Health Equity Advocacy and Anti-Racism is a unique experiential program that all first year incoming Pritzker students attend during the summer quarter to help further their understanding of disparities which exist within the healthcare field.
The program is led by the Dean for Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (HEDI) and utilizes a dynamic approach to addressing this prominent issue. Students attend lectures taught by leaders from the area and University, and spend time visiting local free clinics, community centers, emergency rooms, and hospitals to gain a first-hand perspective. Our goal is that Pritzker students leave the class informed of the magnitude of health disparities, prepared to effectively communicate across cultures, and committed to reducing these disparities. For more information, please contact the HEDI office.
The Health Equity, Advocacy and Anti Racism Curriculum is funded in part by the Finding Answers: Disparities Research for Change initiative. This national program which is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awards and manages research grants to organizations who develop interventions aimed at reducing health disparities. The national initiative is led by Marshall Chin, MD, MPH, the Richard Parrillo Family Professor of Healthcare Ethics in the Department of Medicine, and is housed at the University of Chicago's Center for Health and Social Sciences Center (CHeSS).
In partnership with the Urban Health Initiative, research projects developed during the course have led to free breast and pelvic cancer screenings for uninsured women in the area, and the creation of a food program that provides free meals to low-income families whose children are being treated at the Medical Center.
Read our students' intentional advocacy guidelines.