UIC, Department of Health and Human Services sign agreement to foster collaboration

Leaders from the University of Illinois Chicago and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services signed a memorandum of understanding on July 30 to create a strategic partnership focusing on educational and employment opportunities.

UIC Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda and Cheryl Campbell, assistant secretary for administration from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,signed the agreement at an event in the Atkins Medicinal Plant Garden next to the UIC College of Pharmacy.

The agreement will foster collaboration between UIC and the federal agency and provide enhanced outreach to UIC students to raise awareness of educational opportunities in the agency. These shared efforts include career development and internship programs, scholarships, fellowships, grants and employment opportunities; opportunities for training and mentorship; and one informative lecture per year from a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services speaker on critical issues facing public health.

"I am delighted that UIC and the Department of Health and Human Services are finding ways to collaborate on a broad range of important areas," Miranda said. "The work that HHS does aligns so well with UIC's commitment to improving the health and well-being of the communities around us.

"One of the areas that UIC does exceptionally well is providing a pipeline of human capital to broad areas of the health care sector," she added. "A more formal partnership with HHS is a natural and logical step that will allow us to increase awareness of career opportunities for our students."