Educational and Professional Tracks

The Health Equity track was created to address both global and local health equity issues, encompassing the idea that “Global is Local”. The purpose of the track is to empower residents with knowledge, skills, and experiences that they can use to advocate for health equity throughout their careers. The track provides a supportive environment through which residents can collaborate with RUSH service initiatives, research, and community partners, both locally and globally. 

Mission

To train culturally competent and humble physicians to identify health disparities with the goal of improving health outcomes and eliminating health inequities, both locally and globally.

Objectives

• Establish an understanding of the health inequities faced by individuals locally on Chicago’s West Side and globally in the Dominican Republic.
• Create a supportive environment that fosters and promotes discussion of topics relevant to Health Equity, including Advocacy, Structural Racism, and Social Determinants of Health.
• Equip residents with the practical tools and knowledge to engage in experiential learning and service in under-resourced settings.
• Promote participation in educational activities including journal clubs and lecture series.
• Provide mentorship throughout the duration of the track, including completion of a scholarly project.

Requirements

• Acceptance to the RUSH internal medicine categorical residency program or medicine/pediatric residency program.
• Applicants entering the categorical internal medicine residency will apply during their M4 year to begin work in the track their intern year. Work will span all 3 years of respective residency. If entering the Med-Peds residency, applicants will apply for the track during their intern year, to begin participation in the track their 2^nd year. Work will span the remaining 3 years of their residency.
• Commitment to engage in activities for the 3-year duration of the Track.
• Remain in good standing with the residency program.
• Promote enthusiasm, collaboration, and thoughtful engagement in Track-related activities.

Components of the track

• Quarterly curricular meetings
• Quarterly journal clubs
• Experiential Learning
  • One 2-week block of dedicated time in 1^st year of track
  • Two 2-week blocks of dedicated time in 2^nd and 3^rd year of track
• Completion of a scholarly project

How to apply

Email invitation to apply to the Track will be sent to incoming PGY-1 categorical medicine residents and to rising PGY-2 Med-Peds residents after Match Day.

1. Online application - deadline to submit the application is Monday, April 7, 2025
2. One-page personal statement answering the following question: What is “health equity”? Why is education regarding health equity relevant to medicine, to society at large and to you personally? Please share if you have a preference with respect to global or community opportunities.
3. Interview with Track co-director(s)

Experiential Learning Opportunities

The Track experience can be crafted to allow a resident to spend time with several different partners for a broad-based learning experience vs focusing on one specific area.

Community Health

RUSH has a strong commitment to the West Side of Chicago stemming from a deep desire to improve the health and well-being of our surrounding communities. The RUSH Anchor Mission Strategy outlines the efforts aimed at reducing the social, economic, and environmental inequities faced by individuals living on the West Side. Inspiration is drawn from this commitment to provide Track residents with the opportunity to engage with our community partners in a meaningful and bidirectional fashion.

Global Health 

• Jump to our photo gallery!

Health care providers from RUSH have been supporting and assisting local communities in the Dominican Republic to establish and sustain public health and medical services for the past seventeen years. On site work occurs quarterly to foster continuity and sustainability within the communities. Teams are multi-specialty with volunteers from medicine, pediatrics, surgery, nursing, physical therapy, and pharmacy. Trip experiences are one week long in duration with opportunities to participate on both Primary Care and Surgical Trips. RUSH partners with the non-governmental organization, Community Empowerment, whose mission is to work with local leadership in underserved communities to provide essential health care, while fostering the development of self-sustaining health care systems.

While we have a strong commitment with our partner communities in the DR, we are continuously exploring other opportunities. Residents interested in working in a different locale, must first have the experience vetted by the Program Director.

We strive to provide yearly scholarships to residents to offset the cost of the trips (logistics and airfare).  

For those residents interested in a Global Health experience, but are not looking for a three year commitment, we do offer a Global Health Elective which is a one time, two week experience. Of note, priority is given to Track residents.

Current Opportunities include:

• In-home primary care visits
• Global Health
• Mobile Medical Van
• Department of Public Health
• Correctional Medicine
• Food Insecurity
• Community violence intervention and outreach
• Substance Use Disorder
• Gender Affirming Care
• Housing Insecurity
• Health Informatics

Scholarly Projects

• Survey to assess barriers in Global Health research
• Study to assess etiology of reports of Vaginal Discharge in Rural Haitian Community
• Screening for depression and associated factors in Dominican Republic Community
• Using WhatsApp to improve education and Blood Pressure Control
• Needs Assessment of new partner community in the Dominican Republic
• QI to assess diabetic education and improvement in control in Dominican Republic Community
• Health Equity resident helped spearhead COVID screenings for individuals experiencing homelessness
• Coordination of wound care training for community violence intervention workers
• Assistance with needs assessment of a community-based organization
• Creation of recipes and nutritional information for a clinic-based food pantry
• HTN and CT coronary calcium screenings on the West Side of Chicago

Collaborators

• Community Empowerment, NGO
• Division of Community and Global Health Equity at RUSH University
• RUSH@Home
• RUSH in the Community
• RUSH Office of Community Health Equity and Engagement
• RUSH Center for Community Health Equity
• RUSH BMO Institute for Health Equity

Health Equity Leadership

Leader	Headshot
Stephanie Crane, MD Chief, Division of Community and Global Health Equity	Image
Jennifer Towbin, MD Co-Director, Health Equity Track	Image
Octavio A. Vega, MD Co-Director, Health Equity Track	Image
Maggie Topps Program Coordinator	Image

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Photo gallery

The gallery below includes photos from our recent trips to the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

The focus of this unique track is to progressively increase clinical autonomy for senior residents during PGY-3 year in preparation for independent practice as a hospitalist. There is also a longitudinal curriculum/lecture series which focuses on career development/mentorship, healthcare economics (documentation/billing), peri-op medicine, transitions of care/interdisciplinary involvement, academic medicine, etc.

Rotation structure and didactics

The pathway will consist of a 2-week rotation which will occur twice during PGY-3 year.

One week of the rotation will be 1:1 with an attending hospitalist Monday-Friday on an Attending Directed Service. The other week of the rotation will be 1:1 with an attending hospitalist Monday-Friday on the Medicine Consult Service.  

The virtual curriculum will be completed throughout the year longitudinally during evening hours. The virtual lectures will focus on career development/mentorship, healthcare economics (documentation/billing), peri-op medicine, transitions of care/interdisciplinary involvement (anticipatory discharge needs), academic medicine, etc.

Additionally, there are bi-annual career panels and social gatherings as time and scheduling allows to further support professional development.

Rotation surveys

There is a pre- and post-rotation survey to assess comfort level regarding various hospitalist-specific topics, as well as comfort level in independent practice. Once graduated, there is also a 1 year post-graduation survey.

Resident takeaways

• Autonomy and Independence
• Clear and Concise Documentation Practices
• Communication and Interdisciplinary Collaboration
• Continuity of Care and Optimal Management Plans
• Hospitalist-Specific Educational Discussions/Longitudinal Lecture Series

The Medical Education track is a two year track. Residents interested in the track will apply during the second half of intern year. Those accepted into the track will enter at the start of their second year. The main objective of the track is to build teaching skills by providing residents with hands on teaching opportunities, within both the medical school and the residency program. Activities range from moderating didactics to leading bedside clinical rounds. There is an expectation that track participants are involved in a scholarly project throughout their time in the track. By participating in the track, the hope is that residents can envision a career in teaching and medical education.

Track components

• One month elective
  • Self-directed learning with one on one faculty review on key medical education topics including clinical reasoning, bedside teaching, teaching techniques, conflict resolution, leadership, setting expectations, lecture skills, feedback, and small group facilitation
  • Supervised teaching experiences
    • Teaching resident on general medicine ward post-call rounds
    • Senior report
    • Intern report
    • Sub-intern report
    • Third year medical student clinical reasoning rounds
    • First and second year medical student pathophysiology classroom teaching
    • Medical student physical exam teaching
    • Journal club
    • Noon conference on medical education topic
  • Teaching material development
    • "Tweetorial"
    • Ambulatory clinic lecture
• Shadowing experience with GME/UME leaders
• Longitudinal QI or curricular development project

Sample Projects

• Virtual general medicine curriculum for third year medical students
• Simulation lab curriculum for rapid response/code scenarios
• Evidence based physical exam curriculum for general medicine ward residents
• Resident and attending curriculum on delivering effective feedback

For those interested in medical education, but do not wish to pursue the full track, a two week elective is available with similar experiences listed as those above.

Through the RUSH Internal Medicine Residency's two-year Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Track, participating residents will have special guidance on a specific project of their choosing from mentors who are enthusiastic and who have access to resources, data, and statistical help. The track spans the PGY-2& and PGY-3 years of residency.

During the first (PGY-2) year of the track, residents (usually working in pairs) will develop and implement a QI project under faculty supervision. We’ll review how to identify problems, how to do a root cause analysis, and how create an impactful intervention. Projects will be designed to directly improve patient care, satisfy the residency program requirement for scholarship, and ideally lead to nationally presented abstracts and publication in peer reviewed journals. 

In the second (PGY-3) year of the track, residents will participate in a “Safety Rotation” where they will have the opportunity to work alongside hospital patient safety leadership (while also having time to finish up your project), gain deeper insight into hospital operations, and participate in hospital-level event review processes. This will allow you to gain first-hand experience seeing and understanding the broader organizational efforts to improve safety and quality on a global level.

This track is an ideal adjunct to the core of internal medicine training for any residents interested in academic hospital medicine, hospital administration, quality and safety, healthcare business analytics, or even any subspecialty fellowship. 

Quality improvement driven by residents

So far, our track residents have been involved in number of QI projects on various subjects, including:

• Transfusion reduction and blood utilization optimization
• Reduction of telemetry usage on GMF
• Improving AAA screening in outpatient clinics
• Reduction of TTE orders during the workup of syncope
• Optimization of oxygen utilization on GMF
• Antibiotic time-out/antibiotic stewardship
• Reducing unnecessary Flu/RPP testing
• Improving AVS discharge communication
• Improving feedback on GMF
• Reducing unnecessary testing in pre-op clinic
• Improving colorectal cancer screening in RUI clinics
• Improving nightfloat handoff process
• Reducing unnecessary ICU admissions
• Improving outpatient continuity in resident clinic
• Creating a post-code debrief culture
• Reducing daily blood draws on GMF
• Optimizing the management of hyperglycemia on GMF
• Improving resident understanding of post-acute care placement options

Many of these projects have resulted in significant cost savings, improvements in patient safety/flow, and also have been presented in local/regional forums, as well as at national conferences.

For residents interested in Primary Care and Geriatrics for their career. MORE TBD