Martha Marsh, the president and chief executive officer of Stanford Hospitals & Clinics, announced last week that she plans to retire in August after an eight-year stint at the hospital’s helm.

During Marsh’s time as CEO, the hospital has consistently been ranked on U.S. News & World Report’s Honor Roll for hospitals, which honors institutions that receive high scores in six or more specialties. In the 2009-10 year, Stanford Hospitals & Clinics ranked 15th.

Other recent recognition for the Stanford Hospitals & Clinics includes the Leapfrog Top Designation for 2009, which ranks hospitals on a range of quality and safety practices. In late January, the hospital was also awarded the highest-level designation for its electronic medical record system from HIMSS Analytics Database. Currently, less than one percent of hospitals in the United States have similar levels of rankings for their electronic databases.

“It has been a great privilege to serve as President and CEO of Stanford Hospital & Clinics for the past eight years,” Marsh said in a statement. “I am very proud of the work that we have accomplished. It has been an honor for me to work with so many individuals who are truly committed to our patients.”

With Marsh at the helm, Stanford Hospitals & Clinics also expanded its outreach presence in the community. In mid-January, the hospital sent a team of seven physicians and nurses to Haiti to treat patients in the aftermath of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake. In 2008, the hospital started supporting special recuperation rooms at a facility in San Jose for homeless patients after being discharged from acute care, and also recently pioneered a drive-through triage and care system for dealing with pandemics.

The hospital board of directors will select a successor in the coming months through a national search.

-Ellen Huet