About VCHA
Providing oversight of the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System (UI Health), the UIC Office of the Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs aligns the health-related academic and clinical enterprises under a single umbrella to better serve the state’s health care needs and to align the academic and clinical missions of the health science colleges and patient care services. The Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs reports to the UIC Chancellor and works collaboratively with the UIC Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost.
Through the integration of the university’s health care facilities and the educational, research and clinical programs of the seven health sciences colleges, the Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs focuses on delivering the medical discoveries, clinical training, and personalized patient care that will improve the health of those in our communities and beyond.
About UI Health Heading link
The University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System (UI Health) provides comprehensive care, education, and research to train health care leaders and foster healthy communities in Illinois and beyond. A part of the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), UI Health is a clinical enterprise that includes a 465-bed tertiary care hospital, 21 outpatient clinics, and 11 federally qualified Mile Square Health Center locations. With campuses in Chicago, Peoria, Quad Cities, Rockford, Springfield, and Urbana, the health system includes the academic and research activities of the seven UIC health science colleges: Applied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy; the School of Public Health; and the Jane Addams College of Social Work. UI Health is dedicated to the pursuit of health equity.
UI Health remains committed to training the health care leaders of the future, and has already been responsible for significant training of the health care professionals across the state of Illinois. Including:
- 1 in 3 IL physicians received training at UI Health
- 1 in 5 IL physicians received their MD degree from the College of Medicine
- Over 1 in 3 IL pharmacists trained at the College of Pharmacy
- Over 8,000 practicing IL nurses trained at the College of Nursing
- More than 1 in 3 IL dentists trained at the College of Dentistry
- Nearly 1 in 4 IL social workers trained at the Jane Adams College of Social Work
UI Health Vital Signs Heading link
UI Health is a regional and national leader in advancing health equity through clinical services, health sciences education, research, and community partnerships, as demonstrated by Vital Signs such as these:
Vital Sign #1 Heading link
More Than 1.4 Million Patient Visits at UI Health
In fiscal year 2024, there were a total of 1,440,660 patient visits across the entire academic health enterprise, comprised of the University of Illinois Hospital & Clinics, the Mile Square Health Center health clinics, and faculty-managed clinics in the Colleges of Applied Health Sciences and Dentistry.
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The Number of New Health Sciences Students Enrolled
Among UIC’s academic achievements for the 2024 academic year is the enrollment of 7,782 new students in the seven health sciences colleges. The university also rose to tie for #10 in the nation for social mobility of its students and, according to the U.S. News & World Report rankings, rose one spot to tie at 39th among public national universities and tied at 80th among the top 100 universities in the nation. Read more about UIC’s rankings.
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The Number of Patients Served by the Inclusive Care Clinic
The UIC College of Dentistry’s Inclusive Care Clinic (ICC) has served 1,177 patients since opening in March, 2024. The ICC was designed to provide compassionate oral health care to people with disabilities or special healthcare needs while ensuring their comfort and safety. The clinic can serve up to 28 patients a day, with more than 100 dental students working in the clinic on rotation. The clinic was recently highlighted by the Chicago Tribune.
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Human Rights Campaign Rates UI Health a “High Performer”
For the provision of LGBTQ+ inclusive patient centered care, The Human Rights Campaign’s 2024 Health Equality Index (HEI) gave the University of Illinois Hospital & Clinics a rating of 100% for non-discrimination and staff training, patient support and services, and employee benefits and policies. The hospital received an overall rating of 95, which is considered a “high performer”. This is the ninth year UI Health has been recognized by the HEI program.
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U.S News Ranks UIC Programs in the Top 20
In their 2024 rankings of graduate programs, U.S. News & World Report ranked two programs in the College of Nursing, a program in the College of Pharmacy and a program in the School of Public Health as being in the top 20 nationally. The Jane Addams College of Social Work master’s degree program tied for 28th, nationally.
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Total Health Sciences Graduates this Academic Year
The health sciences colleges at UIC graduated a total of 2,376 new healthcare professionals in the 2023-2024 academic year, with 576 students graduating in December 2023, and 1,800 students graduating in May 2024.
About UIC Heading link
University of Illinois Chicago is the largest and only public research university in Chicago. With over 30,000 students across 16 colleges, UIC offers a diverse, academic environment to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing our communities and the world. Most recently, UIC was recognized by the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education as the 23rd best public university in the nation.
UIC is one of 131 institutions in the U.S. to receive the highest classification for research by the Carnegie Foundation. The university is one of only fourteen institutions in the country that is designated as both a Carnegie 1 Institution and a Hispanic Serving Institution. In fiscal year 2020, UIC established a new research record with sponsored research awards surpassing the $400 million mark for the first time in the university’s history.