Below is a listing of all of the Pritzker School of Medicine’s student organizations. For questions about funding or administering a student organization, please visit the Dean’s Council page. For a listing of student organization events, please visit our Calendar of Events.
AMSRO is the official student and resident organization of AsMA (Aerospace Medical Association). With the assembly of the International Space Station, the advent of space tourism, the expanding role of women aviators in the armed forces, and the ongoing evaluation of airline medical kits, the avenues to contribute to the related fields of aerospace medicine are expanding. The expansion of aerospace science requires a coordinated effort between medicine, nursing, physiology, engineering, psychology, and public health.
The Aerospace Medicine Student and Resident Organization (AMSRO) is a growing group of upcoming professionals in the related fields of aerospace medicine that disseminate information regarding career and educational opportunities. AMSRO provides a forum for the unification of undergraduate students, graduate students, professional students, and medical residents interested in aerospace-related fields and for the exchange of insights regarding training programs, research opportunities, and general career development. AMSRO helps with outreach programs, the review submissions to the annual AsMA meeting published the AMSRO Orbiter. Our members include Medical Residents, Medical Students, Graduate/Allied Health Students (Pharmacy, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, etc), and Undergraduate Students. We advocated for aerospace medicine and human performance among students and residents around the world. We provide a voice for the student and resident community, and we share educational and research opportunities to advance the careers of our members.
Contact: Benjamin Bowman and Julian Conn Busch
Faculty Advisor: Keith Ruskin, MD, Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care
The mission of American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Medical Student Chapter is to provide early support and leadership training to medical students exploring a career in neurosurgery. AANS Medical Student Chapters will provide a forum for students to organize professional, educational, and research activities within individual programs, promote mentorship, and facilitate participating at a national level for the next generation of neurosurgical leaders.
Contacts: Mahalia Dalmage, Dominic Montas, Orry Marciano, and Oisharya (Moon) Dasgupta.
Faculty Advisor: Paramita, Das, MD, MS, Department of Surgery
To introduce and expose 1st and 2nd year medical students to Anesthesiology, and to create a student network and provide mentoring for those pursuing Anesthesiology.
Contacts: Chris Villota and Kyle Tingling.
Faculty Advisor: David Glick, MD, Biological Sciences Division, Anesthesia and Critical Care
The University of Chicago Asian Pacific American Medical Students Association (APAMSA) seeks to promote health for all Asian and Pacific Islander communities and individuals through community action and health education.
Contacts: Stella Cho, Alia Abiad, Francesca Chu, Woorin Jang, Cynthia Zhang, Lauren Sheu, Emma He, and Hecong Qin.
Faculty Advisor: Sandy Tun, MD, Department of Medicine and Jonathan Lio, MD, Department of Medicine
The Pritzker Basic Life Support (BLS) Program offers a required training program to ensure all medical students are proficient in BLS skills.
Contact: Austin Huang, Woorin Jang, and Chime Ezenekwe.
Faculty Advisor:
We work to find potential donors for hematopoietic stem cell transplants through community outreach, university donor drives, and clinical involvement. Be the Match at Pritzker was formed as a part of the national Be the Match organization which has identified millions of potential stem cell donors for patients with blood cancers.
Contact: David Deshpande
Faculty Advisor: Anand Patel, MD, Department of Hematology and Oncology
To organize group bike rides to various brunch spots around Chicago, and provide practical bike maintenance training to medical students.
Contact: Nihar Rama, Emma He, and Jonas Talandis.
Faculty Advisor: David Beiser, MD, Emergency Medicine
In 2005, the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) Board published a white paper describing the core competencies of biomedical informatics graduate training. Since then, the field of biomedical informatics has continued to formalize: ACGME subspecialty certifications in clinical informatics are now available, Masters programs are increasing in number, and medical schools are beginning to integrate informatics into their formal curriculum. Our mission as the Biomedical Informatics Interest Group is to foster discussion of biomedical informatics concepts, to expose medical students to this budding field, and to encourage medical trainees to pursue research opportunities and formal education in the arena.
Contact: Steven Song
Faculty Advisor: Samuel Volchenboum, MD, Department of Pediatrics
The mission of the Bridgeport Free Clinic (BFC) is to make healthcare more accessible for underserved residents of the Bridgeport community, with a focus on the Asian and Asian-American population. The clinic focuses on screening and urgent care for conditions that affect Asian patients more commonly, including hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, Hepatitis B, liver disease, and smoking. In addition, the clinic helps enroll patients in insurance plans through navigators for the Affordable Care Act, and refers patients to nearby Federally Qualified Health Centers for comprehensive primary care services. Interpretive services in Cantonese, Mandarin, and Spanish are available for all clinic patients.
Contact: Kevin Chang and Lauren Sheu.
Faculty Advisor: Karen Kim, MD, Department of Medicine
The Bucksbaum Interest Group (BIG) is focused on creating opportunities for students to participate in Bucksbaum Institute programs in order to foster greater understanding of the doctor-patient relationship. BIG will bring medical students in closer contact with the hundreds of Junior and Senior Bucksbaum Institute Faculty Scholars for mentoring, research and educational opportunities that elevate interest and promote improvements in the relationship patients have with their physician.
The Bucksbaum Institute for Clinical Excellence was created to improve patient care, to strengthen the doctor-patient relationship, to enhance communication and decision-making through research and education programs for medical students, junior faculty and master clinicians, and to reduce healthcare disparities.
Recognizing broader student interest in the Bucksbaum Institute, outside of the Bucksbaum medical student scholars, BIG will provide a forum for the Bucksbaum Institute Student Scholars to engage the Pritzker student body in the Bucksbaum Institute mission.
Contact: Kristen Chalmers
Faculty Advisor: Mark Siegler, MD, Department of Medicine
Our mission is to foster collaboration among medical student-run free clinics across Chicagoland to enhance the quality of care for our patients by promoting best practices, sharing resources, and building community. The Chicagoland Free Clinics Consortium (CFCC) was founded to establish collaboration across student run free clinics to better serve uninsured and underinsured communities in the city. The CFCC is a network of the 15+ Chicago area Student-Run Free Clinics from 6 Chicagoland medical schools: Northwestern, Rosalind Franklin, Loyola, UIC, Rush, and UChicago. Our programming teaches students about clinical care in the limited resource setting as well as patient education, quality improvement, and leadership skills. Each year we host an annual conference, sponsor a series of thematic workshops, and fund innovative projects carried out by students. Through this work we empower students to serve as leaders in education and service, collaborating across institutional boundaries and serving under-resourced communities in Chicago.
Contact: Maura Davis
Faculty Advisor: Jim Woodruff, MD, Pritzker Student Affairs and Programs
Chicago Street Medicine aims to improve the health and well-being of people who are experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Our approach is two-fold: first, we go on street runs, providing basic medical care, resources, and connections to social services; and second, we conduct research on and work to educate the community about issues that disproportionately affect the health of the homeless.
Contact: Anna Thorndike and Caraline Sepich
Faculty Advisor: George Weyer, MD, Department of Medicine
To provide patients at the clinic with high quality care and to ensure positive learning experiences for students and teaching experiences for residents and attendings. We also strive to work with the CommunityHealth administration to improve UofC’s clinic. This past year, we were part of CHC’s successful implementation of a new electronic medical record system and transition to a continuity-model of care, including assuming responsibility for reviewing patient labs. We successfully increased physician recruitment and decreased patient wait times. This year, we hope to increase student and attending proficiency with EMR, further increase physician recruitment, and establish a streamlined approach to using the system that further cuts patient wait times. In addition, all new board members are setting individual goals in their committee areas (e.g., fund raising or education).
Contacts: Alia Abiad and Nihar Rama.
Faculty Advisor: William Parker, MD, Department of Medicine Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care
We want to educate fellow students at Pritzker of the opportunities and benefits of the field of Dermatology. This includes the research and clinical opportunities, how to get into the field, and provide access to Dermatologists. We hope to bring in fourth years, residents, interns and Dermatologists to explain what Dermatology is and if it is a good fit for the student.
Contact: Jonas Talandis and Dima Kenj Halabi.
Faculty Advisor: Angad Chadha, MD, Department of Medicine
The purpose of this organization shall be to provide community based glucose and blood pressure screenings. Provisions to expand our services will be up to the discretion of the board and the needs of the community. We shall follow our community based screenings with community based diabetes and health related education programming in order to expand the knowledge base of the community as well as to empower individuals to take charge of their own health.
Contact: Carlin Lockwood
Faculty Advisor: Deborah Burnet, MD, MA, Department of Medicine
The Emergency Medicine Interest Group (EMIG) seeks to spread information among students interested in the field of emergency medicine. We organize procedure workshops and simulation experiences as well as lectures by and discussions with EM physicians. In addition, we encourage students to take advantage of shadowing opportunities in the Mitchell ER.
Contacts: Megha Prasad and Austin Huang.
Faculty Advisor: Keme Carter, MD, Department of Medicine
The ENT interest group serves to introduce Pritzker students to the medical specialty of Otolaryngology or Ear Nose and Throat (ENT). We strive to expose students to the specialty through events and networking opportunities with the ENT faculty here at UChicago.
To learn more click here: https://voices.uchicago.edu/ent/
Contacts: Stella Cho, Woorin Jang, Nihar Rama, Jonas Talandis, Preetham Kastury, and Sharanya Thodupunoori.
Faculty Advisor: Fuad Baroody, MD, Department of Medicine
The mission of the Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) is to foster the interests in Family Medicine among the students in the Pritzker School of Medicine. The FMIG introduces the spirit of family medicine to Pritzker students by hosting guest speakers, offering procedure clinics directed to medical students, and sponsoring students to attend the national FMIG conferences.
Contacts: Jessica Wang and Dylan Angle.
Faculty Advisor: Sonia Oyola, MD, Department of Family Medicine
We partner with the Greater Chicago Food Depository to supply food to patients and their families at the University of Chicago Medicine through 11 open-access food pantries across the medical campus.
Contact: Grace Li, Julliana Ramirez-Matias, Manuel Panzardi, and Augustin Vannier.
Faculty Advisor: Stacy Tessler Lindau, MD, MA Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
FLIP is a student organization that aims to provide social and financial support for Pritzker medical students who come from low-income and/or first-generation backgrounds. Our goal is to create a space where community and mentorship are fueled by the shared experiences of students who face similar hardships due to their socioeconomic backgrounds. We hope to promote socioeconomic diversification at Pritzker.
Contact: Andrea Gomez, Capri Alex, Fatima Bouftas, and Jay Patel
Faculty Advisor: Wei Wei Lee, MD, Department of Medicine
Lead HIIT workouts for Pritzker students.
Contact: Arianna Parkhideh
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Wei Wei Lee, MD, Department of Medicine
To expose Pritzker medical students to the increasing presence of genetics in medicine and to connect students to a network of mentors who incorporate genetics into their research and clinical practice.
Contacts: Francesca Chu and Nitin Vidyasagar.
Faculty Advisor: Darrel Waggoner, MD, Department of Genetics
The purpose of this organization is to provide Pritzker students interested in geriatrics with opportunities to learn more about the field and explore career options. This includes connecting students with geriatrics faculty and sharing information related to the care of elderly populations.
Contacts: Chineze Egwudo and Caroline Montag.
Faculty Advisor: Tia Kostas, MD, Department of Family Medicine
To educate, inspire, and unite students through engagement and mentor ship in global surgery, including anesthesia & OB/Gyn.
Contact: Contact: David Jung and Cynthia Zhang.
Faculty Advisor: James Michael Millis, MD, Department of Surgery
The purpose of this organization shall be to provide undergraduate and medical students an opportunity to serve as mentors and friends to minority high school students who are underrepresented in medicine. The definition of minorities who are underrepresented in medicine as defined by the American Association of Medical Colleges is: ‘Underrepresented in medicine means those racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population.’ These high school students come from high schools throughout the area to the University of Chicago campus once a month where they participate in a variety of lectures, discussions, and hands-on activities with the goal of giving insight into the life as a health professional as well as an opportunity to connect with medical students and physicians.
Contacts: Alex Wang, Alia Richardson, Taytum Kahl, Chime Ezenekwe, Jonas Talandis, Vanshika Narala, Manish Pathuri, Nihar Rama, Kyle Tingling, and Julliana Ramirez-Matias.
Faculty Advisor: Abdullah Pratt, MD, Department of Medicine
The Hocus POCUS (Point-of-Care Ultrasound) interest group aims to provide opportunities for education in point-of-care ultrasound for Pritzker students in order to promote better understanding of its utility in visualizing human anatomy and physiology. We hope to provide exposure to the field of ultrasound for use as a resource during clinical training through hands-on workshops and lectures.
Contact: Anaelena Rodriguez, Megan Muller, Jackson Moran, and Ngozi Nwabueze.
Faculty Advisors: Mark Chottiner, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine and Christopher Harris, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine
The goals are to harness interest in Internal Medicine amongst medical students at Pritzker, promote the field, and facilitate interactions between interested students and faculty within internal medicine and sub-specialties.
Contacts: Stanton Greenstone and Austin Huang.
Faculty Advisor: Shannon Martin, MD, Department of Medicine
The Jewish Medical Student Association sponsors social and educational events including speakers and seminars on topics involving Judaism and medicine for Jewish medical students and others who are interested in learning about Judaism.
Contacts: Eli Falk, Jaq Kromash, and Sarah Root
Faulty Advisor: Louis Philipson, MD, PhD, Department of Medicine
JOURNEES seeks to expose medical students to the health care needs of diverse patient populations beyond that of the University of Chicago Medical Center. Through direct service-learning experiences, we hope to gain awareness of the social determinants of diminished health conditions in underserved areas and to assist community organizations working to alleviate poor health outcomes throughout the country.
Contacts: Anaelena Rodriguez and Alex Rosencrance.
Faculty Advisor: Sonia Oyola, MD, Department of Family Medicine
We aim to increase awareness and understanding of health disparities and inequities for communities affected by incarceration. We will provide students opportunities to engage with clinicians and communities involved in Cook County Jail and CCHHS. We want to provide opportunities for medical students and the UCM community to further engage with discussions surrounding police and prison abolition and our role as healthcare professionals in interrogating and dismantling the carceral system.
Contact: Alia Abiad, India Hilty, Chineze Egwudo, Julia Sakowitz, Caroline Montag, and Jess Wang.
Faculty Advisor: John Schneider, MD, Department of Medicine
The purpose of Knitzker Group is to provide medical students with a space and community to de-stress from schoolwork as well as learn a relaxing, practical and tactile skill together. Members will knit projects together, learning various yarn work skills, and, hopefully try to reach out to the University community and hospital communities.
Contacts: Megha Prasad.
Faculty Advisor: Sonia Oyola, MD, Department of Family Medicine
We are a community founded to represent, support, and unify Latino(a) medical students. We are dedicated to increasing the ranks of underrepresented minority medical students and faculty, serving underserved communities, and creating an environment conducive to the extraordinary success of Latino medical students here at Prtizker. Visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/LMSA.Pritzker/.
Contact: Andrea Gomez and Christopher Villota.
Faculty Advisor: Sonia Oyola, MD, Department of Family Medicine
The mission of the University of Chicago Maria Shelter Health Clinic is to provide superior health care in a compassionate manner, ever mindful of each patient’s dignity and individuality. To accomplish our mission, we call upon the skills and expertise of all who work together to advance medical innovation, serve the health needs of the community and further the knowledge of those dedicated to caring.
Contacts: Claire Wild and Ayse Musaogullari.
Faculty Advisor: Andy Davis, MD, MPH, Department of Medicine
Medical Students for Choice (MSFC) is dedicated to ensuring that women receive the full range of reproductive health care choices. MSFC recognizes that one of the greatest obstacles to safe and legal abortion is the absence of trained providers. We work to educate our classmates on reproductive health issues, keep them up to date on relevant current events, and maintain a supportive environment with the hope of creating future generations of abortion providers and pro-choice physicians.
Contact: Caroline Montag and Shreya Sridhara.
Faculty Advisor: Julie Chor, MD, MPH, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
To engage/connect members of the Pritzker community who self-identify with MENA or Central Asian ancestry/culture. This group also serves to introduce non-affiliated students to some MENA(CA) culture.
Contact: Dima Halabi and Ayse Musaogullari.
Faculty Advisor: Fuad Baroudy, MD, Department of Surgery
On a Mission for Nutrition is an organization that was formed to address the obesity disparity on the South Side of Chicago. Born out of a project emanating from the Health Care Disparities in America course at Pritzker, On a Mission for Nutrition is an after-school program that educates students on nutrition and empowers them to make healthy choices. The goal is to promote the health of our community but also to learn about the importance of public health.
Contact: Carly Lockwood, Arianna Parkhideh, and Preetham Katsury.
Faculty Advisor: Anna Volerman Beaser, MD, Department of Medicine
Narrative medicine is a framework that centers patients’ stories of their lived and healthcare-related experiences. Narrative Medicine at Pritzker (NMAP) aims to provide a space for students to engage in discourse and reflection about their ongoing medical education and clinical experiences through a people- and humanities-oriented lens. In doing so, NMAP’s primary goals are to foster community, practice empathic engagement, and equip students with emotional tools that may aid or prevent burnout.
Contact: Nora Spadoni, Chineze Egwudo, Taytum Kahl, Sarah Shapiro, and Katie Zhao.
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Sandy Tun, Geriatric and Palliative Medicine
NLVS aims to serve diverse and underprivileged communities by providing quality basic and preventative medical care. Our 3 main goals include: providing quality health care to uninsured patients, providing basic preventative care/health education to patients and surrounding communities, and to provide learning opportunities for students in clinical settings.
Contact: Mizna Akbar
Faculty Advisor: Ram Krishnamoorthi, MD, MPH, Department of Medicine
The mission of the OB/GYN Interest Group is to increase the exposer of Pritzker School of Medicine students to the field and sub-specialties within the field of obstetrics and gynecology. Moreover, the opportunity to gain relevant skills will be afforded to all interested students. Secondarily, the organization will provide the opportunity for Pritzker students to network with faculty and potential mentors in the field.
Contact: Hannah Taylor, Lahari Vuppaladhadiam, and Alexandra Diaz-Barbe.
Faculty Advisor: Julia Simon, MD, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
The Oncology Interest Group (OIG) aims to support student interest in oncology, increase awareness of career options (e.g. medical oncology, surgical oncology, radiation oncology, hematology oncology, etc.), and expose students to research opportunities, current best practices, and the latest innovations in the field. The group would also serve to connect students with this common interest in oncology – across all class years – and facilitate opportunities for collaboration. Furthermore, the organization, its associated faculty, and students who have begun clinical training would support preclinical students in career advising prior to formalized career advising.
Contacts: Alex Rosencrance, Nihar Rama, Aishwarya Katiki, and Claire Wild.
Faculty Advisor: Daniel W. Golden MD, MHPE, Associate Professor, Radiation and Cellular Oncology
The Ophthalmology Interest Group intends to do the following at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine:
- Help students learn more about the various fields within ophthalmology.
- Provide opportunities for students to meet and interact with ophthalmology residents and faculty.
- Help students learn about an ophthalmology residency and the residency application process.
- Provide opportunities for students to participate in ophthalmology.
Contact: Zaid Parekh, Oisharya (Moon) Dasgupta, Asim Dhungana, and Aysenur (Ayse) Musaogullari.
Faculty Advisor: Asim Farooq, MD, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science
The Orthopedic Surgery Interest Group (OSIG) aims to introduce Pritzker students to the medical specialty and subspecialties of Orthopedic Surgery, to support all interest levels through a range of inclusive academic, social, and skill-building events, and to aid in volunteerism efforts toward early career exposure for underrepresented groups in Ortho. We additionally strive to help students to further explore and develop their interests in the field through facilitating longitudinal shadowing and research opportunities for interested students. We hope that this will help dispel many misconceptions and provide a true sense of Orthopedics, drawing a diverse group of students to the field.
Website: https://osig.pritzker.uchicago.edu/
Contact: Sai Reddy, Senthooran Kalidoss, Manish Pathuri, Malik Scott, Austin Huang, David Jung, and Augustin Vannier.
Faculty Advisor: Megan Conti Mica, MD, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine
The Medical Student Pride Alliance (MSPA) is a group for LGBTQ+ advocacy, community, and professional development at Pritzker. We host events for students to meet one another, facilitate clinical opportunities working with queer patients in the city, and connect students with LGBTQ+ faculty mentors to foster a sense of belonging in the medical community.
Contact: Julia (Jules) Sakowitz, and Ceylon Auguste-Nelson.
Faculty Advisor: Aniruddha Hazra, MD, Department of Medicine and Alejandro Palma, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine
The Pediatrics Interest Group shall have a three-fold mission. First, to kindle an interest in the field of pediatric medicine. Second, to serve the children of the South side of Chicago in service projects and education. Third, to aid students interested in pediatrics in the furthering of their ambitions.
Contact: Jonas Talandis, Nitin Vidyasagar, Christopher Villota, and Vanshika Narala.
Faculty Advisor: Lolita Alkureishi, MD, Department of Pediatrics
PMAP is a student organization that aims to facilitate interaction between senior students and lowerclassmen with the goal of providing mentorship from students with similar interests and advanced experiences.
Contact: Reem Hamoda, Akosua Oppong, Rachel Pacyna, and Willa Li.
Faculty Advisor: Jim Woodruff, MD, Department of Medicine
Physicians are one of the sources of care for survivors of sexual assault. The Physician Advocates for Survivors of Sexual Assault is dedicated to advocating for survivors of sexual assault and educating Pritzker students about how physicians use trauma-informed care to heal the biological and psychological effects of sexual assault.
Contact: Alexandra Beem, Elena Whitney, and Cynthia Zhang.
Faculty Advisor: Sonia Oyola, MD, Department of Family Medicine
The Plastic Surgery Interest Group exposes Pritzker students to the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery and gives them the opportunity to shadow within the department at UChicago.
Contact: Miguel Gonzalez and Aleksa Lambert
Faculty Advisor: Sebastian Vrouwe, MD, Department of Surgery
Pritzker Alliance on Disability (PAD) is dedicated to advocacy, education and community building at the intersection of disability and medicine. Specifically, PAD aims to1) to advocate for a medical field that is inclusive to care providers with disabilities and chronic illnesses, 2) to empower people with disabilities and chronic illnesses to pursue careers in the field of medicine, and 3) to educate future healthcare workers on the experience of people living with disabilities and chronic illnesses, emphasizing the dignity, agency and individuality of each person's experience.
Contact: Taytym Kahl, Cynthia Zhang, and Alexander Wang.
Faculty Advisor: Kamala Cotts, MD, Department of Medicine
The mission of the Pritzker Barbell Club is to create an inclusive environment for Pritzker students to learn about and engage with different aspects of strength training and barbell lifting (i.e. powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, and bodybuilding) while forming a community dedicated to improving physical and mental health and wellness.
Contact: Austin Huang, Arianna Parkhideh, Chris Villota, Asim Dhungana, and Augustin Vannier.
Faculty Advisor: Alejandro Palma, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine
To provide students with the context for collaborative learning through literature and discussion. We hope to reconnect our peers with the humanities and human experiences that can be attained through appreciation of literature. Our overarching goal is to inspire students to become lifelong readers, even as begin our busy lives in medicine.
Contact: Danielle Gaskin and Grace Li.
Faculty Advisor: Michael Marcangelo, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience
The Pritzker Christian Fellowship (PCF) is a nondenominational Christian fellowship in which medical students, physicians, and faculty can gather together to explore how their faith relates to medicine. We seek to live faith-based lives in the medical profession, doing God’s will and witnessing for Him.
Contacts: Will Phillips and Matthew Du.
Faculty Advisor: John Yoon, MD, Department of Medicine and Julie Oyler, MD, Professor of Medicine
The mission of PDG is to teach all styles of dance to the Pritzker community and greater neighborhood. Through this, we aspire to foster and grow relationships, encourage new modes of expression, and promote healthy, active living.
Contact: Woorin Jang.
Advisor: Sonia Oyola, MD, Department of Family Medicine
Doctors for America at Pritzker aims to close the gap between clinical medicine and public health advocacy by empowering medical students and physicians to move the needle on key political, social, and economic issues that impact the health of our patients, communities, and city.
Contacts: Spencer Asay
Faculty Advisor: Ram Krishnamoorthi, MD, MPH, Department of Medicine
Pritzker Grief Group (PGG) aims to create a space for students to come together and discuss the challenges of grieving as a young person and as a medical student. In doing so, we hope to shed light on the bereavement experience and empower students to share their stories.
Contact: Caroline Montag
Faculty Advisor: Kathryn Mills, MD, Department of Gynecologic Oncology and OBGYN
The Pritzker Health Policy Interest Group provides an agenda-free forum for medical students interested in health policy. By connecting Pritzker students with the expertise, resources, and events related to health policy across the university, we seek to engage the Pritzker community with ongoing policy discussions and inform the next generation of physicians on how policy will impact their careers and practice. We are open to any and all viewpoints, and seek to engage students in evidence-based, rigorous discussions of existing and potential policy initiatives that impact medicine.
Contacts: Shreya Sridhara, Nihar Rama, Jessica Wang, Aishwarya Katiki, Lahari Vuppaladhadiam, and Alexandra Beem.
Faculty Advisor: Ram Krishnamoorthi, MD, MPH, Department of Medicine
The purpose of Pritzker Music Group is to bring together musicians at Pritzker to share our music with each other and the broader Pritzker community. We host music salons and casual jam sessions for members and other Pritzker students.
Contacts: Claire Wild
Faculty Advisor: John Alverdy, MD, Department of Surgery
To maintain a welcoming environment for Pritzker medical students interested in learning more about Islam, conducting outreach to the medical community regarding issues that are unique to caring for the Muslim population in the U.S., and provide resources for Muslim students at Pritzker.
Contact: Zaid Parekh and Dima Halabi.
Faculty Advisor: Ayman Al-Hendy, MD, PhD, Obstetrics and Gynecology
Provide social and wellness opportunities for students by connecting them with recreational outdoor opportunities and experiences. Regularly organize hiking, camping, backpacking, climbing, and other outdoor adventure activities for students to participate in as a means to connect with each other and their natural environment. Incorporate opportunities for students to become involved in other aspects of the outdoors, such as wilderness medicine, community service events (e.g. lake front cleanups), and research opportunities (e.g. bringing speakers who are involved in environmental impacts on health).
Contacts: Jonas Talandis and India Hilty.
Faculty Advisor: Wei Wei Lee, MD, MPH, Department of Medicine
The mission of Pritzker Sports MedCEEP is to connect Pritzker students with opportunities to
serve local South Side youth sports programs. We will partner with Dr. Abdullah Hasan Pratt’s
Medical Careers Exposure and Emergency Preparedness (MedCEEP) program to:
- Provide free sports physicals to high school athletes
- Assist attendings and residents with medical coverage of high school sporting events
- Teach local coaches and student athletes about relevant health topics, including concussions, heat strokes, asthma attacks, allergic reactions, nutrition, mental health, and more.
Contact: Malik Scott
Faculty Advisor: Abdullah Pratt, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine
Our purpose as an organization is foster community among students interested in photography, give members the opportunity to express themselves and improve their photography skills, and empower students at the Pritzker School of Medicine to explore the diverse neighborhoods of Chicago area.
Contact: Aishwarya Katiki.
Faculty Advisor: Sonia Oyola, DO, Department of Medicine
The mission of PritzkerVotes is twofold. We aim to:
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Empower Pritzker students to register our patients to vote, both in the hospital and out in the community.
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Register the Pritzker community to vote.
Much of our healthcare system and healthcare experience is determined by policies our elected officials implement. Higher turnout in elections creates a more inclusive electorate, which has been found to make public policy more inclusive 1. Unfortunately, voter turnout in precincts surrounding UCMC has historically been lower than in northern Chicago counterparts2. This means that the voice of the community we serve is not being heard by those who make decisions about policy that ultimately affects the health of the South Side. By providing opportunities to safely and easily register to vote we hope to eliminate at least one barrier to effective voting, so that the voice of our community can be heard.
We plan to build upon the work of other national organizations that have been involved in the work of engaging the healthcare system in voter registration. Vot-ER is a non-partisan, non-profit organization started out of the MGH Center for Social Justice and Health Equity. Their mission is to empower allied healthcare workers to connect patients with resources for registering to vote. The main way that they do this is by using QR codes that connect patients to an online voter registration portal. The QR codes can be printed on ID badge placards that providers wear on their lanyards. Providers can ask patients if they’re interested in registering to vote, and quickly show them the badge, which patients scan with their smartphone camera. There is also a text code for those who do not have access to a smartphone. The QR codes can also be printed on posters around the hospital or in clinic rooms. In addition, students who volunteer with PritkzerVotes can be encouraged to use the QR codes themselves if they aren’t yet registered to vote. More than 500 hospitals and community health centers throughout the United States currently use Vot-ER’s materials.
Importantly, PritzkerVotes will be a nonpartisan organization. Like Vot-ER we believe in a vision of American democracy that is inclusive to all. We will not support or oppose any political party or candidate. Instead, we hope to give our patients and our fellow students the opportunity to engage for themselves with the political process.
Contact: Meredith Hollender and Madison Weigand
Faculty Advisor: Lisa McQueen, MD, Department of Medicine
Pritzker Womxn in Medicine (WiM) is a group of Pritzker students interested in learning more about leadership opportunities and professional equality for femme-identifying physicians. WiM promotes more direct womxn-to-womxn mentoring and professional development driven by and designed for femme-identifying medical students. Additionally, we co-host other workshops and speakers on womxn’s rights and the experiences of womxn in medical school.
Contact: Deepshika Sudhakar and Grace Keegan
Faculty Advisor: Julie Oyler, MD, Department of Medicine
The mission of the organization is to cultivate student interest in the field of psychiatry, and to raise awareness about mental health issues to the wider Pritzker student body.
Contacts: Zharia Crisp, Nitin Vidyasagar, Victoria Ogunniyi, Austin Huang, and Nicholas LoRocco.
Faculty Advisor: Mike Marcangelo, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience
The Pritzker Radiology Interest Group serves as a forum where students interested in radiological imaging and/or a career in radiology can meet with radiologists from the University of Chicago Medicine to learn more about this dynamic field. Ultimately, we hope to remove, or at least alleviate, the worries that many students have when called upon to examine and understand X-rays, CTs, MRIs, etc., and instead promote further curiosity in these critical areas of physical diagnosis.
Contact: Daniel Leon, Katherine Madden, and Senthooran Kalidoss.
Faculty Advisor: Christopher Straus, MD, Department of Radiology
We are a medical student organization at the Pritzker School of Medicine dedicated to relieving the health disparities of developing countries. We annually plan a service trip to an international and underserved location to provide needed medical services. We also raise money throughout the year to make a generous donation to the non-profit organization with whom we partner. In doing so we experience and witness the health disparities in these countries, understand these issues in order to ultimately become health advocates by educating our community.
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Website: remedyuchicago.org
Contact: Alexandra Diaz-Barbe, Fidel Haro, and Keith Skaggs.
Faculty Advisor: Brian Callender, MD, and Sonia Oyola, MD, Department of Medicine
The Rural Medical Student Association seeks to recruit, engage, connect, and provide mentorship to members of the Pritzker community who come from rural backgrounds. This group seeks to sponsor social and educational events for the purpose of exposing all medical students to the health care needs of rural populations.
Contact: Alex Rosencrance and Anaelena Rodriguez.
Faculty Advisor: James Woodruff, MD, Department of Medicine
To bring all four years of students (and PhD candidates) together for an extracurricular opportunity to share the art of singing. Simultaneously, we hope to foster mentoring relationships and friendships from within the group.
Contact: Danny Kim and Miguel Angel Jimenez
Faculty Advisor: Jeanne Farnan, MD, MHPE Department of Medicine
The mission of SHARE is to provide adolescents in our community accurate and unbiased information about sexual and reproductive health in order to empower them to make healthy and responsible choices for themselves. Sexual education in the public schools around the University of Chicago currently receives limited attention because of budget and time constraints. Alumna Sarah Kennedy (MD ’18) identified this need as part of her Healthcare Disparities project and in the 2017-2018 school year, she piloted SHARE as a 4-session teaching program at Carter G. Woodson Middle School. She received a lot of positive feedback from the students, the school administrators, and Pritzker volunteers. In light of this success, and in the potential that this program has for fostering relationships between Pritzker and our South Side community, we are seeking to register SHARE as an official Pritzker organization with the hope of creating a sustainable health outreach and service program.
Contact: Taytum Kahl, Nikki Kasal, Jonas Talandis, and Carly Lockwood.
Faculty Advisor: Anna Volerman Beaser, MD, Department of Medicine & Pediatrics
The National AAPI Medical Student and Resident Section represents over 10,000 students across the country. AAPI is a national organization that focuses on promoting the professional, political, and social goals of American medical and dental students, residents, and fellows of Indian heritage. The association is recognized nationally and internationally as leaders in health care striving to provide a diverse forum for scientific, educational, cultural, charitable, and political interaction among its members. Our chapter provides a channel of networking, support, and open communication among our members nationally and between local chapters. Most importantly, our group is focused on charity care and volunteering in India.
Contacts: Sen Kalidoss, Sharanya Thodupunoori, Oisharya (Moon) Dasgupta, Vanshika Narala, and Manish Pathuri.
Faculty Advisor: Aliya N. Husain, MD, Department of Pathology
The South Side Science Scholars group is committed to creating and delivering a sustainable weekly afterschool science program to under-served Chicago grade schools, particularly those of the South Side. We aspire to positively impact children's scientific thinking, elements of health education, communication skills, and enthusiasm for science.
Contact: Christian Carrier, Andrew Palmer, Geena Woo, and Natasha Powell
Faculty Sponsor: Jim Woodruff, MD, Department of Medicine
The mission of the Southside Free Clinic (SSFC) is to provide high quality medical care to people living in the South Side of Chicago, with a focus on addressing the health needs of the black adult population. SSFC was born out of a partnership between the Pritzker School of Medicine’s chapter of the Student National Medical Association, University of Chicago Medicine, and Project H.O.O.D., a non-profit organization with an extensive history of working to reduce poverty, violence, and incarceration in Woodlawn and Englewood since 2011.
Contact: Ceylon Auguste-Nelson & Stanton Greenstone
Faculty Advisors: Dr. Sonia Oyola & Dr. David Hampton
- To make medical students aware of opportunities available in the field of Neurology and Neurosurgery.
- To further neurologic knowledge of medical students.
- To provide opportunities for medical students to participate in activities related to field of Neurology and Neurological Surgery, for example, presentations by physicians, patient presentations, seminars, journal/book club meetings, shadowing of Neurologists/Neurosurgeons, or school visits to share information about neurology with kids.
- To disseminate information about scholarship opportunities offered by AAN (American Academy of Neurology) and AANS (American Academy of Neurological Surgeons).
Contact: Luis Rosario.
Faculty Advisor: Veronica Cipriani, MD, Department of Neurology
The University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine Chapter of the Student National Medical Association (Pritzker-SNMA) is committed to academic excellence, student recruitment and mentoring of underrepresented minorities, and community service.
Contact: Vincent Buckman and Danielle Gaskins.
Faculty Advisor: Bryan Smith, MD, Department of Medicine
STAT will coordinate, organize, and support an ongoing transplant pager program to allow Pritzker students the opportunity to shadow transplantations at UCM and procurements at both UCM and outside medical institutions. Pritzker STAT will strive to have each student in the program attend at least 3 procurements/transplants over a 12-month period. Ultimately, Pritzker STAT aims to enhance the medical education of and better prepare its participants for futures in surgical fields.
Contact: Rhea Kataria.
Faculty Advisor: Piotr Witkowski, MD, Department of Surgery
The mission of our organization is to advocate for a universal, comprehensive single-payer national health program with fewer administrative costs and affordable health insurance for all. Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) is an established non-profit research and education organization of 18,000 physicians, medical students, and health professionals who support single-payer national health insurance. Currently, there is a bill in Congress, H.R. 676, which would expand and improve Medicare for all.
Despite spending more than twice as much as the rest of the industrialized nations, the United States performs poorly in comparison on major health indicators such as life expectancy, infant mortality, and immunization. Moreover, the U.S. leaves 51 million people completely uninsured and millions more inadequately covered. Single-payer financing would save, on paper, more than $400 billion per year – enough to provide comprehensive coverage to everyone without paying any more than we already do.
While the Affordable Care Act will expand Medicaid and mandate the purchase of private insurance, it will still leave nearly 25 million people uninsured. It also has no concrete way to curb skyrocketing health care and administrative costs associated with a for-profit private health insurance industry. We believe that a comprehensive national health insurance program is the only way to provide equitable, affordable care to all Americans.
Our PNHP group also aims to get involved with other single payer and medical activism efforts in the city of Chicago. There are PNHP student chapters at Rush and University of Illinois at Chicago medical schools and an active network of engaged physicians and other health professionals in the city.
Contact: Nour Asfour, Daniel Johnson, Capri Alex, and Sana Basheer
Faculty Advisor: Ram Krishnamoorthi, MD, Department of Medicine
The surgery interest group seeks to expose medical students to aspects of surgery in a variety of subspecialties. Doing this, we hope to provide students with a better understanding of what a career in surgery entails as well as to instruct students with basic skills such as suturing.
Contact: Orry Marciano, Nicole Miranda, David Deshpande, and Stella Cho.
Faculty Advisor: Oliver Eng, MD, Department of Surgery
The mission of the Trauma Surgery Interest Group is to expose Pritzker students to the field of Trauma Surgery. In addition, one of the aims of the interest group would be to provide students with the opportunity to engage with and learn more about trauma center’s mission of partnering with the community to address the root causes of violence and trauma. This goal could be accomplished through shadowing, research opportunities, and volunteering.
Contact: David Deshpande and Mazuba Siamatu.
Faculty Advisor: Kenneth Wilson, MD, Department of Surgery
UChicago ROCK is an organization dedicated to educating community members on the South Side of Chicago about health related topics, such as diabetes, hypertension, mental health, nutrition, women's health, etc. The program seeks to pair Pritzker groups and UChicago hospital experts with community members to give informational talks with the goal of equipping community members with information they would not seek out or have trouble accessing elsewhere.
Contact: Alvin Gordon-Arroyo, Nicholas Lin, Evan Neczypor
Faculty Advisor: Abdullah Pratt, MD, Department of Medicine
The Urology Interest Group (UIG) seeks to provide medical students with early exposure to the field of urology through educational, social, and community outreach programs with University of Chicago Urology attendings and residents. We strive to support students interested in urology by hosting workshops and panel discussions, facilitating mentorship and shadowing experiences, encouraging student participation in research and clinical opportunities, and providing support for students interested in attending meetings, conferences, and participation at a national level.
Contact: Nihar Rama.
Faculty Advisor: Luke Reynold, MD, Department of Surgery
To support military-affiliated students at the Pritzker School of Medicine by providing a space for community amongst veterans and allies; contribute to the education of the broader Pritzker community by sharing military experiences and perspectives in order to better serve veterans as patients; facilitate a shared understanding between veterans, their friends and family members, and the non-military affiliated students and faculty population; provide mentorship for students interested in future careers in military medicine; identify opportunities of service to the greater Chicagoland veteran community; strengthen outreach to military-affiliated applicants; provide support through the admissions process to include advocacy for admissions qualified applicants; and promote the Pritzker School of Medicine as a home for veterans and military-affiliated future physicians.
Contact: Alicia Alexander
Faculty Advisor: Kenneth L. Wilson, MD; Department of Surgery
"Walk with a Future Doc” is a program that brings together medical students (future docs!) with community members for walks in shared green spaces and conversation about health and more. The goals of “Walk with a Future Doctor” are two-fold: first, to deepen the connection between medical students, who are often transplants into the area, and the community in which we live and work. The conversations at the center of the WWFD program will not only initiate discussions about health and disease, but also help us to understand the interests, worries, and priorities of the community members who join us. Second, WWAFD is a way for each of us to share the joy of being outside and active with our wider community, and in doing so, provide a safe and supportive environment for everyone involved to take steps toward a healthier lifestyle.
Contact: Alia Abiad, Chime Ezenekwe, Fidel Haro, Sharanya Thodupunoori, and David Deshpande.
Faculty Advisor: Charles German, MD, Department of Cardiology
Washington Park is a free pediatric health clinic run by a 12 member student board and advised by a steering committee comprised of attending physicians, past board members, and community leaders. We seek to improve the Washington Park community’s access to medical and health-related care by providing acute medical care, social services, and referrals to longitudinal care providers. We seek to broaden opportunities for medical and social service students to learn about health care in a medically underserved community.
To learn more, please visit the Washington Park Free Clinic website.
Email contact: TheWashingtonParkClinic@gmail.com
Contact: Amanda Calipo and Danielle Gaskin.
Faculty Advisor: Icy Cade-Bell, MD, Pediatrics