Community members gathered at the University’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice on July 14 to hear updates on several initiatives from across the university – from healthcare and public transportation to arts and culture – as part of the University’s broader effort to strengthen communication, coordination, and community partnerships.
Opening the meeting, Deborah Gorman-Smith, Dean of the Crown Family School and the University’s Chief Strategist for Community Engagement and Partnerships, said the University is focused on making it easier for community members to connect with the many people, programs, and resources that already exist across the institution.
“The University has a long history of engagement with our neighboring communities,” Gorman-Smith said. “Our opportunity now is to better connect the extraordinary work already happening across the University and UChicago Medicine, make it easier for our neighbors to engage with us, and bring people and resources together so our collective impact is even stronger.”
The meeting brought together updates from several University partners whose work reflects different aspects of that broader commitment.
Expanding access to cancer care
UChicago Medicine leaders highlighted the AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion, a major investment designed to expand access to advanced cancer care on the South Side by bringing inpatient and outpatient services together in one state-of-the art facility when it opens in April 2027.
Catina Latham, PhD, Senior Vice President and Chief Community Health Transformation Officer, described the urgent need driving the project, noting that cancer death rates on the South Side are twice the national average, and 67% of community patients currently must travel outside the community for inpatient care. She also highlighted the health system’s broader commitment to community health, including $1.1 billion in community benefit investments in fiscal 2025, with $971.4 million invested through the University of Chicago Medical Center on the South Side.
Kimyatta Washington, Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for Cancer Services, described how the pavilion was designed around the needs of patients and their families, with features including family accommodations, video visitation for loved ones who cannot be present in person, wellness resources, and a teaching kitchen. The 575,000-square-foot freestanding facility will also house the UChicago Medicine Ralph Lauren Center, expanding access to cancer prevention, screening, patient navigation and support services, along with a Rapid Assessment Clinic that will provide timely care for treatment-related complications outside of the emergency department.
Mitchell Posner, MD, Chief Clinical Officer of Cancer Services, concluded by highlighting the pavilion's role in expanding access to clinical trials and leading edge cancer treatments while building trust and improving outcomes for patients across the South Side.
Modernizing the Metra 59th/60th Street Station
Tim Savery, Project Manager at Metra, presented plans to modernize the 59th Street station, a project that will improve accessibility, strengthen transit connections for South Side residents and visitors, and support growing activity in the surrounding neighborhood, including the University of Chicago and the nearby Obama Presidential Center.
The project will reopen the station’s 60th Street entrance for the first time in more than 45 years and create a fully ADA-compliant station with elevators at both entrances, expanded platform canopies, warming shelters, a larger lobby and waiting area, and significant viaduct improvements. Construction is expected to begin in early 2027 and take approximately three years, during which the station will be temporarily closed.
The University will continue to partner with Metra on construction logistics and maintaining traffic flow along 60th Street.
The Logan Center’s Arts and Community Programs
Bill Michel, Executive Director, and Mashaune Hardy, Associate Director of Partnerships and Strategy, from the Logan Center for the Arts highlighted the Logan Center's commitment to making the arts accessible through year-round performances, exhibitions, educational programs, and partnerships with South Side artists and organizations.
Michel noted that since opening 14 years ago, the Logan Center has served as a hub for artistic collaboration and public engagement, partnering annually with dozens of local arts organizations, while offering free family programs, school matinees, and a diverse lineup of music, dance, film, and visual arts that welcomes community members of all ages.
Hardy highlighted several current initiatives that reflect that commitment, including the Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project, which supports and celebrates Chicago’s Black dance community and will bring ten companies together for a performance at the Harris Theater on August 28, with affordable community tickets available. She also described the Logan Center’s digital storytelling program, which teaches community members filmmaking skills and culminates in public screenings of original short films. In addition, the Logan Center is currently hosting “Longer than the Sky: Art of the Obama Years” through October 11, continuing its role as a gathering place for artistic expression, learning, and community engagement.
The meeting reflects the University's broader commitment to connecting the many people, programs, and partnerships across the institution while creating more regular opportunities to share information, hear directly from community members, and strengthen relationships that help inform and advance the University's community strategy.
To learn more, access the community meeting presentation slides here.
Questions? Email civicengagement@uchicago.edu.