University of Illinois at Chicago Office of Public Affairs (MC 288)
601 S. Morgan St., Chicago, IL 60607-7113, (312) 996-3456, www.uic.edu/depts/paff

April 26, 2001

Contact: Carol Mattar (312) 996-1583; cmattar@uic.edu

UIC MEDICAL CENTER JOINS HEALTH PROMOTING NETWORK

The University of Illinois at Chicago has joined the newly formed American Network of Health Promoting Universities, an initiative of the Association of Academic Health Centers.

Academic health centers are known nationwide for providing advanced care to the sickest patients, conducting research to find cures for diseases and educating the next generation of doctors, nurses and other health professionals.

UIC is one of 71 premier academic institutions in the association that have made a commitment through the network to work to improve the health of the people in their communities.

"Academic health centers, including UIC, have long made enormous contributions to improving the health of their local communities by taking what is learned from research and putting it into practice," said Dr. Charles Rice, vice chancellor for health affairs at UIC.

The network provides a forum for institutions to disseminate information about their successful and innovative programs so medical centers in other parts of the country can copy and build on them, Rice explained.

"Academic medical centers are doing a tremendous amount of work in promoting health and preventing disease in their communities, but until now there hasn't been a coordinated way of showcasing examples that are worthy of being imitated," he said.

Institutions in the network will also work with others in their communities involved in improving health, including businesses, community organizations and public health agencies.

The project has been recognized and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the largest health-oriented philanthropy in the country.

Earlier this year, a $9.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health established the UIC Medical Center as a General Clinical Research Center. The designation recognizes UIC as a premier center for human subject research.

- UIC -