Goals and Strategies
Through the commitment and thoughtfulness of UI COM’s faculty, staff, students, and partners, the College of Medicine has established a set of strategic goals and priorities that will serve as a foundation to advance the mission and vision for years to come. The plan aims to grow research, advance clinical care programs, and continue to transform the education experience for students and trainees.
Goal Areas Heading link
Valuing Our People
Strive to exceed expectations for our students at every encounter and inspire our people by enhancing recognition of diverse contributions and improving equity in opportunity, development and advancement for our trainees, faculty, and staff.
Programmatic Success
Differentiate UI COM by elevating our research, clinical and educational programs in targeted areas consistent with UI COM’s vision and values.
Sustainability
Manage our resources to sustain our mission and position UI COM for growth and long-term success.
Operational Effectiveness
Reduce bureaucracy and streamline processes to enable learners, faculty, and staff to effectively pursue their work.
10 Strategies Heading link
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Description
Build upon the COM’s historical position as a leader in medical education research and innovation. Make the most of the unique offerings available through UI COM campuses and clinical affiliates.
Tactics
1a: Expand community-informed and community-engaged medical student and trainee educational and research opportunities; incorporate campus-specific areas of focus (e.g., urban, rural).
1b: Develop comprehensive multiyear workforce plan(s) to address faculty and staff recruitment and development needs (i.e., training) to support the education, mission.
1c: Conduct a comprehensive review of medical students’ and trainees’ educational experiences at each clinical affiliate and campus to identify and implement changes that will benefit all learners.
Metrics
- Total student contact hours for faculty
- Turnover rate for faculty / staff
- Number of new clinical programs and research activities implemented
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Description
UI COM will promote a healthy COM culture that facilitates student and trainee success in a positive and respectful learning environment; promotes physical, financial, mental, and social well-being; and values diversity and inclusion.
Tactics
2a: Provide an effective student and trainee advising program that is individualized, roadmapped, equitable, and informative; clarifies roles and expectations for learners, advisers, and mentors; and affects innovative approaches.
2b: In collaboration with the university, support career development programs for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows (e.g., provide information about external funding for research, career opportunities, and effective practices within discipline).
2c: Ensure access to high-value education.
(i): Reduce student debt levels.
(ii): Improve quality.
(iii): Manage the cost of delivering education.
(iv): Diversify and grow new revenue streams to defray tuition costs.
Metrics
- Student education satisfaction/engagement survey scores
- Resident satisfaction/engagement survey scores
- Growth in scholarships and endowment
- PhD placement outcomes (e.g., % of trainees in academia)
- Average medical student debt
Related Goal Area
Related Goal Area: Valuing Our People
Execution: 1-3 years
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Description
Target investment and build infrastructure in defined areas of excellence to elevate UI COM’s reputation, increase participation in team science, enhance research trainee experience, derive more benefit from partnerships, improve competitive positioning with funders, promote cross-campus collaboration, and drive innovation and discovery.
Tactics
3a: Reorganize research efforts using the areas of excellence framework. Emerging areas of excellence for consideration include the following: cancer, cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, and neuroscience (including visual sciences and psychiatric disorders).
3b: Develop comprehensive multiyear workforce plan(s) to address faculty and staff recruitment and productivity.
3c: Pursue new research partnerships to achieve national and international recognition for scientific excellence in key thematic areas.
3d: Enhance training and career development opportunities for the next generation of researchers.
3e: Develop infrastructure to promote collaborative research and translational drug discovery/therapeutics, including but not limited to big data science and data management, analytics, equipment, shared services, space usage policies, etc.
3f: Streamline research processes from discovery to commercial application.
Metrics
- Number of high-impact studies/publications
- Number of research grants award across areas of excellence
- Increased participation in clinical trials
- % of new license agreements / patents per year
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Description
In partnership with its clinical affiliates and other colleges, UI COM will strive to meet the different healthcare needs of patients and improve the quality and safety of the clinical experiences for our diverse communities throughout Illinois.
Tactics
All UI COM Campuses
4a: Develop comprehensive multiyear workforce plan(s), jointly with clinical partners, to address faculty and staff recruitment and development needs (i.e., training) to support clinical services delivery.4b: Establish partnerships to address gaps in clinical service offerings and address community needs related to low-volume/low-growth services.
Chicago Campus
4c: Integrate the faculty practice organization to become a high-functioning multispecialty group that can rapidly identify and implement clinical operations best practices.4d: Increase alignment across UI Health (hospital and faculty practice) by addressing governance, decision-making, physician leadership, and economics while preserving a culture where units and departments are encouraged to be entrepreneurial.
4e: Develop an ambulatory care strategy (sites and services) with UI Hospital and Clinics to expand our presence in Chicagoland, improve access, and increase clinical volumes.
Metrics
- % of COM expenses supported by affiliated health system
- Number of partnerships addressing key service gaps in regional communities
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Description
Articulate a unifying identity for UI COM that aligns with our mission, vision, and values and distinguishes UI COM from other medical schools. A distinct identity is the foundation of a strong brand, which will help UI COM attract and retain high-caliber students, staff, and faculty and create strong links to alumni.
Tactics
5a: Engage major stakeholder groups on all campuses to develop a consistent identity and brand for the COM.
5b: Ensure consistency in the college and faculty practice naming conventions, and contextualize them with respect to UIC.
5c: Clarify relationships between UI COM and its clinical affiliates to better define cobranding possibilities with clinical partners.
5d: Develop branding standards and launch marketing campaign(s) to address local, regional, national, and global awareness of UI COM.
5e: Increase awareness and elevate the reputation of UI COM’s faculty practice within the communities it serves.
Metrics
- Brand awareness survey scores (internal and external)
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Description
Foster community and provide resources for students, trainees, faculty, and staff, to encourage and support cross-college and -discipline engagement and integration.
Tactics
6a: Recruit, matriculate, support, and graduate a diverse body of students and trainees who embrace UI COM’s vision and values.
6b: Develop and implement a diversity, equity, and inclusion framework that will coordinate efforts at the individual, unit, department, campus, and college level.
6c: Enrich faculty/staff diversity through recruiting by growing the diverse candidate pool and improving the conversion rate (i.e., hires) of candidates.
Metrics
- Number of student applications and yield rate among diverse candidates
- Faculty composition by gender, rank, race/ethnicity and retention rate
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Description
Enhance existing, and pursue new, partnerships that advance UI COM strategies across all mission areas and are beneficial to the college and its partners.
Tactics
7a: Work with hospital and community affiliates and other UI colleges to lead interprofessional collaborative practice, learning, working, and scholarship.
7b: Develop and/or optimize all clinical affiliations to ensure long-term sustainability and a high-quality educational, clinical, and research experience for students and trainees.
7c: Share UI COM’s strengths (expertise, competencies, and resources) with our clinical and community partners to improve care and advance their strategic objectives.
7d: Identify opportunities where collaboration with the Discovery Partners Institute can accelerate UI COM’s research and innovation efforts.
7e: Nurture the COM’s long-standing relationship with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to advance health for our communities as well as unique education and research opportunities.
7f: Advance global partnerships through ongoing and long-term engagement with select partner institutions that meet the COM’s predefined criteria.
Metrics
- Number and diversity of collaborative partnerships that meet the mission of the COM (i.e., research, clinical, social outreach, engagement)
- Partner(s) investment ($) in the COM
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Description
Enabling Strategy
Tactics
8a: Ensure effective talent management, succession planning, and recruitment/retention initiatives to build workforce capacity and capabilities. Initiatives may include but are not limited to:
(i): An orientation program for new faculty and staff.
(ii): Faculty and staff career progress plans and educational opportunities.
(iii): A culture of health and wellness and related programming opportunities.
(iv): Faculty and staff mentoring and sponsorship programs.
Metrics
- Number of faculty/staff recruitments and yield rates among diverse candidates
- % increase in promotion rates by faculty and staff level
- Faculty and staff satisfaction/engagement survey scores
- Faculty retention rate
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Description
Enabling Strategy
Tactics
9a: Revise clinical funds flow arrangements with partners to ensure that they are performance based, mutually beneficial, and create an opportunity for reinvestment in the academic mission.
9b: Develop and execute on a comprehensive advancement plan that includes alumni and grateful-patient giving alongside other advancement initiatives.
9c: Pursue nontraditional revenue opportunities (e.g., global partnership agreements, technology commercialization, new program development).
9d: Coordinate with university government relations to advocate at the federal, state, and local levels.
Metrics
- % of revenue from sources other than tuition and state funds
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DEscription
Enabling Strategy
Tactics
10a: Communicate the COM’s financial position and operating performance, across all functional and campus units, regularly so that individuals are informed and able to identify efficiencies, improvements, and cost savings.
10b: Develop a multiyear capital plan for all types of space and facilities, including associated equipment and technologies.
10c: Implement a shared administrative services model to support all mission areas.
10d: Review and recommend a structure (office, committee, and shared resources) and staffing model to ensure effective internal and external communications.
10e: Implement and/or improve on technology solutions to support collaboration in education, research, and clinical care across all sites.
10f: Facilitate data sharing to advance education and research initiatives.
Metrics
- Satisfaction/climate survey scores
- Identification of specific areas where structure and accountability are meaningfully changed
- Administrative overhead expense as a % of total expenses
Goals
Related Goal Area: Valuing Our People, Programmatic Success, Sustainability, Operational Effectiveness
Execution: 1-3 years