The 2022 Black Men in White Coats Summit will be held on Saturday, June 4 at Malcolm X College in Chicago. The summit will bring together an estimated 500 students, parents, educators, clinicians, and community leaders to inspire youth to consider careers in healthcare while laying the foundation for success via mentorship and networking.

Illinois will need to hire thousands of contact tracers to effectively contain COVID-19. Community Heath Workers are essential front-line public health workers with established, trusted relationships within their communities. It makes sense to hire CHWs to work through public health departments and community organizations to provide critical contact tracing, community education around COVID-19 testing, in person COVID-19 assessment within their communities, and connections to vital health and social services.

This paper was developed in response to a grant from the Otho S. A. Sprague Memorial Institute and focuses on one specific health workforce challenge: the absence of African American men in medicine. As a health workforce policy and practice leader in Illinois, Health & Medicine recognizes that the workforce challenges we face locally and nationally are multifaceted. There is a need for more healthcare workers and a more diverse workforce across all fields. Thanks to Sharon Post and Ahrianna Mitchell-Sodipe for their contributions to this report.

A recap of Chicago AHEC's accomplishments from September 1, 2017 through August 31, 2018. As many changes took place at the federal level, the Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Program was redesigned and the Illinois AHEC Network responded with a successful proposal that was fully funded for FY18-FY22. On the local level, Chicago AHEC worked with our community partners to examine and respond to Chicago Public School (CPS) school closings and budget cuts as well as the fallout of the Illinois state budget crisis. As a health workforce development program, Chicago AHEC works with our participants to navigate these types of challenges that impact their educational and career trajectories.

The Chicago AHEC Health Careers Handbook provides career profiles of more than 60 health professions including education, financial aid, job descriptions, and salary information. Careers in health care, personal care and social assistance are projected to experience the fastest industry growth between 2010 and 2020. See what health career path may be right for you!

This resource from Chicago AHEC in collaboration with Keeayla Jones at Illinois Student Assistance Commission provides helpful information about FAFSA, MAP grants, and the other systems college applicants need to navigate to fund their education.

In this report, you will find information about the many activities, people served, and major achievements in the Chicago AHEC FY 2017 (September 1, 2016 through August 31, 2017).

This brief is the third in a series focusing on the role that the criminalization of people of color plays on an individual’s life course and ultimately diversity in the health workforce.

This brief is the second in a series focusing on the role that the criminalization of people of color plays on an individual’s life course and ultimately diversity in the health workforce.

The consequences of over-policing and racial profiling disproportionately impacts youth of color’s involvement in the criminal justice system and has emerged in Chicago Area Health Education Center’s (AHEC’s) health workforce development activities as a key barrier to their educational and health career pathways.