University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health (UIC SPH)
The UIC School of Public Health (SPH) offers graduate/professional level studies in four areas of concentration: Community Health Sciences, Health Policy and Administration, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, and Epidemiology/Biostatistics. In its commitment to attract, enroll, and graduate future public health practitioners who are representative of our nation's diverse population, the SPH hopes to facilitate the recruitment, admission, and graduation of individuals from minority and disadvantaged backgrounds through the assistance of its federally funded Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP) and funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Health Professions Partnership Initiative.

Urban Health Program (UHP)
The UHP is an initiative of the UIC chancellor in response to the mandate from the Illinois State Legislature to ensure the admission and graduation of African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans in the health professions. It serves as an umbrella for all minority-related programs on admission, retention, and graduation.

Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP)
The HCOP at UICSPH UHDPis designed to assist individuals who are interested in pursuing a graduate/ professional degree that will lead to a career in the field of public health. HCOP offers an array of educational support programs that begin in elementary school and continuous all the way to the master's and doctoral degrees. More information...

Health Professional Partnership Initiative (HPPI)
Similarly to HCOP, HPPI provides opportunities to enhance the academic performance of students from elementary and high schools and follows them through college to graduate education. By enrolling students in the program in elementary school and following them through high school to college with grade-specific approaches, the program aims to increase the students' awareness of public health career options and prepare them for admission into schools with public health degree programs.
More information.…

CurrentPrograms

Student Support Groups - EPI/BSST(quantitative skills)/Environmental Calculation; Summer Residential Enrichment Programs (SREP); Pre-Matriculation Program (PMP); Public Heatlh Student Retention; Public Health Students-Dissemenation of Financial Aid Information; Minority Students for the Advancement of Public Health (MSAPH); College Recruitment; College/Post Baccalaureate Recruitment Bi-Annual Conference; Freshmen/Sophomore-Public Health Satelite Centers; GRE Preparation;Middle/High School Public Health Science Saturday College (PHSSC); Middle/High School Summer Public Health Science Institute (SPHSI); High School Public Health Science Club National Public Health Week celebrations (city-wide); Chicago State University; K-12Public Health Science Curriculum; Middle School Public Health Assembly, Public Health Science Club; K-12Public Health Science Curriculum; Middle School Public Health Assembly, Public Health Science Club, K-12Public Health Science Curriculum; Middle School Public Health Assembly, .Cultural Competence Development.

Public Health Assembly
Public Health Assembly is designed to develop an awareness in Chicago Public School students from the West and South Sides of Chicago of the importance of public health sciences and careers and the contributions of public health to our everyday lives especially in the prevention of diseases and the protection of water and the environment.
Contact: Dorothy Washington-Calvin, 312.996.5955, dwashi5@uic.edu

Public Health Curriculum
Offered annually, the Public Health Curriculum introduces the field of public health to 6th - 8th graders through a six-eitght week, student-focused course that will supplement the science curriculum and and emphasize research training in epidemiology, the basic science of public health, in addition to public health issues related to the environment, public safety and water.Contact: Dorothy Washington-Calvin, 312.996.5955, dwashi5@uic.edu.

National Public Health Week (NPHW)
Public Health Week is an activity filled week during the first week in April in which attention is drawn to public health issues affecting our daily lives and achievements in the field of public health are celebrated. Through this event, participating students will interact with health professionals and have a greater appreciation for the relevance of public health practice and research to the prevention and treatment of diseases that affect their communities.

Public Health Sciences Saturday College (PHSSC)

• Urban Health & Diversity at UIC School of Public Health
• Chicago State University

A thirty-(30) week (six hours/week) academic enrichment program for students in grades 6th to 12th from the West Side and the South Side of Chicago who are interested in health careers. The program provides preliminary education that will enrich students' academic experiences and expose them to public health science and research. These activities are expected to increase students' interest in science, mathematics, and public health research and motivate them to take the Honors and Advanced Placement Science courses necessary for successful college education.
Contact: Dorothy Washington-Calvin, 312.996.5955, dwashi5@uic.edu

• Summer Public Health Science Institute (SPHSI) Urban Health & Diversity at UIC School of Public Health
• Chicago State University

Elementary/Middle School Summer Public Health Science Institute (SPHSI)

This is a six-week (six hours/day) annual program for entering 6th to 8th graders from the Chicago Public Schools who are interested in pursuing health careers. The program provides them with a summer of intensive reading, mathematics, and science enrichment courses and increases the academic preparedness necessary to take science and mathematics courses in high school, while also providing academic skills necessary for public health endeavors, and ….

High School School Summer Public Health Science Institute (SPHSI)

A six-week public health institute held annually for entering 9th to 12th graders designed to strengthen their academic preparation in science, mathematics, writing, reading, and standardized test-taking; to markedly increase their chances of entering college with competitive scores of 20 or higher on the ACT or 1,000 or higher on the SAT; and to instill them with the confidence and ability to succeed in a pre-health curriculum. Students receive a stipend for full participation.

High School Public Health Science Clubs (PHSC)
Clubs organized by high school students under the guidance of health educators and school coordinators that focus on academic preparation for health careers and the development of leadership skills. It is anticipated that students in these clubs from the ten participating schools will meet once or twice a month throughout the academic year.

College Recruitment
Recruitment of undergraduate students, from disadvantaged communities throughout the state of Illinois, who are interested in pursuing a health career and providing them with information, support services and exposure that will increase their competitiveness.

College/Post Baccalaureate Recruitment Bi-Annual Conference
Two all-day conferences held annually (one in October during Latino/Native American Heritage Month and one in February during African-American History Month) for the purpose of disseminating information to prospective disadvantaged college students and post -baccalaureate disadvantaged individuals on how to: access educational and professional opportunities in public health and address public health issues facing disadvantaged minorities, address cultural competence in public health, join the public health work force.

Freshman/Sophomore - Public Health Satellite Centers
Satellite program for high achieving students in city and community colleges, which provides preliminary education to college freshmen and sophomores to strengthen their academic performance in science, psychology, mathematics, and literature so that they can develop academic competencies needed to pursue a pre-public health sciences course of study.

College Juniors and Seniors-Graduate Pre-Application/Admission Program (GPAAP)
To facilitate the entry and increase the competitiveness of disadvantaged undergraduate juniors and seniors into the School of Public Health through the development of greater proficiency in standardized test taking, professional school application, preparation, interview techniques and introduction to research.

Ten Week Summer Residential Enrichment Program (SREP): College Juniors and Seniors
The facilitate the entry of students by providing a Summer Residential Enrichment Program designed to strengthen the academic performance of disadvantaged undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students and introduce them to the public health practice environment, public health research, and prospective mentors. Students receive a stipend for full participation. SREP includes a GRE review class. [View SREP Brochure .doc or .pdf and Application .doc or .pdf or [Apply online]

Pre-Application/Pre-Admission Program (PAAP)

Pre-Matriculation Program (PMP) for Admitted Graduate/Professional Students
This provides an intensive six-week preliminary education for disadvantaged students admitted to the UICSPH to strengthen their academic competitiveness and maintain on time graduation.

Public Health Student-Retention
To provide disadvantaged students enrolled at the UIC-SPH with academic and non-academic support to ensure a retention and graduation. The academic support includes support groups and a buddy system within biostatistics, epidemiology and writing. While the non-academic will include mentoring network between disadvantaged students and alumni.

Public Health Students-Dissimenation of Financial Aid Information
Two special seminars are organized for public health students per year, one in the fall and one in the spring on fellowships, research/graduate assistantship and scholarships for disadvantaged students, as well as other assistance available within and outside UICSPH.

Cultuiral Competence Development In-Service
To conduct workshops on cultural competence and social-cultural aspects of public health for students at all levels. school counselors, teachers of science and mathematics and tutors. The workshop will increase their understanding of the impact of prejudice and stereotypes on the delivery of health care and on public health. Contact: Dorothy Washington-Calvin , 312.996.5955, dwashi5@uic.edu.

Minority Students for the Adancement of Public Health (MSAPH)
The UHDP developed and funded Minority Students for the Advancement of Public Health (MSAPH), so as to allow direct input of minorities into the affairs of the school, the community and general public health enterprise. This minority student organization addresses public health issues paramount to underrepresented minority populations with further information located here

Funder Information

• The Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP) is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Division of Health Careers Diversity and Development (DHCDD)

Other Partner Information
These are our partners for both HCOP

• University of Illinois at Chicago Urban Health Program
  • African American Academic Network
• Latin American Recruitment and Educational Services
• Chicago Public Schools
• Chicago State University
• Illinois Department of Public Health
• Chicago Department of Public Health
• African American Healthcare Council
• Chicago Hispanic Health Coalition
• Cook County Ambulatory and Community Health Network
• Illinois Area Health Education Consortium
• Westside Association for Community Action
• Mile Square Health Center
• Institute for Diversity in Health Management
• American College of Epidemiology

Major Municipal Health Care Agencies:

• Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH)
• Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH)
• The Chicago Department of Public Health
• Cook County Department of Public Health

Not-For-Profit Health Care Agencies:

• Illinois Area Health Education Center - (IAHEC)
• Illinois Public Health Association (IPHA)
• Chicago Area Health and Medical Careers Program

Community-Based Organizations:

• Westside Association for Community Action (WACA)
• Health Consortium of Illinois
• Hispanic Health Alliance (HHA)
• Sinai Community Institute (SCI)

Undergraduate Colleges:

• UIC, Chicago State University (CSU)
• Kennedy King College (KKC)
• Malcolm X College (MXC)
• Harold Washington College
• Harry s. Truman College
• Olive-Harvey College
• Richard J. Daley College

Chicago Public School System:

• Public Health Partner Schools-Elementary/Middle Schools
• Barnard Computer, Math and Science Academy