Sociology > Programs > Graduate > PhD Requirements > Health & Medicine
The Health and
Medicine (H&M) program offers instruction in the
sociology of health and medicine, closely coupled with training in the broader
discipline of sociology. Areas of faculty and student interest include
health inequalities, social epidemiology, health-care organizations and professions,
social networks and health, bioethics and medical decision making, evaluation
of health-delivery innovations, health and social policy, social framing of
illness, and the sociology of mental health. The program benefits from the Department's
proximity to and interactions with the University of Illinois Health Sciences Center,
including the colleges of Medicine, Applied Health Sciences,
Nursing, and Public Health. Other campus
units providing research and employment opportunities for program students include
the Institute for Juvenile Research, the Institute for Government and Public Affairs,
and the University's five Health Research and Policy Centers. The Chicago
area offers abundant openings for study in the field of health and medicine.
The city houses rich and diverse ethnic communities, and a myriad of health-care
organizations and institutions. UIC is located within a mile of the city's
large, west-side medical complex, which includes the VA Hospital, Cook County
Hospital, and Rush Presbyterian Medical Center. Chicago is national headquarters
for numerous health agencies and professional associations--including the American
Medical Association and the American
Hospital Association–which collect health-related data, and provide
opportunities for research employment.