Colleen Frankhart

"A voice at the table that's meaningful": Community Advisory Council helps guide UChicago Medicine

When the University of Chicago Medicine announced plans in early 2022 to build a $663 million cancer center, one group of twenty South Side neighbors was already in the know - and already providing input on strategies for designing the center's programs with health equity and community benefit in mind.

Managing Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that looks different in everyone who has it - and you may know more people who have it than you think. According to Thomas Shoemaker, MD, a Rush neurologist and MS expert, the disease "is much more common than people appreciate."

Interventional Cardiology

Living with a heart condition can have a big impact on every part of your life. Many of the leading-edge treatments offered by the University of Iowa Heart and Vascular Center interventional cardiology team can help you feel better right away.

Office of Community Health Equity and Engagement: 2021 Impact Report

Researcher Aims To Diversify Alzheimer's Data

According to some estimates, Black adults in the United States have more than double the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than their white counterparts. What accounts for the gap?

Leonard's Story

Rush experts in neurology and minimally invasive cardiology procedures teamed up to prevent future strokes in a patient with a rare disorder.

Jerry's Story: Successful surgery to remove a rare tumor

Rush surgeons teamed up to remove a rare, cancerous tumor from Jerry Rose's nasal cavity.

COVID-19 and Health Equity at Rush

In 2020, the pandemic starkly illustrated gaps in health equity as the virus disproportionately affected Black and Latinx communities. Rush took this moment and transformed it into a movement to double down on commitments to health equity.

Quantum Leap: Researchers and South Side teachers team up to engage students

The quantum revolution is coming in nearly every industry, from information technology to medicine to manufacturing. In a pilot program originating at UChicago, quantum researchers at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) are helping South Side high school teachers introduce their students to quantum concepts, positioning them to be part of a quantum-ready workforce.

PAL program builds trust between South Side youth and UChicago Police officers

Playing basketball with police officers is one of Tawrence Walton's fondest memories from growing up in Englewood: "I always saw the officers as being part of the community - not just chasing bad guys, but being somebody you could relate with. If anything ever came about that you needed, you knew they were there to serve and protect."

What Happens After a Screening Mammogram Callback?

If you get called back for additional tests after a mammogram, there's no need to panic. That advice comes from Jennifer Yanak, MSN, MBA, FNP-BC, the nurse practitioner who manages the high-risk breast clinic at Rush Copley Medical Center. "That callback doesn't automatically mean breast cancer," Yanak says.

AmeriCorps Service: The Start of a Life's Journey Forward

AmeriCorps service gave Jordan support in his recovery from a substance use disorder, a start toward a meaningful career, and a shift in worldview.

New Polsky small business course helps entrepreneurs tap into the power of capital

Chicago’s small businesses have been hit hard by COVID-19, with minority-owned businesses most at risk. Anthos Training Clubs on 53rd Street in Hyde Park is one example: After a few months of the pandemic, revenue at Anthos, which provides personalized training services, was down 87 percent.

Training the next generation to tackle health disparities and community violence

A UChicago program teaches students to be leaders with the skills to prevent violence and care for those affected, and shows them the path toward becoming health professionals who can address the mental health issues, health disparities, and chronic disease that erode communities’ overall health.

Giving Back to the Community Through Reading Corps Service

Reading Corps tutor Ruby Wesley is a proud alumna of Minneapolis Public Schools now giving back to the district that gave her a great education.

REACH Annual Impact Report 2020

A look back at how Rush's education team pivoted during the pandemic

Rush Office of Community Health Equity and Engagement 2020 Impact Report

An infographic-driven look at the 2020 work of Rush's health equity team

Diversity Strengthens Us

A comprehensive report that details Rush's diversity, equity and inclusion progress and plans.

UChicago Poverty Lab and community partners team up on recommendations to slow COVID-19 spread

By May of 2020, Katya Nuques and her colleagues at Enlace Chicago in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood had been "panicking for weeks," she said. Members of the community, where 84% of residents are Latinx, were testing positive for COVID-19 at a rate almost three times the state average, and the Little Village ZIP code had the highest number of virus cases in Illinois.

Polsky Small Business Circles connect entrepreneurs during challenging times

When the COVID-19 pandemic prompted Illinois' governor to issue a stay-at-home order in mid-March, many Chicago small-business owners immediately saw trouble ahead.

IMPACT Leadership Development Program

The Chicago Urban League's IMPACT Leadership Development Program was launched in 2014 to give midcareer African American professionals tools to thrive in increasingly responsible leadership roles, both in their careers and in the community.

Becki's Story: Looking like herself again after a traumatic injury

Becki suffered severe facial injuries after a traumatic biking accident while vacationing in Italy. Today, she's facing the world with confidence.

Rush Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Plastic and reconstructive surgeons at Rush change lives by restoring form, function and quality of life.

Health Benefits of Coffee

The composer J.S. Bach spoke for a lot of us with his Coffee Cantata lyric: "Without my morning coffee, I'm just like a dried-up piece of roast goat." Americans drink 400 million cups of coffee per day, or 146 billion cups each year.

John's Story: A Rare Tumor, A High-Tech Approach

When a rare head and neck tumor brought 81-year-old John Scambler, DDS, to Rush, the head and neck cancer team used transoral robotic surgery (TORS) to both remove the cancer and preserve John's ability to lead a full, active life.

Take a Minute to Breathe: Mindfulness Meditation at Work

The work-day pause that refreshes.

Rush Cosmetic Surgery website

Appointments with Rush's cosmetic surgery providers skyrocketed after the launch of this boutique site in 2020.

Vaping: What You Need to Know

Debunking common myths about this potentially dangerous trend

Denise's Story: Close attention and fast action catch a young mom’s lung cancer early

After developing heart palpitations in 2016, Denise Tovar started having regular CT scans at Rush Copley Medical Center. In 2021, the Rush team's close attention to those scans saved her life.

Bullying: 7 Things Parents Need to Know

A child psychiatrist offers insight about what to watch for and how to handle bullying.

Preventing Golf Injuries

Rush orthopedic surgeons are the best in the business at treating injuries, but they're happy to share advice about how to avoid getting injured in the first place.

Rush Health Equity Report

Rush works to improve the health of the individuals and diverse communities it serves. The first step is understanding who Rush patients are.

The heart of Hyde Park

With UChicago support, Black-owned businesses thrive on 53rd Street.

Celebrating 50 years of college access

UChicago programs prepare Chicago public high school students for success as first-generation college students.

Community Benefits Report

This publication reports on progress toward the goals laid out in Rush's Community Health Implementation Plan.

Rush Community Health Needs Assessment and Community Health Implementation Plan

This report is the foundation of Rush's work to eliminate health disparities on Chicago's West Side.

Nonprofits focused on housing issues find support at the Community Programs Accelerator

The Community Programs Accelerator at the University of Chicago helps community-based nonprofits strengthen their impact on the communities they serve.

Building opportunity: Construction diversity and workforce goals channel UChicago's economic power

Every time Jason Bonaparte drives by UChicago Medicine's Center for Care and Discovery (CCD), he says, "I look up at that tall, shiny masterpiece and think: There's my work."

Through Polsky Center, South Side entrepreneurs find a place to grow

Steve Jobs famously advised budding entrepreneurs to "stay hungry." For Boyede Sobitan, hunger was more than a metaphor.

MNSights: By the Numbers

The MNSights By the Numbers feature presents quick-hit data in a fun, graphic way.

UChicago Local and South Side partners cook up an innovative job-training program

This story for the University of Chicago's Office of Civic Engagement spotlights a program aimed at giving South Siders access to jobs on campus.

REACH Annual Impact Report 2019

The Rush Education and Career Hub (REACH) provides STEM education to Chicago students from pre-K through college.

Leading the Country in Strengthening Communities

Rush University Medical Center is an "anchor institution" on Chicago's West Side — and is a national leader in channeling its economic power for the benefit of the community.

MNSights donor publication

Donors to Minnesota Philanthropy Partners learn about community initiatives through MNSights.

Dwayne Johnson

People who come to the University of Chicago Medicine emergency department (ED) after experiencing trauma need world-class care to heal physically - and they need expert help to heal emotionally, too.

Kady McFadden

"At age 26, I was managing eight staff, helping to manage a $1 million organization, lobbying, convening with elected officials, working with donors - and no one had taught me how to do any of that," says Kady McFadden, deputy director of the Sierra Club's Illinois chapter.

Kemati Porter

Porter heads eta Creative Arts Foundation, a home for the performing and visual arts on Chicago's South Side.

Deeply Rooted Dance Theater

A 2003 National Endowment for the Arts report on nonprofit dance companies noted ruefully that "dance companies of all genres face the reality of a ruthlessly short lifecycle." Now celebrating its 25th year of presenting world-class dance in Chicago and around the globe, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater has defied that trend through thoughtful leadership and planning.

Akanksha Shah

Akanksha Shah '17 wanted a flexible work opportunity that aligned with her passion for education and with her UChicago class schedule. She couldn't find one — so she started one.

Camille McKenzie

Every time Camille McKenzie and her daughter pass a construction site, the five-year-old says, "That's where Mommy works!"

The Inside Story on Investing in Female Founders

Q&A with Gerri Kahnweiler, co-founder of InvestHER, the the first venture capital fund in Chicago dedicated to female-founded tech startups.

Baltimore: Where Grassroots Social Innovators Connect

I wrote about three women who are working to solve some of their city's most pressing social challenges.

NORC 75th Anniversary timeline

NORC delivers insight, impact and innovation that has shaped research and policy all over the world.

Using Innovation to Empower Women of Color

Q&A with Kathryn Finney, the smart, funny, force-of-nature founder of digitalundivided.

Top Chefs Chicago

Foodservice News asked me to choose, profile and photograph 10 Chicago chefs who deserved recognition.

Graham School viewbook

I researched and wrote this piece for the University of Chicago's Graham School, celebrating its history and looking to its future.

Banned Books

I revamped and edited this edition, winner of the Intellectual Freedom Round Table's 2018 Eli M. Oboler Memorial Award for the best published work about intellectual freedom.

Bill Holm, McKnight Distinguished Artist

From 2004–2015, I edited the book honoring each year's McKnight Distinguished Artist. This was one of my favorites.

Siah Armajani, McKnight Distinguished Artist

Find beauty and holiness in new and necessary facts.

Ranee Ramaswamy, McKnight Distinguished Artist

Ranee is a dancemaker and performer whose work is based in the classical Indian dance form Bharatanatyam.

How Intermix is Changing with Its Customers: A Conversation with Jyothi Rao

The fashion landscape has changed dramatically since Intermix made its debut in 1993, and Intermix has expertly navigated every twist along the road from strictly bricks-and-mortar to a digital-first landscape.

Target's Community Impact: The Inside Story

A look at some Target team members' work to build stronger communities.

Following a Childhood Passion: Meet the Head of Women's Design at Banana Republic

Omar Nobil joined Banana Republic as a young designer just a year into his career - and a dozen years later, he's head of women's design. He sat down with us to chat about his path, why he's loved spending most of his career at one brand, and what fashion designers have in common with rock stars.

Gap Inc. for Life: A Banana Republic Vet Shares How He Got Started

Banana Republic Kirk Pestlin has built an amazing career at Gap Inc., rising to become Senior Director of Merchandising for Banana Republic - but, he says, some part of him will always be the teenage Gap sales associate who loves coming to work to learn and grow.

CityTarget: A Day in the Life

My articles for RED kept Target's 350,000 employees informed — in a fast, fun and friendly way — about what was happening around the company.

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Luxury

Walgreens partnered with hip cosmetics phenom Nonie Creme to create an exclusive line.