Society of Hospital Medicine Honors Christopher P. Bruti, MD, MPH with 2021 Award of Excellence: Clinical Leadership for Physicians

Dr. Bruti's Leadership Critical for Staff and Patient Safety and Rush University Medical Center During COVID-19 Pandemic

The Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) recently announced the recipients of its 2021 Awards of Excellence, honoring hospitalists who exemplify hospital medicine best practices in areas such as clinical leadership, teaching, teamwork, research, and humanitarian services, among others.

“Hospitalists stepped up in new ways to help their patients and their institutions overcome intense challenges over the past year,” notes Eric E. Howell, MD, MHM, Chief Executive Officer of the Society of Hospital Medicine. “Our Awards of Excellence winners truly embody the innovative spirit and leadership prowess that have become hallmarks of hospitalists, and we are proud to recognize them with this distinguished honor.”

Christopher P. Bruti, MD, MPH, is this year’s recipient in the “Clinical Leadership for Physicians” category. Dr. Bruti is known for his innovation in patient care and optimization practices in the hospital setting -- from expanding and optimizing the non-teaching service and a high-functioning observation unit to geolocalization and reorganization of medical teams.

While his reputation as a leader was well-established before the pandemic hit, the way he rose to the many challenges over the past year has been truly remarkable. After identifying one of the first cases of COVID-19 in his hospital, Dr. Bruti’s leadership was evident. He ensured that his staff was wearing proper PPE, re-organized hospitalist staffing, coordinated onboarding of sub-specialists, developed algorithms around testing, and created safety-driven patient transfer strategies.

Dr. Bruti is the Division Chief of Hospital Medicine at Rush University and the Program Director of Rush’s combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program. He is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics and practices as a hospitalist in both departments. He is also a member of the Rush University Medical Center Medical Executive Committee and is the Chair of its Medical Records Committee. He has been recognized by both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics clerkships multiple times for excellence in teaching.

Dr. Bruti became a member of SHM in 2014 and has been extremely active with the Chicago Chapter. He has also served on the Quality Improvement and Pediatric Medicine Special Interest Groups.

Awards of Excellence winners were recognized at SHM’s annual conference, SHM Converge, which was held virtually from May 3-7, 2021. For more information on SHM’s Awards of Excellence, visit hospitalmedicine.org/awards.