Dedicated to better urban health care

In 2008, UIC celebrated the 30th anniversary of its Urban Health Program.

In 1978 the Illinois State Legislature called upon the campus to recruit, retain and graduate students from underrepresented groups in health-care fields. The further goal was to improve urban health, particularly in predominantly minority communities.

Dr. Michael Toney, executive director of the program, said, "The face of our nation is changing. We're working to see that the face of health care is changing as well."

All of UIC's health-sciences colleges — applied health sciences, dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, the school of public health and the graduate college — participate in the Urban Health Program, which reaches students early in their education and helps them develop the basic skills necessary to prepare for a career in the health professions.

Underrepresented groups — blacks, Latinos and American Indians — often live in cities' most unhealthy areas, those lacking sufficient local health-care facilities and providers. In addition, Toney said they have high levels of obesity, heart disease and diabetes. He encourages students to consider working in communities that need them the most. Third-year pharmacy student Pedro Abreu (above), for example, is committed to serving a minority population when he graduates.

Dr. Jorge Girotti is director of the Hispanic Center of Excellence, which recruits Latino medical students and faculty and sponsors research and curricular advances to better address minority health issues.

Girotti said, "Our track record is a reflection of the support of college leaders as well as faculty and local physicians. Students know that when they come to UIC, they will receive an excellent education and dedicated support."

Seventy percent of Chicago's black and Latino physicians are UIC graduates. Historically, the Urban Health Program has graduated almost 5,000 minority health-care professionals.

For the past 15 years, the journal Black Issues in Higher Education has ranked UIC third or fourth among the top 100 institutions granting medical degrees to minority students. In 2008 and 2007, the College of Medicine was named one of the Best Schools for Hispanics by Hispanic Business magazine.

View all in the sampling of the articles in the 2008-09 Annual Report.