Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

RUSH Internal Medicine is committed to an inclusive, diverse workforce that is reflective of the Chicago communities that we are so privileged to serve. We understand the importance of creating a culture and environment that reflects the growing, unique demographics of our country; a culture and environment where every voice is valued, and our physicians feel empowered and have a sense of community.

Our Community

The city of Chicago and its extended metropolitan area are made up of a richly diverse set of cultures. People belonging to each of these cultures seeks care at RUSH University Medical Center, which sits in the center of the Illinois Medical District on the Near West Side of Chicago. Pilsen, the Ukrainian and East Villages, the West Loop, Greek Town, Little Italy, and Chinatown neighborhoods lie close to the medical center's doors. Our patients come from the varied ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds of these surrounding neighborhoods, as well as northern and western Illinois, northwest Indiana and southern Wisconsin.

Where one lives impacts one’s access to healthcare, healthy food, education, and ultimately life expectancy, and this is no different here in Chicago. In Chicago, we see a 20-year drop in life expectancy when going from the North to the West Side of Chicago, and understanding the social determinants of health that lead to this discrepancy is a crucial part of being a physician in Chicago.

No single institution can resolve the social, economic, and structural barriers which all play a role in our patients’ social determinants of health. For this reason, many of our residents participate in volunteer/community outreach opportunities to serve the West Side through programs organized by the RUSH Community Service Initiatives Program (RCSIP) and other departments at RUSH.

Resident Involvement

DEI Committees

There are many opportunities to become involved in the DEI space at RUSH. The House Staff Association has a subcommittee called the House Staff DEI Committee, which is open to residents and fellows from all specialties. Its mission is to create a more prosperous health and working environment through the championing of the diverse communities served at RUSH and communities they hope to reflect. Click here to learn more about the House Staff DEI Committee. The Internal Medicine program also has a Diversity and Inclusion Council that focuses its efforts on the Internal Medicine program, which is committed to promoting our IM training program to young physicians that share our values and will help us achieve this mission.

LMSA/SNMA Involvement

RUSH Medical College has chapters of the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) and Student National Medical Association (SNMA), and both organizations work closely with residents to give students opportunities to ask questions and learn from people further along in their training.

DEI Welcome Event

The Internal Medicine residency participates in an annual DEI Welcome Event held by the Graduate Medical Education office to help welcome the incoming interns to the RUSH community. Our incoming interns get the opportunity to meet interns from many other programs at RUSH and connect with current residents. We understand the importance of fostering a collaborative community and are proud to be a part of this event. 

Service Opportunities

RUSH Community Service Initiative Program (RCSIP)

The mission of RUSH Community Service Initiative Program (RCSIP) is to provide community-based volunteer experiences for RUSH students that enhance their ability to work in teams, develop patient relationships, care for diverse populations, and to provide targeted services based on community need. Click here for more information about specific volunteer opportunities through RCSIP.

CommunityHealth Clinic

The CommunityHealth Clinic is a non-profit volunteer organization providing free preventive and primary health care services to members of the community who cannot afford or are ineligible for medical insurance. Specific volunteer roles include language interpreter, medical student education, and serving as a clinician outside regular continuity clinic duties. 

Asylum Seeker Clinics

These clinics are organized through RUSH’s Center to Transform Health and Housing, which provides medical and social care in the community to persons experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity.

The goal is to provide medical care to persons seeking asylum who are currently staying at shelters in the Chicagoland area. Individual medical visits are offered to anyone who would like to be evaluated.

Individuals are also referred to CommunityHealth or a Federally Qualified Health Center and are provided Ventra cards for transportation to outside appointments.

RUSH Street Medicine

RUSH Street Medicine (RSM) is a partnership with The Night Ministry, a local nonprofit that provides housing, health care, and social services to adults and youth who struggle with homelessness and poverty. The purpose of RSM is to deliver free acute healthcare (e.g. wound care, antibiotics, prescription medications), make referrals to substance use treatment programs, offer harm reduction initiatives, and provide hospitality items to individuals in need by bringing care to encampments via a mobile medical van which operates across the West Side.

Health Equity 

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. To learn more about the Health Equity Track, please click here.

For Applicants

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Open House

We offer an annual Diversity Open House in the fall. This opportunity is geared toward third year and fourth year medical students interested in Internal Medicine, but first and second year students are also welcome to join us. We arrange a day that showcases our program leadership, our core training philosophy, and our facilities. Students are able to meet faculty leadership and current residents and attend a real time Q&A session. 

Visiting Scholars Program

The Department of Internal Medicine is committed to advocating and supporting a culture in which diversity and inclusion are part of the learning environment. We advocate for creating a work environment that reflects the community we serve and training physicians who are equipped to serve diverse communities. We welcome fourth year medical students who have demonstrated commitment to health equity and addressing health and healthcare disparities in underserved and marginalized communities to apply for our Visiting Scholars Program and rotate with our Internal Medicine Program. Please click here for more information on how to apply. 

A Day in the Life of a Resident

We are in the processing of piloting a new program, in addition to our Diversity Open House, we are inviting underrepresented minority fourth year medical students to come in person to experience “A Day in the Life of a RUSH IM Resident”. Attendees will get firsthand on campus exposure to general medicine floor rounds, noon conference with the residents, a tour of the Sim center, time with the PD and chief residents, and will join the residents for lunch.