About UHP
Mission and Vision
The University of Illinois Chicago Urban Health Program’s (UHP) mission is to recruit, retain and graduate students interested in the health sciences. UHP seeks to expand educational and research opportunities for pre-college, undergraduate pre-health, graduate and professional students at all academic levels to address the disparities that exist for healthcare professionals, faculty and researchers with the goal of advancing health.
The Urban Health Program was created in 1978 in response to an Illinois legislative mandate to the University of Illinois to recruit and support students from underrepresented communities into degree and professional programs leading to health professional careers. The UHP has maintained its goal to educate and train health science professionals dedicated to improving the quality and availability of healthcare in underserved urban communities.
Mission and Vision Part 2
Today, UHP has bolstered its initiatives by expanding pre-college programs that include middle and high school students, and greater efforts towards individual program offices in each of UIC’s Health Sciences Colleges (Applied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health, and Social Work), as well as a program office in the Graduate College. While the UHP offices in each of the health sciences colleges work directly with students in their respective areas, the Urban Health Program Resource Center supports initiatives and programming for K-12 students and undergraduate pre-health students, while coordinating general student recruitment and community outreach initiatives, as well as intercollegiate activities and programs available to all health sciences students.
Message from the Executive Director
The University of Illinois Chicago’s (UIC) Urban Health Program (UHP) proudly celebrates over 45 years devoted to visibility to the health sciences in communities underrepresented in the healthcare professions. We do so by working with students through middle and high school programs leading to recruiting, retaining and graduating health care practitioners, supporting them through their journey. What originated with a vision has grown into a national model in fulfilling the aspirations of students, by introducing them into the health sciences environment.
Given the number of graduates who have become practitioners and leaders in all healthcare professions, UHP has brought tangible progress to our healthcare system in which equity has been advanced. There is much left to do to address the disparities in health care professionals and health care delivery, but there is also much of which to be proud. We are now poised to build upon our hard-earned legacy by taking the UHP to the next level.
Our program represents over 4-decades of partnerships and collaborations with urban communities, and institutional partners in the greater Chicago region and across the state. I have been fortunate to serve this program alongside a talented group of dedicated stakeholders, all of whom share the same goals to provide quality services and programs that promote academic enrichment to assure that our students receive the needed support to succeed and become the health professionals the communities we serve – communities where quality healthcare is not a guarantee.
To date, the UHP has helped over 9,000 students graduate into the health professions. While we are proud of what has been accomplished, we recognize that we must continue to improve the quality of service, find innovative ways to better engage and support our students by incorporating cutting-edge technologies, innovations, and adapting to the changing environments. We also remain aware that we need to meet prospective students where they are. Our ambitious outreach efforts are a critical component of our success.
UHP is consistently looking ahead, ready to achieve even greater progress. We continually examine our programs and the aspirations for creating a landscape anchored in the opportunity to better meet the changing environment in higher education, the healthcare sector, demographics, and technological, and political atmospheres.
Programming
The programs listed below are some of the ways in which the UHP has established pathways committed to helping students achieve their health professional goals
- Mentorships
- Clinical Experience and Shadowing
- Career Exposure
- Ongoing Collaborations/Partnerships
- Test Preparation
- Service Learning and Internships/Externships
- Academic Advising
- Academic Support and Assistance
- Wellness and Lecture Series
- Inter-professional Activities
