risk patient populations
Integration of care coordination, behavioral health, dental and primary care into a seamless patient experience, moving from siloed programs to a genuine care continuum
Clinical representation in community, regulatory, and payer relationships, including with Illinois Medicaid managed care organizations and HRSA
A culture of continuous clinical improvement grounded in data, humility, and relentless focus on patient outcomes
The Physician We Are Looking For We have been deliberate about this. The CMO who will thrive here is not the standard profile.
You practice, or you have not been gone long enough to forget what it means. We want a CMO who maintains clinical presence, even if limited. Not because we need the FTE hours. Because a physician who still sees patients remembers what the system feels like from inside an exam room. That memory is irreplaceable in a leadership role at a community health center.
You understand quality as a system problem, not a compliance exercise. UDS measures, HEDIS rates, and HRSA site visit readiness matter here, but they are not the goal. The goal is that Mrs. Garcia's diabetes is well-managed, that her follow-up actually happens, that the handoff between her care coordinator and her provider does not drop her. You know the difference between reporting on quality and building systems that produce it.
You lead physicians without losing them. Provider cultures are specific and sometimes fragile. You know how to hold a medical staff accountable without creating the conditions for exodus. You have had hard conversations with clinicians, about performance, about culture, about what it means to practice here and not somewhere easier, and you have navigated them with honesty and care.
You see health equity as clinical strategy, not a statement. Our patient population is predominantly Black and Latino, many living in neighborhoods shaped by decades of disinvestment. Closing the gaps in their care outcomes is not a values exercise. It is the clinical mission. You understand the social determinants of health not as a phrase but as a daily operational reality, and you design care models accordingly.
You are comfortable not having all the answers in the room. The Triad model works because each leader brings a different lens and all three are willing to be challenged. We need a CMO who is secure enough to say what they do not know, curious enough to ask what the COO or CEO sees that they are missing, and confident enough to push back when clinical judgment requires it.
What Near North Health Brings We are building from strength. That matters for a CMO who wants to lead transformation, not manage crisis.
Financial stability well above the FQHC median, giving us the runway to invest in what we are building
A dramatic performance improvement pilot at our Oakwood Shores site that has achieved a 56% reduction in missed care opportunities, 26% decrease in no-show rates, 26% improvement in capacity utilization and a 16% improvement in patients per hour, proof that our new teams based model works when it is properly resourced and supported
A clinical quality infrastructure, including a robust committee structure and dedicated quality staff, that is ready to be elevated, not rebuilt from scratch
A CEO who is invested in your success and in creating the conditions for clinical and operational leadership to function as genuine partners
20,000 or more patients across Chicago's North and West sides who deserve a CMO who sees them as the measure of everything
Qualifications Required
MD or DO with board certification in a primary care specialty. Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, or Med-Peds strongly preferred
Active Illinois medical license in good standing
Five or more years of progressively responsible clinical leadership, including direct supervision of providers
Demonstrated experience in quality improvement, population health management, or value-based care strategy
Track record of leading change in complex, multi-site clinical environments
Strongly Preferred
Experience in Federally Qualified Health Centers or community health settings serving underserved populations
Familiarity with HRSA UDS reporting, PCMH standards, or FTCA compliance
Experience with Baldrige, Lean, or comparable performance excellence frameworks
MPH, MBA, or equivalent graduate training in health systems leadership
Illinois Medicaid managed care contracting or value-based care experience
Submit a resume and a letter of interest that speaks directly to why this moment at Near North Health is the right one for you. We are not looking for a cover letter. We are looking for a letter that tells us something true about why you are here.
Compensation and Benefits Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary for this position begins at $280,000 with a generous benefits package. Support will be provided for candidates coming from outside of the Chicago region with an interest in relocation. Actual pay for the finalist candidate will be adjusted based on various factors, including but not limited to, market conditions, departmental budgets, internal equity, geographic location, level of experience, certifications and training, education, accomplishments, and comprehensive evaluation.
This is an on-site role. Willingness to travel, work and attend occasional evening/weekend events is required.
Near North Health is an equal opportunity employer. We recruit and hire without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, or veteran status. We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
