SwedishAmerican Provides $250,000 Gift to University of Illinois
College of Medicine at Rockford
The University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford is pleased to announce SwedishAmerican, a division of UW Health, has provided a $250,000 gift to support the College’s M1 expansion project, offering education to first-year medical students in Rockford. When the College was first created in the 1970s, it was decided that education to first year medical students would be delivered at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, after which students would go to Rockford to complete the next three years of their medical training. However, beginning in the fall of 2017, first-year University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford students will begin their medical training in Rockford and will be based in the community for the entire duration of their MD training.
“SwedishAmerican is extremely excited to support the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford’s M1 program and welcome 50 to 60 first-year medical students to the Rockford area,” says SwedishAmerican President and CEO Dr. Bill Gorski. “We are extremely fortunate to have an academic medical institution right here in the community and to welcome so many young, aspiring physicians into our community with the goal that upon graduation they will live, work and care for patients in the Rockford area.”
According to a recent study commissioned by the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC), national demand for physicians continues to grow faster than supply. The College’s M1 program will enhance the student experience – providing more opportunity for community engagement, increased clinical exposure, more research opportunities, greater student collaboration and interaction and no disruption for students due to relocating form Urbana-Champaign.
“The M1 program at University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford is a win-win situation for all parties involved, from our students, faculty and staff to our local businesses, community members and patients,” says Regional Dean Dr. Alex Stagnaro-Green. “We are extremely grateful for SwedishAmerican’s support and look forward to partnering with them on this new program.”
In addition to bringing M1 students to the Rockford area, the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford also plans to build a team-based learning classroom, an anatomy and virtual dissection lab, bring in 8-10 new faculty and staff and offer new, streamlined curriculum to its students.
About SwedishAmerican
A division of UW Health, SwedishAmerican is dedicated to providing excellence in healthcare and compassionate care to the community. The organization serves residents of 12 counties in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin through a dedicated and caring staff, a major acute care hospital and a free-standing outpatient cancer center in Rockford, a medical center in Belvidere, a network of 30 primary care and multi-specialty clinics and the region’s largest home healthcare agency.