Graduate Student Advocacy Council (GSAC)
Introduction
The Graduate Student Advocacy Council (GSAC) was established in 2020 to support and advance the collective interests of graduate students and faculty at the University of Illinois College of Medicine (UI COM) and its regional campuses. It is a sub-committee of the College Committee on Student Experience.
GSAC is dedicated to fostering career development, mentoring and wellness activities for all UI COM graduate students and faculty. Through these efforts, GSAC aims to cultivate a supportive and connected community that improves graduate student experience.
GSAC Leadership for Academic Year 2026-2027
- Student Chair: Julka Michalkiewicz, GEMS Student
- Faculty Chair: Dan Shaye, PhD, Associate Professor of Physiology and Biophysics
Ex Officio Leadership:
- Kathleen Kashima, PhD, Senior Associate Dean of Students at UI COM
- Francis Alonzo, PhD, Assistant Dean for Graduate Education and Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
- Julie Mann. MA, Executive Director of Graduate Student Affairs
GSAC is recruiting faculty members to help support their activities. If interested in getting involved please complete this form.
GSAC Sub-Committees
A list of all sub-committee members can be found here.
Culture Sub-Committee: The Culture Sub-Committee provides programing open to all graduate students that fosters communication and community. Activities include Coffee and Conversations, Welcome Back Fall Ice Cream Social, Book Club and a Culture Club
Careers Sub-Committee: The Careers Sub-Committee provides resources and activities that enhance mentoring and foster personal and professional growth. Activities include Industry Panel(s), career focused workshops (CV writing, interviewing skills, etc.) Your Future in Science workshops. A list of available career resources for graduate students can be found here.
Wellness Sub-Committee: The Wellness Sub-Committee provides all UI COM graduate students with resources that support their academic, social and emotional well-being. Activities include dog therapy events and other wellness events.
Communication Sub-Committee: The Communication Sub-Committee works to ensure that all UI COM graduate students are receiving communication about events, information and activities that pertain to them via the GSAC listserv, SLACK channels and website.
Calendar of Events
Contact Us
Email: gsac@uic.edu
Slack Channel Information
- Go to uicom.slack.com
- Log in with your UIC NetID and Password
- Add Slack Channel for graduate students – #disc- graduatestudents
Resources
Resources
UIC CampusCare
CampusCare is an affordable self-funded student health benefit program that has been providing comprehensive health care benefits to eligible enrolled students and their covered dependents at the University of Illinois Chicago, Rockford and Peoria campuses since 2004. The University of Illinois requires all students to be covered by major medical health insurance, therefore all students are automatically enrolled in CampusCare and assessed the CampusCare fee on their tuition when registering for courses that are charged with tuition & mandatory fees. There are no enrollment forms to complete. CampusCare qualifies for minimum essential coverage under the Affordable Care Act as a self-funded health benefit program and is not a licensed insurance company.
UIC Counseling Center
The Counseling Center provides a wide range of mental health services to UIC students including individual, group, and relationship therapy, outreach and consultation across the UIC community, workshops, peer support groups, and 24/7 crisis intervention services. We also help connect students to additional mental health resources at UIC and in the Chicago community to meet your individualized needs. Our staff is committed to social justice and proud to provide culturally-affirming mental health services to UIC’s diverse student body.
1200 West Harrison Street, 2010 SSB, (MC 333), Chicago, Illinois 60607
Phone: (312) 996-3490 Fax: (312) 996-7645
UIC Wellness Center
We support student learning, academic success, and retention by providing wellness services that promote healthy attitudes and behaviors, empower students to make informed choices, and enhance holistic well-being.
Suite 238 750 S Halsted Street Chicago, IL 60607
Phone: (312) 413-2120 wellnesscenter@uic.edu
UIC SAFE Office of Preparedness and Response
The Office of Preparedness and Response provides the UIC community with prompt and reliable information, plans, actions, trainings and exercises to prepare for, mitigate, response to, and recover from all-hazards which may occur on the campus.
Office of Preparedness and Response
1140 S. Paulina St., Chicago IL 60612
Phone: (312) 355-3341 ready@uic.edu
UI COM Resiliency Center
The University of Illinois College of Medicine Student Resiliency Center provides mental health services to UI COM medical and graduate students.
1601 W. Taylor Street, Chicago IL 60612 Room 441
jduffecy@uic.edu or 312-413-1225
UIC Office of International Services
The Office of International Services supports UIC’s international community of over 4,000 international students, scholars, and employees from around the world.