Fast Facts

EDUCATE. INNOVATE. SERVE.

Educate

Education, research and service for health: The University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford is committed to developing and optimal learning environment for training health care professionals, conducting innovative research and improving the health and wellness of our society.

Doctor of Medicine Program Heading link

The College of Medicine Rockford  (COMR) was founded in 1971 as a regional campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Medicine. The first class was admitted in 1972 after completing their initial year on the Urbana campus and graduated in 1975. In 2017, the College of Medicine Rockford became a four-year campus with nine academic departments.

  • Enrollment
    • Total MD enrollment (2024): 224
  • Alumni Facts (1975-2024)
    • Total number of graduates: 2323
    • Male: 1423
    • Female: 900

Rural Medical Education (RMED) Program Heading link

The RMED program, part of the NCRHP, is a supplement to the regular MD curriculum. Ranked as the largest and one of the top rural medical education programs in the nation, the RMED program recruits students to serve in rural underserved areas as rural physicians.

  • Total number of RMED graduates: 462

Master of Science Degree in Medical Biotechnology (MBT) Program Heading link

The program concentrates on biological processes, technologies and skill sets used in the research and development of pharmaceutical products, vaccines and devices for the medical industry.

  • Enrollment (2024): 59
  • Total number of graduates (2009-2024): 273

Illinois Medicine Curriculum Heading link

Through an intensive process, faculty from across all campuses collaborated curricular renewal to integrate teaching of basic sciences with clinical applications, enhance student-directed learning, and utilize active learning methodologies. The new Illinois Medicine Curriculum launched in 2017 and is organized into Phase 1 (pre-clerkship curriculum), Phase 2 (core clerkships plus electives), and Phase 3 (career pathway selectives, sub-internship, and intra- and extramural electives). Themes woven throughout the four-year curriculum are: Foundational Knowledge; Clinical Practice of Medicine; Health, Illness & Society; Health Care Systems; and Professional Development.

Family Medicine Residency Programs Heading link

The Rockford Family Medicine Residency Program began in 1972 and has graduated 440 family medicine doctors, most practicing in both rural and urban under-served communities. The program is affiliated with UW Health SwedishAmerican Health System and is based out of the UI Health Mile Square Health Center-L.P. Johnson Rockford. The Structured Training for Rural Enhancement of Community Health in Obstetrics (STRETCH-OB) Program is a track within our Family Medicine Residency Program for residents who are committed to providing obstetrics in a rural or underserved community.

The Dixon Rural Training Track was established in 2004 in affiliation with KSB Hospital in Dixon, Ill. Resident physicians in this program spend their first year primarily in Rockford and their next two years in Dixon.

Headache Medicine Fellowship
New in 2022, this fellowship had one fellow.

Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program
Started in 2018, the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program sponsored by University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and had one fellow.

Innovate

The College of Medicine Rockford conducts groundbreaking research in a number of fields, from community-based health initiatives to cutting-edge cancer research and biomedical investigations leading to tomorrow’s vaccines and medical tests.

Health Research and Evaluation Heading link

HRE is a Division of the Department of Family and Community Medicine that offers community assessments, feasibility studies, market analyses, customer satisfaction surveys, program evaluation, survey research, data requests (health, demographic, economic), census guidance and technical assistance for evaluation to a variety of clients.

National Center for Rural Health Professions Heading link

NCRHP strives to meet the health care needs of rural residents and their communities in Illinois, around the nation and throughout the world. Certified by the Illinois Board of Higher Education since 2003, this College of Medicine Rockford center has programs and collaborative partnerships that have become successful models for education, service, research and policy related to rural health involving multiple health professions. The NCRHP is home to the Illinois Area Health Education Centers Network (AHEC) Program, Student Pipeline Program, Native American Pathways Program, Global Health Partnership Program and the Rural Health Professions Program. Within the Rural Health Professions Program is supplemental education that trains medical, pharmacy, advanced practice nursing and behavioral health students. The NCRHP is also a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Medical Education and Primary Health Care.

Office of Research Heading link

The mission is to increase student and faculty research productivity through the development of infrastructure and the provision of research opportunities needed for students and faculty. Programs in the Office of Research include: Ask a Biostatistician, James Scholar Program, Student & Resident Research Travel Award, Walter Rice Craig Scholars Program and funding mechanisms.

The Regenerative Medicine and Disability Laboratory
Part of the Department of Biomedical Sciences, this lab focuses on fighting human motor neuron diseases and improving the integration of metal implants into the surrounding bone tissue, respectively. By combining stem cell biology, bioengineering, biomaterials, system biology, pharmacology and medicine, research in the RMDR lab aims to identify therapeutic agents, novel biomaterials and innovative approaches to improve clinical practice to provide better health care to patients with disabilities. Offshoots of this lab include the Blazer Foundation of Rockford Nanomedicine Laboratory that is pursing treatments for disabling conditions at the smallest, molecular level and the 3D Bioprinting Lab that allows researchers to create specialized tissues and organoids to study.

Shingrix Vaccine Development
Developed by Dr. Abbas Vafai while he was working at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford, the recombinant subunit protein vaccine is 90% effective against shingles  and decreases the risk of post-herpetic neuralgia. The Center for Disease Control recommends Shingrix for adults 50 and over.

Filariasis Research
Scientists at the College of Medicine Rockford developed Lfguard™ for prevention of lymphatic filariasis, the second leading cause of physical disability in the world, in adults and children. The vaccine is waiting FDA approval.

Research Day
Every April the College of Medicine showcases research conducted on campus by students and faculty as well as by others in the Rockford area.

serve

The College of Medicine Rockford has several clinical operations that serve the community and special populations. These clinical sites also provide clinical experiences for our medical students and residents.

UI Health Mile Square Health Center-L.P. Johnson Rockford Heading link

This health center is a teaching facility that provides each patient the benefit of a team of health care professionals, extended personal attention and care for all ages and phases of life. The Family Medicine Residency Program offices are housed at the Mile Square Health Center-L.P. Johnson Rockford at 1221 State Street in Rockford, adjacent to UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital where resident physicians and attending physicians can attend to their patients if hospitalization is needed. For appointments, call 815-972-1000.

UI COMR Medical Evaluation Response Initiative Team (MERIT) Heading link

A child-centered, community-based program dedicated to providing all children suspected of physical abuse, sexual abuse or neglect with timely expert medical evaluations and treatment, as well as serving the community as a resource for prevention, research and education. The program is housed at 2350 North Rockton Avenue, Suite 204, in Rockford. For information, call 815-971-2726.

UI COMR Correctional Health Care Services Heading link

Since 2005, the University of Illinois College of Medicine has provided around-the-clock, on-site medical services as well as dental, mental health and pharmaceutical services to inmates at the Winnebago County Jail and the Winnebago County Juvenile Detention Center on a contractual basis. The health care team includes physicians, advanced nurse practitioners, nurses, mental health professionals, a physical therapist and a dentist who provide quality care to the men, women and youth served by Winnebago County correctional facilities.

Community Service Heading link

Dedicated to bettering the community as a whole, the College of Medicine Rockford faculty, staff and students serve the community in a large number of organizations including Rock House Kids, Transform Rockford, Gigi’s Playhouse, Rockford Public Schools District 205, Rockford Rescue Mission and Winnebago County Board of Health.

Affiliations Heading link

As a community-based medical school, the College of Medicine Rockford has affiliation agreements with most of the health systems and clinics in the Rockford area where medical students, residents and/or fellows gain clinical experience under the guidance of our community faculty. We also have affiliation agreements regionally, statewide, nationally and even internationally. These agreements allow our students to have clinical experiences in a variety of settings and some allow for the exchange of students from around the world.

Patient Care Heading link

Providing the best possible care to patients, while teaching the next generation of doctors, is at the heart of all the patient care facilities operated by the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford. These include:

UI Health Mile Square Health Center-L.P. Johnson Rockford

The UI Health Mile Square Health Center-L.P. Johnson Rockford is home to the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford’s Family Medicine Residency Program. This Federally Qualified Healthcare Center is located at 1221 State Street in Rockford.

Medical Evaluation Response Initiative Team (MERIT)

The Medical Evaluation Response Initiative Team (MERIT) is a child-centered, community-based program dedicated to providing all children suspected of being physically abused, sexual abused or neglected with timely expert medical evaluations and treatment, and serves the community as a resource for prevention, research and education. Located at 2350 N. Rockton Ave. in Rockford, this program receives referrals from the Department of Family and Community Services, law enforcement and physicians in northwest Illinois.

Correctional Health Care Services

Since 2005, the University of Illinois College of Medicine Department of Family and Community Medicine has provided health care services for the inmates at the Winnebago County Justice Center and Juvenile Detention Center. Services include medical care, dental care, physical therapy, and pharmaceutical services.

In addition to our University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford clinical services, many hospitals, clinics, treatment centers, hospices and other health care facilities in the Rockford area and around the state of Illinois serve as teaching sites. Many doctors in the area are on our faculty and train medical students and residents in their practices throughout Rockford and around the state.