Letter from the IOMC President  Cheryl Rucker- Whitaker 

A MESSAGE TO OUR FELLOWS, MEMBERS and COLLEAGUES

Dear Fellows, Members and Colleagues, 

We are grateful for your commitment to the wellbeing of Chicago, our collar counties, and the Institute of Medicine of Chicago (IOMC). It has been a challenging year.  The COVID-19 pandemic crisis has impacted health care and created economic hardships for individuals, families, and businesses; however, the tide is turning with the vaccine and experience of how to treat this virus. 

During 2020, IOMC made many changes and met our challenges with your exceptional support.  We conducted six programs with eleven sessions since fall 2020—over four months.  Our plans for 2021 will continue with the same rigor started a few months ago with high-level programs and with the heightened enthusiasm of Board of Governors, committees and staff. Your attendance, support, and feedback are appreciated as we move ahead with planning the remainder of 2021.

IOMC will continue its monthly virtual sessions throughout the coming year. We hope you will join us.  Check our program schedule and commit to being informed by joining our efforts-We Can Do Better. We are very fortunate that many academic, healthcare and public health professionals; and legislators have joined us over the past few months as speakers.  The support of Dr. Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, Director of the National Institutes of Health, US Senator Dick Durbin(D-Illinois), and Congresswoman Robin Kelly  ( Illinois – 2^nd District) are an enormous boost to IOMC, its efforts, and our members.

We are focusing on closing the wealth and health gap, wellbeing, implicit bias training, and social determinants of health to raise all levels of population and community health in Illinois. Let’s keep the dream alive of hope and wellbeing. It is our duty and privilege as professionals to serve others. We are grateful for your membership and our State of Health of Chicago sponsors for keeping our doors open and our mission alive as we approach a new year.

It’s a new year and let’s continue to move forward together making it one of the most excellent efforts in this organization’s history.

Currently, IOMC asks you to participate and ACT on three essential issues.

1) Act now for your 2021-2022 Board of Governors. The Nominations Committee begins considering candidates and the process this month for the June 2021 election.

2) Consider nominations for new Fellows. IOMC will continue to grow and be a progressive, collaborative leader in the Metropolitan Chicago area and the State of Illinois with your input of stellar leaders. The Membership Committee reviews nominations monthly and submits outstanding qualified high-achieving candidates for approval. Complete the nomination form on this page. Associate members may join IOMC anytime. For more details, visit this page and check the Associate Member section.

3) Think about issues, trends, and programs that align with our mission and goals. As a Fellow, what will make you stand up and be more engaged this year than ever? Send your ideas and thoughts to infostaff@iomc.org.  Please state “2021 Think” in the subject line.

IOMC appreciates the past effort of our leaders and supporters.  There is rich history of success. Now, there is another tipping point with the pandemic crisis and challenging economic issues. There is no better time than now to ACT. Your opinion counts. Your engagement is necessary to improve the lives of our communities.

On behalf of IOMC, we wish you, your families, and your colleagues a safe and prosperous 2021!

Sincerely,

Cheryl Rucker-Whitaker, MD, MPH, FACP

President and Chair of the Institute of Medicine of Chicago

CEO, NextLevel Health