Family and Community Medicine

As the role of the family medicine physician continues to expand, we not only equip our residents with the skills they need to care for families in largely underserved, urban communities, but also empower them for leadership roles in clinics, hospitals and health systems.

Our program extends beyond the clinical management of individuals across the life cycle, with exposure to population health management, public health and performance improvement in complex health care organizations. Training occurs at patient-centered primary care medical homes with residents sited at one of our three community-based teaching health centers that primarily serve minority populations, including Jorge Prieto Health Center, Englewood Health Center, Austin Family Health Center, Sengstacke Health Center at Provident Hospital and John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, all augmented by educational experiences at Cook County Health and affiliated settings including Cermak Correctional Health Services, Cook County Department of Public Health and La Rabida Children’s Hospital.

The Department of Family and Community Medicine is actively addressing health disparities across the Cook County Health system. We provide primary care to families at eight community–based primary care medical homes, our large adult medicine inpatient service includes four teams and our maternal-child inpatient service. Department faculty serve in a variety of leadership roles at the local, regional and national level. Our team is actively involved in:

• Collaboration and innovation with other departments, specialties, organizations and of course our communities;
• Medical education, research and scholarship aimed at reducing health disparities; and
• Medical home team care and practice transformation.

The Department’s vision is inspired by the aligned strategic objectives for Cook County Health over the next three years:

• Achieve Health Equity
• Demonstrate Value
• Medical Education and Research
• Quality and Safety
• Workforce

Family Medicine Faculty

Welcome from the Department Chair

The Department of Family and Community Medicine at Cook County Health is actively engaged in addressing health disparities for the vulnerable populations we serve.

Uniquely positioned in clinical and leadership roles across our large public health system, Family Physicians are making a positive impact on our patients and their families, our workforce and on our health system.

• We work with patients across the entire life cycle, with amazing levels of collaboration with other departments and clinical program areas who view Family Physicians as allies in a shared service-oriented mission.
• We work in a diverse array of medical home clinics across the County where we care for families by providing the full spectrum of clinical services.
• We work in John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital on Family Medicine adult inpatient and Maternal Child Health teaching services, alongside legendary specialty services led by senior pioneers and young physician leaders.
• We work in all of these settings with behavioral health providers, care coordinators, clinical pharmacists and community health workers to address physical, social and psychological needs.

The department is helping the health system on a transformational journey, emphasizing community–based and preventive primary care, while continuing to optimize the world-class acute hospital services we have always been known for. The opportunity for family medicine to serve such a vital role in one of the nation’s largest fully integrated public health systems is exciting and inspiring. Our department’s educational, academic research and clinical practice priorities are laser focused on succeeding in this role. Bringing health equity to those most in need.

Mark Loafman, MD, MPH
Department Chair
Family and Community Medicine

Welcome from the Program Director

Welcome, and thank you for your interest in the Cook County Family Medicine Residency Program.

This program has proud tradition of caring for the poor and medically underserved regardless of their ability to pay, national origin, or primary language. Our residents and faculty are advocates for our patients, helping them to access quality health care services.

The Cook County Family Medicine Residency Program provides residents with a comprehensive, fascinating and diverse training experience. Rotations are designed to facilitate learning in a community setting, while having access to the latest medical technology at two well-known medical centers. You will experience a mixture of a busy medical center with many other residents to an unopposed environment with one–to–one precepting. The Family Medicine Centers are the main activity sites for training, but residents provide continuity of care to patients as well in the hospital and residential settings, coordinating care plans that involve multidisciplinary services and teams. The community medicine programs give residents access to young people with the goal of early intervention and illness prevention.

We have a diverse faculty with many areas of expertise and experience, all enthusiastic about teaching and mentoring.

There are many exciting opportunities in family medicine for graduate physicians in medical practice, research, administration and academic medicine. The health care challenges of today and the future await dedicated and innovative leaders; the goal of the Cook County Family Medicine Residency Program is to train our residents to become those leaders. We invite you to apply and look forward to hearing from you soon!

Best Wishes,
Gail Y. Floyd, MD
Program Director, Cook County Family Medicine Residency Program