UChicago Medicine and the Urban Education Institute

The Milgrom Education Innovation Challenge grant awarded to UChicago Medicine and the Urban Education Institute in conjunction with the University of Chicago Charter Schools will assist in the development of an innovative educational program focused on the intersection of education and health as well as leadership development.

This multi-component program brings together high school, undergraduate, and medical students in civic engagement and leadership around topics at the cross-section of education and health. The program’s goals are:

To educate high school and undergraduate students about topics at the intersection of education and health, including community health and health disparities
To cultivate leadership and non-cognitive skill development among high school and undergraduate students to prepare them for the workforce
To increase elementary school students’ knowledge and skills about nutrition
To engage students in civic engagement within their communities through hands-on experiences

This program uniquely engages students across various educational levels and brings them together for classroom-based and hands-on experiential learning to understand and grapple with current issues in education and health. The program also supports exposure to healthcare fields and mentorship from healthcare students and professionals. While existing campus programs address community needs, this program helps further disseminate the resources and build capacity for future years in terms of both nutrition education at the school/community-level and leadership skills development at the individual-level.