Join the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford as it celebrates its 40th Anniversary with "Music, Medicine and Memories," on Saturday, September 17, with The Other Guys. Known for their impeccable musicality and unique brand of humor, The Other Guys is the University of Illinois' premiere men's a cappella group. The opening act will feature The Frothy Boys. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Performances begin at 7:00 p.m. Dessert reception will follow. Tickets are $50 per person. Email deniseno@uic.edu.
During the 1970s, the University of Illinois opened regional colleges in Peoria, Rockford and Urbana-Champaign. The University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford was founded in 1971, with the charter class admitted in 1972 and the first graduation held in 1975. The oldest part of the Rockford campus dates back to 1915 when the facility served as a TB sanitarium until the late 1960s. A group of community physicians approached the University of Illinois encouraging them to develop a medical school at the former sanitarium and promising that community physicians and the local hospitals would commit their time, energy and resources to provide the clinical education.
Rockford community physician faculty members continue to integrate medical students into their practices and into the care of their patients at a responsibility appropriate to their level of training, an opportunity few schools offer. Supplementing the community experiences, a core of full time faculty members mentor and guide students in their education, research, and choice of specialty.
The University of Illinois College of Medicine is one of the largest medical schools in the country and its campuses share a curriculum with the goal to graduate physicians who are not only clinically competent but who are also caring, compassionate, culturally competent and skilled at communication. Students at each campus acquire the knowledge and skills needed for whatever medical specialty they might choose and, last year, Rockford students matched to 13 different residencies in 18 states. However, each campus has its own character and Rockford is known for its rural medicine program, focus on health disparities, emphasis on fostering independent learning and community based education.
A recent $26 million expansion and renovation project with new classrooms, laboratories and a clinical skills training suite, transformed the Rockford site into a health sciences campus. In addition to medicine, the campus has graduate programs in pharmacy, nursing and public health and offers a Master�s in Medical Biotechnology. The synergy among these programs fosters interprofessional education and offers a wealth of opportunities for students.