The Pritzker School of Medicine announced on Friday that Abdullah Pratt, MD, will assume the position of inaugural Faculty Director of Community Engagement for the school. The newly established role falls under the Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (HEDI) unit of the medical school and will work closely with Dr. Dayle Davenport, Associate Dean for Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, and the rest of the HEDI team.
As Faculty Director of Community Engagement, Dr. Pratt, an alumnus of the Pritzker School of Medicine Experience in Research (PSOMER) Pathway Program, the Pritzker School of Medicine, and the UCM Emergency Medicine Residency Program, will play a vital role in formally integrating community engagement efforts at the medical school. As a member of the HEDI unit, Dr. Pratt will also support admissions and assist in the critical outreach efforts to recruit diverse students with exceptional promise.
Dr. Pratt's extensive expertise and dedication to community engagement make him the ideal candidate to lead this initiative. Since his time as a medical student, Dr. Pratt has sought opportunities to support the Pritzker community, including advocating for a Level I trauma center at UCM. Dr. Pratt founded the 501c3 nonprofit Medical Careers Exposure and Emergency Preparedness (MedCEEP) initiative to address pressing issues within the surrounding community. These issues encompass poor healthcare access, low health literacy, health disparities, violence, limited access to quality healthcare providers, and the underrepresentation of minorities within the medical profession. To date, more than 7,000 students and adults have been trained through MedCEEP programming.
As part of the MedCEEP initiative, Dr. Pratt also founded the Trauma Recovery And Prevention of Violence Program (TRAP Violence), which educates students on the structural causes of violence, trauma coping skills, and conflict resolution skills. Through the integration of these initiatives within the medical school experience, Dr. Pratt aims to create meaningful service learning opportunities that will empower future physicians to become compassionate advocates and leaders committed to driving positive change for all communities.
In support of these programs, Dr. Pratt successfully obtained grant funding from numerous sources, including the Obama Foundation and the UChicago Office of Civic Engagement. Dr. Pratt and his programs have been recognized in a variety of ways, including a segment on Good Morning America and a profile in STAT. He was also invited to serve as a guest representative for the Obama Foundation's My Brother's Keeper Model Communities summit with President Barack Obama. Additionally, Dr. Pratt has garnered many awards, including the 2023 UChicago MBSAA Distinguished Alumni Award for Early Achievement. In 2021, he was named an Associate Junior Faculty Scholar for the Bucksbaum Institute for Clinical Excellence. Dr. Pratt was recently recognized as one of Modern Healthcare's Top 25 Emerging Leaders, and last Thursday presented the Bowman Society lecture.