Pritzker School of Medicine

About Our Dean
Dr. Holly J. Humphrey is Professor of Medicine and Dean for Medical Education at the University of Chicago. In this role, she oversees medical education for students in the Pritzker School of Medicine and for residents and fellows in graduate medical education programs at the University of Chicago Medical Center. A 1983 Honors graduate of the Pritzker School of Medicine, Dr. Humphrey completed her internal medicine residency and pulmonary and critical care fellowship at The University of Chicago before joining the faculty in 1989. For fourteen years, she served as Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program before moving to her current position in 2003. In 2006, Dr. Humphrey became the first clinician-educator at The University of Chicago awarded tenure.

During her career at the university, Dr. Humphrey has launched numerous programs, including the Roadmap to Professionalism initiative to support and enhance the highest professional standards and a curriculum reform effort entitled The Pritzker Initiative: A Curriculum for the 21st Century. She has also launched the Pritzker Advising and Mentoring Societies in support of student life and the Bowman Society, which explores issues of health care disparities and provides mentoring for minority students, residents, and faculty. Dr. Humphrey was also instrumental in the development of new pipeline programs focused on preparing under-represented minority students for careers in medicine

Dr. Humphrey is a nationally recognized leader in medical education scholarship with a specific focus on the role of mentoring in medical education. She is the editor of Mentoring in Academic Medicine (2010), published as a part of the American College of Physicians series on Teaching Internal Medicine, and has authored numerous publications on issues related to medical education.

Dr. Humphrey's innovation and leadership are recognized nationally and have led most recently to appointments to the Board of Trustees of the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation. She previously served on the Board of Directors of the ABIM (2001-2007) including a term as Chair (2006-2007). She is the former President (1995) of the Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine (APDIM). Dr. Humphrey received the Dema C. Daley Founders Award from APDIM in 2005 and in 2010, she was named a Master by the American College of Physicians. In 2009, Crain's Chicago Business featured her as one of their "Women to Watch" and in 2010, the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago honored her with their Outstanding Leader Award in the Professions.

Unique Features of Our School
In our size, geographic location, and organizational structure, in the diversity of our student body and the strong bonds of our community, the Pritzker School of Medicine offers a unique environment for medical education.

• Size
• Location
• Structure
• Community
• Diversity

Admissions
Welcome from the Deans
Thank you for your interest in the outstanding medical education offered at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. As a medical school located on the campus of a world class university, our medical students have the opportunity to take advantage of the resources of one of our country's greatest centers of learning. The accessibility of our faculty is a very important strength of our program.

You will be taught by full-time faculty who are not only outstanding teachers but leading scientists and world famous clinicians. And the most critical ingredient of our success is the quality of the students themselves. Here at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, you will find a student body whose boundless enthusiasm for learning, service, investigation and science is matched only by its enthusiasm for teamwork, friendship, and making the most of the great city of Chicago. When you graduate, you will be prepared to follow generations of Pritzker-trained physicians to the best residency training programs in the country and ultimately into the career of your choice.

Curriculum
Pritzker Initiative Overview
In order for medical school curricula to remain vibrant and responsive to changes in science and society it is important periodically to take a broad look at the way we teach. It was in this spirit that we undertook the Pritzker Initiative in 2005, with the establishment of several key principles for the curriculum of the future. Those principles are:

• An emphasis on active learning
• Integration among disciplines when possible and appropriate
• A requirement for a scholarly project for all medical students

Over the ensuing years, faculty members and students have worked diligently to systematically examine our courses and clerkships, to identify strengths and weaknesses, and to evaluate new teaching modalities in light of our known strengths in biomedicine. The result of these ongoing efforts is the rollout of the first year of the Pritzker Initiative in August 2009, with progressive implementation through 2012. The links to the left reflect the new changes to our curriculum.

The curriculum at the University of Chicago provides a solid foundation in the basic sciences, building on a rich tradition at our institution in developing new knowledge. Realizing that scientific discovery impacts clinical practice, our curriculum is designed to emphasize the relationship between the basic and clinical sciences.

To further promote an atmosphere of shared learning and collaboration, the Pritzker curriculum utilizes a Pass/Fail grading system. The Pass/Fail system encourages cooperation among students, develops lifelong learners, and allows students to prioritize their learning and extracurricular experiences.

Follow the link for a visual representation of the Pritzker Initiative (PDF).

The school is accredited by the Liasion Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the governing body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit the M.D. degree. The school will be undergoing its next accreditation cycle during the 2012-13 academic year.

Pritzker School of Medicine Degree Programs :

Medicine

Video Presentation

Match Day 2012 at the Pritzker School of Medicine!

March 16, 2012 - The Billings Auditorium at the University of Chicago Medical Center - the stroke of 11:00am CST - PANDEMONIUM! As students tore into their Match Day envelopes, screams, cheers, and hugs erupted from virtually everyone in the room. Jack Peace, MS1 captures some of the magic of the special day