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
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 tertiary care hospital with over 400 beds, 21 outpatient clinics, and 12 federally qualified Mile Square Health Center locations, as well as the University of Illinois Cancer Center.
With campuses in Chicago, Peoria, Rockford, Springfield and Urbana, the health system also includes the academic and research activities of the seven UIC health science colleges: Applied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Retzky College of Pharmacy, the School of Public Health, and the Jane Addams College of Social Work.
UI Health is dedicated to the pursuit of health equity and is committed to training the health care leaders of the future. It 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
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
Recognized Leadership in Sustainable Healthcare
UI Health is among only 40 hospitals nationwide to receive the Joint Commission’s Sustainable Healthcare Certificate, which was launched in 2024. Additionally, UI Health is only the fourth hospital in Illinois to receive the certification.
Vital Sign #2
Number of Summer Cancer Research Program Participants
This summer, the University of Illinois Cancer Center is hosting 30 students in its Summer Cancer Research Programs, with the goal of educating, supporting and retaining trainees to address the needs of the Cancer Center’s diverse patient population.
Vital Sign #3
Expanded Parking for UI Health Patients and Staff
When the new Grenshaw Parking Structure is completed later this summer, it will provide 1,050 new parking spaces to accommodate growth in patient visits from the expansion of clinical infrastructure, such as the Specialty Care Building, as well as anticipated development of the Drug Discovery and Cancer Research Pavilion.
Vital Sign #4
Total Graduates from the Mile Square Dental Assistant Program
The Mile Square Health Center Dental Assistant Certification Program has graduated 71 dental assistants since 2022. The program boasts an 80% placement rate for its graduates, who collectively have gone on to earn nearly $2 million that contributes to local community economies.
Vital Sign #5
Students Who Have Participated in UHP Programming
In calendar year 2025, the Urban Health Program had 496 students participate in its programming for middle school, high school and college students. For more than 45 years, the Urban Health Program has served as UIC’s leading initiative for recruiting, retaining and graduating students in the health sciences.
Vital Sign #6
Additional FTE Slots Awarded by Medicare to Support Residency Training
The UI Health Department of Graduate Medical Education was selected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as one of only 95 organizations nationwide to receive additional Medicare-funded Residency slots. UI Health was awarded funding for five full-time equivalent (FTE) positions to support the Psychiatry-Family Medicine combined program.
About UIC
Our mission at the University of Illinois Chicago is to provide the broadest access to the highest levels of educational, research and clinical excellence. Named an “Opportunity University” by the Carnegie Foundation, UIC is a nationally recognized engine of social mobility, consistently ranked first in Illinois and ninth nationally among public universities in U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges.
Located in the heart of Chicago, UIC is the city’s largest university and only public research institution. With regional campuses in Peoria, Rockford, Springfield and Urbana, UIC has 16 academic colleges serving nearly 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. More than half of our students are first generation while 56 percent are Pell-eligible. Our hospital and clinics provide care to the most underserved communities in Chicago. And nearly half a billion dollars in annual research funding supports discovery and provides solutions to complex problems.
Recognized as one of the most culturally rich campuses in the nation, UIC is a leader in providing world-class education with real-world impact. At UIC, access and excellence thrive together, creating transformational and generational change for both our students and the communities we serve. Students become professionals in law; business; engineering; education; liberal arts and sciences; urban planning; and architecture, design, and the arts. In addition to one of the largest colleges of medicine in the country, UIC offers programs in dentistry, pharmacy, public health, nursing, social work and applied health sciences. It is the state’s principal educator of health professionals.
At UIC, we make access and excellence known – every day.