GUIDING A GENERATION OF ASPIRING HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS

The Chicago Association of Sports & Hospitality has partnered with The Young Doctors Club, a youth mentorship program rooted in a health science curriculum for elementary, middle, and high school students from North Lawndale, Illinois.

The curriculum is developed and taught by a small group of University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) medical students who are part of the Urban Medicine program and have committed to providing a safe, consistent community every Friday night from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Young Doctors Club through Lawndale Community Church

YDC’s mission is to provide anatomy and physiology-based science education as well as mentorship and educational structure to the youth of North Lawndale. YDC’s long-term vision is to guide this generation of aspiring healthcare professionals towards success so that they can return to serve their community. Given the young age of original group of students it was only in the past few years that students began to graduate. One of the program’s first graduates is at UIC pursuing her undergraduate degree in the pre-medicine track. The program is working to formalize a system of data collection in order to follow YDC graduates.

YDC’s Healthy Chicago 2.0 Strategic Priorities Met:

• Expanding partnerships and community engagement
• Improving social, economic, and community conditions
• Improving education
• Promoting behavioral health
• Strengthening child and adolescent health
• Preventing and controlling chronic disease