Since 2017, Chicago AHEC’s Speakers Bureau has linked professionals representing diverse health careers—from nursing and medicine to public health and psychology—to career seekers to inform, motivate, and empower them to pursue attainable health career goals.

Through partnerships with Health & Medicine’s Schweitzer Fellows for Life program and other networks, Chicago AHEC provides professional mentorship to underrepresented students who are enrolled in health career programs across the Chicagoland area. In 2020, our speakers reached 618 Chicago Public School (CPS) students. During the 2021-2022 school year, the Speakers Bureau was offered virtually to 100 CPS students. We are pleased to report that we received positive feedback on the speaking engagement evaluations, with CPS Staff reporting that the speaking engagements offered wonderful information about a range of health careers that students are often less familiar with.

In the past year, the Chicago AHEC team spent a significant amount of time overhauling the Speakers Bureau in order to build a more committed group of speakers who are available to speak about health care career pathways and opportunities. As part of this process, we are pleased to launch a new interactive Speakers Bureau online directory that allows CPS schools to easily search for and schedule speakers. Visit the directory here!

Chicago AHEC hosts interdisciplinary/inter-professional trainings to promote best practices in primary care, health promotion, and delivery reform. Our intent is to include a wide range of health professions to support interdisciplinary sharing and learning.

Past trainings include:

• Chicago AHEC hosted two-and-a-half-hour virtual trainings on Enhancing Active Listening Skills to Act on What Matters for Older Adults and how these skills can improve communication by encouraging the listener to focus their full attention on the speaker and use both verbal & nonverbal expressions to show the speaker they are fully engaged. Through active listening, healthcare professionals can build trust & respect with clients, enhance quality of care, and reduce their own burnout & stress. 
• Chicago AHEC hosted one-and-a-half-hour trainings with the Sertoma Centre Inc. on QPR for Suicide Prevention Training. QPR stands for Question, Persuade, Refer and is the CPR of mental health. This class increases public awareness of suicide and improves one’s ability to identify and refer those at risk for suicide. Participants are certified as GateKeepers at the completion of the training.
• Chicago AHEC hosted a Veterans workshop focused on expanding access to mental health services for underserved Veterans.  The workshop covered training for diagnosing and treating veterans for post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.
• Chicago AHEC co-hosted a training, “Advocating for Low Income Clients in the New Healthcare Environment.” Over 150 health and human service professionals joined to learn about the new CountyCare program at the Cook County Health & Hospitals System, the new charity care eligibility standards, and the Medicaid Managed Care Integrated Care Program.
• Chicago AHEC hosted a training/workshop for health professionals to learn about Mental Health Services available for Veterans and their families through Tricare.  The workshop provided in-depth information about diagnosing and treating veterans for post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.  Providers were also given the opportunity to hear from “Boots on the Ground” veterans sharing their mental health challenges and responding to questions.
• The Chicago AHEC Internship Program provided 16 community college students from City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College with a paid opportunity to gain real-world experience in a community health center while also supporting them with monthly meetings focused on developing practical job skills and connecting them with health professionals.