What’s unique about the College of Medicine?
The University Of Illinois College Of Medicine is the country’s largest medical school and one of the few offering comprehensive regional campuses with statewide services. Our sites in Chicago, Peoria, Rockford and Urbana are dedicated to producing new knowledge in the medical sciences, develop best practices in health care delivery, and educate the next generation of physicians and biomedical scientists committed to serving the needs of Illinois and the nation.
Recognized as one of the country’s best medical schools, our diverse student body of 2,600 students hails from a wide variety of cultural and economic backgrounds. This diversity adds to the rich educational experience that is the College of Medicine.
The College’s four campuses take advantage of the state’s urban and rural environments and offer numerous opportunities for clinical training and research. Our distinguished faculty contributes to the college’s reputation as one of the best schools for both undergraduate and graduate medical education. The College’s 69 residency programs are highly sought after.
The Department of Medical Education (DME) at the University of Illinois at Chicago is the oldest surviving department of medical education and the largest of its kind world-wide. Since its inception in 1959, the Department of Medical Education (previously known as the Center for Educational Development [CED]), has played a major role in educating scholars from all over the world. DME offers the Master of Health Professions Education, which was the first degree program of its kind world-wide. In addition to its role in the direct training of educational leaders, DME has also, from the beginning, been a leader in consultation services to other international medical education units—sometimes even before the unit’s inception. DME has maintained its own leadership in educational leadership training and in the definition and expansion of the medical education discipline. The faculty’s innovative research and unique teaching methodologies have made the department a rich resource from which the world’s leading medical education institutions have drawn. We continue to offer diverse consultation services, ranging from advisory activities for not yet formed medical education units, training workshops for faculties undergoing curricular change, faculty development for unit revitalization, and institutional/organizational diagnosis and treatment planning. These consultation activities enrich both consultant and client, and it is hoped that this work has impact beyond the mutual borders of each client/consultant team. For more details visit the Department of Medical Education website.
Established in 1987, the Simulation and Integrative Learning Institute (SAIL) was one of the first standardized patient-based clinical performance assessment centers in the world. Over the years, we have facilitated technology-based and human-based simulation experiences for thousands of healthcare students and professionals. With patient safety as one of our driving motivators, we work to design simulation for the development of comprehensive healthcare professionals. Aligning with the UI College of Medicine’s mission to uplift the health of our community, our vision is to develop patient-partnered simulation strategies for the entire healthcare community of practice, including patients, families, and more.
The Hispanic Center of Excellence aims to improve the medical care of Latinos by providing programs that strengthen the pipeline of medical school applicants; enrich the education of Latino medical students, with an emphasis on producing culturally-competent physicians; and building global partnerships with others that share the same vision. Visit the Hispanic Center of Excellence website for more details
Clinical Service Delivery
The University of Illinois has existing clinical service lines in HIV and Hepatitis disease management to the Illinois Department of Corrections with opportunities to expand into additional lines including surgical consults, wound care, and other academically distinct services. The future of Telehealth at the University of Illinois is bright with telehealth and remote monitoring being a foundation to aspects of the Accountable Care Organization model for improving access to care and follow-up services. With the completion of the Campus Care project, which recreates a visit to the doctor via teleconferencing technology, and the upgrade of the computer hardware in the clinical areas, the University of Illinois will be the only academic institution that is prepared to provide telehealth services across all its clinical service lines.
Education and Training
The COM is also taking a leading role in training current health care providers as well as future health are providers in telehealth skills. Through the Graham Clinical Performance Center, telehealth training will be possible not only to University of Illinois students and faculty, but also on a Global scale through online learning. The Department of Surgery is also exploring how telehealth technology can facilitate robotic training for surgeons around the world through their live streaming and connectivity capabilities. For more details visit the Telehealth website
University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago has partnered with the University of Illinois Global Campus to provide these online programs to professionals in health care industries. The Patient Safety Leadership master’s degree and graduate certificates equip students with opportunities to become leaders in the advancement of patient safety and quality health care. Candidates interested in Patient Safety Leadership programs must meet admission requirements stipulated by each program. For more details visit the Patient Safety Leadership page.
University of Illinois Medical Center remains a national and international leader in minimally invasive and robotic surgery. The General, Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery team is dedicated to providing you and your loved ones with the highest quality of care in diagnosis and treatment with, the safest and most advanced surgical techniques available in modern medicine. Our team is guided by the internationally acclaimed pioneer in robotic general surgery, Dr Pier Cristoforo Giulianotti. Dr. Giulianotti has performed over 2,100 minimally invasive surgeries with, 750 robotic procedures. Our expertise in performing robotic-assisted, minimally invasive surgeries of the pancreas, lung, esophagus, colon, stomach, liver, gall bladder and kidney, including the removal of cancerous tumors of the lung and pancreas ensures improved care. For more details visit the Department of Surgery website.
As the largest and one of the most diverse medical schools in the United States, the University of Illinois College of Medicine takes a leadership role in addressing global health issues. Our mission is to improve the health of populations around the world by training the next generation of global health leaders; by conducting collaborative, trans-disciplinary research that addresses critical global health threats; and by building the capacity of the University and its global health partners to respond to the complex health issues that challenge all. For more details, visit the Global Health website.