Centering Belonging in Pursuit of Health Equity
The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Office of the Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs (OVCHA) provides oversight of UI Health, which includes UIC's seven health sciences colleges and its health care delivery enterprise. We strive to center the communities from UI Health’s priority neighborhoods and celebrate the social capital that communities from these backgrounds bring with them.
We are led by our core values and work to ensure that we build relationships with students, staff, faculty, community members and alumni that are mutually beneficial, acknowledge power imbalances, engage in life-long learning and incorporate self-reflection.
We recognize, however, that decades or even centuries of injustice are not easily or quickly overcome and will always be intentional, explicit and transparent in all that we do.
Message from the Director Heading link
“As learners, educators, researchers and health practitioners, we have a responsibility to mitigate harm as much as possible. I want us all to be able to do more good – in the lives of our communities, our patients and ourselves. By focusing on trust, community care and cultural humility within our space, we will be able to engage in dialogues, practice vulnerability and show empathy towards one another in our pursuit of health equity. Ultimately, we need to be able to show compassion towards one another and translate that care into our clinical practice, classrooms and research.”
| Director of Health Affairs Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Founding Director of Odehmenan Health Equity Center
New Health Equity Center Formally Launched Heading link
On Wednesday, September 13, 2023, the Odehmanan Health Equity Center (Odeh Center) was formally launched with a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony. Be sure to see the highlights, photos and video from the event.
