UIC Rockford Campus Opens Pathways for Health Professionals, Pharmacists and Addiction Medicine

The University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford (COMR) has received funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Rural Health Network Development Planning Program to create sustainable, community-informed strategies to build and strengthen the health care workforce in Illinois’ rural Logan County. The initiative, named Illinois Network Supporting Providers in Rural Healthcare Excellence (INSPIRE), is a partnership between COMR’s National Center for Rural Health Professions, the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network and Lincoln Memorial Hospital, and was sparked by University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen’s visit to Lincoln Memorial Hospital in 2023 to discuss challenges and opportunities to address patient care gaps.

COMR also launched a new Addiction Medicine Fellowship, which received initial accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. The first fellow will begin in July 2026 and will receive training from faculty physicians practicing at UI Health Mile Square Health Center-L.P. Johnson Rockford, UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital, Rosecrance Behavioral Health Griffin Williamson Campus and Rockford Pain Center. The fellowship is part of a program called Clinical Learning and Education in Addiction, which is funded by a grant from the Winnebago County Community Mental Health Board.

A new program at the Retzky College of Pharmacy (COP) will address the shortage of qualified pharmacists while saving aspiring Rockford-area pharmacists both time and tuition. In partnership with Rockford University (RU), students in the new 3+4 pathway program will complete three years at RU before transitioning to COP on either the Rockford or Chicago campus. After the first year at UIC, students will earn a Bachelor of Science from Rockford University, and after completing three more years, a Doctor of Pharmacy or PharmD.