Marie Lynn Miranda UIC Chancellor | University Of Illinois At Chicago
Dr. Enrico Benedetti and Scott Jones have been named to interim leadership positions at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and the University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics, respectively.
Marie Lynn Miranda, Chancellor of the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), announced these appointments. “The interim appointments of Dr. Benedetti and Mr. Jones reflect the university’s unwavering pursuit of the broadest access to the highest level of educational, research, and clinical excellence,” stated UIC Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda. “Each of their distinguished careers exemplify our commitment to training the future leaders of medicine and translating that knowledge into care that makes a difference in our communities, across Illinois, and indeed globally. Dr. Barish and I are confident that they will be exceptional leaders for UIC during this critical moment in our university’s history.”
Dr. Benedetti is currently the Warren H. Cole Endowed Chair in Surgery, professor and head of the department of surgery at UIC’s College of Medicine, as well as associate director of transplant surgery. He is recognized for his leadership in organ transplantation and robotic-assisted surgical techniques. Among his achievements are pioneering procedures such as the first robotic donor nephrectomy for a living-donor kidney transplant, as well as leading significant combined organ transplants.
Benedetti has been part of UIC for over thirty years after completing his medical education in Florence, Italy, followed by further surgical training at UIC in 1993 and a fellowship at the University of Minnesota. He returned to UIC’s faculty in 1994 and became a full professor in 2005. His academic output includes nearly 400 peer-reviewed articles, more than 30 book chapters, and editorship of “Living Donor Organ Transplantation.” He is also a recipient of the Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Humanitarian of the Year Award.
Scott Jones has served as chief operating officer (COO) for UI Health since 2023 after joining UI Health in 2019 as chief ambulatory operations officer. As COO, he oversees operations for a tertiary care hospital with 4,700 employees managing thousands of admissions, surgeries, emergency visits, and physicians annually. His initiatives include establishing new governance structures for surgical sites, developing multispecialty clinics, leading quality improvement efforts, responding to COVID-19 ambulatory needs, implementing telehealth services, and transitioning to an electronic health record system.
Before joining UI Health, Jones worked on business development projects within both nonprofit teaching hospitals and private specialty systems—expanding facilities and programs while focusing on patient safety and community engagement.
A search process plan for permanent leadership will be announced later.
“I am confident that these two leaders have the experience and knowledge to lead our health system during this transition. A plan for the search process will be announced at a later date. Please join me in congratulating Mr. Jones and Dr. Benedetti on these interim roles.”