The Association of American Medical Colleges has awarded UChicago Medicine and the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine with the 2024 Spencer Foreman Award for Outstanding Community Engagement.
AAMC presents the award annually to one medical school or teaching hospital that demonstrates a strong, ongoing commitment to working with its community to identify and address health needs.
UChicago Medicine received the honor for its efforts to prioritize community engagement through medical education, research and clinical care, according to a Sept. 18 news release.
In early 2024, Pritzker School of Medicine launched a new curriculum that empowers medical students to serve as patient advocates and integrates self-directed learning, research, clinical experience and community engagement from the outset. Students gain real-world experience addressing health inequities by volunteering at student-run clinics and participating in street-medicine outreach programs.
UChicago Medicine also runs a Graduate Medical Education Community Champions program, which trains about 30 residents from 12 departments annually to address the needs of communities on Chicago's South Side that face a high burden of chronic and serious conditions.