The Chicago Health Executive Forum (CHEF) held a party on October 9th at the Michigan Avenue Westin Hotel to celebrate its silver anniversary. Nearly 250 healthcare executives attended the dinner and the panel discussion following the meal.

Matthew Katz, CHEF President and a Strategy Manager at the American Medical Association was master of ceremonies and briefly introduced the five (of seven) founding members of CHEF (in 1976) and those attending who had been CHEF presidents. ACHE President Tom Dolan gave opening remarks as did ACHE Governor for District IV John Anderson.

CHEF - The Chicago Health Executive's Forum celebrates its 25th anniversary at a gala dinner. From 7 original member, the group now numbers nearly 1,000 Chicago-area members.

The panel addressed the topic "Chicago's Dynamic Healthcare Environment: 25 Years of Challenges and Change". Wisely, CHEF asked Wayne Lerner, Dr PH, FACHE, and a CHEF founding member, to moderate. Wayne is the President and CEO of the award-winning Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, and, incidentally, teaches HIM's field study/project management course. Joining him were five sagacious executives who have been active participants in Chicago's healthcare scene over the last two and a half decades. They were HIM student mentors: Mark Neaman, MHA, FACHE, CEO of Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Corporation and chairman-elect of ACHE who looked at ACHE membership demographics 25 years ago and compared them with today's professional demographic profile; Bruce Campbell, Dr PH, FACHE, CEO of Advocate's Lutheran General Hospital, who provided a witty speculation on the issues discussed by members attending CHEF's 50th anniversary dinner, 25 years hence; the venerable Ruth Rothstein, Chief of the Cook County Bureau of Health Services, who gave a 25

	Five of the seven CHEF 'founders' were on hand for the celebration (l to r) Assistant HIM Program Director Jim Drury; Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago CEO Wayne Lerner; Rockford Memorial Hospital CEO Gary Kaatz; Robert Reemer, and Bruce Campbell, CEO of Advocate's Lutheran General Hospital.