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We are committed to better care

Loyola University Chicago’s Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health brings together our call as a Jesuit institution to continue going to the frontiers of education, research, and practice, and to assist the marginalized of our society. 

Dynamic changes in health care require professionals to have broad skills and cutting-edge experience to lead the future of health care delivery. Loyola has established itself as a leader in health care education with the Stritch School of Medicine and the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, and the School of Health Sciences and Public Health leads with those strengths in addressing important student and community needs.

The Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health consists of programs for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as working professionals who are seeking additional skills or a career change. Innovative and accessible program formats for adult learners along with traditional undergraduates will include online instruction and hybrid learning programs, which will take advantage of existing technology, classroom, and laboratory space on Loyola’s Health Sciences Campus in Maywood. Insight into the student experience

For admission information or to apply to our programs, please click here.

Flexible degree programs meet student, industry needs

Loyola’s Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health will draw on the expertise of Loyola’s nationally recognized Stritch School of Medicine and the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing.

Flexible programs will offer students master's and bachelor’s degrees along with certificates and boot camps. Classes will be held across the University’s three Chicagoland campuses: Health Sciences in Maywood, Lake Shore in Rogers Park, and Water Tower in River North. Within the next two years, the school will introduce 16 new degree programs across four areas: applied health sciences, health informatics and data science, health care administration, and public health sciences.

New programs

Ongoing programs

More about ongoing programs

Programs transferring from the schools of nursing and medicine to the School of Health Sciences and Public Health already have impressive alumni working in the Chicagoland area and beyond to further the Loyola mission of caring for the whole person, or cura personalis. They share how Loyola has shaped their career, education, and teaching:

Exercise Science

Allison Rydberg, 2015 Exercise Science program graduate, is currently in Arizona, working as a physical therapist on an Apache reservation where Allison grew up. “I had the opportunity to go on some service immersion trips and do some retreats, and growing in that way during my college experience was a big reason. I knew I found fulfillment and enjoyment in serving underserved populations.”

Health Systems Management

Current Health Systems Management senior Afshan Hussain already knows how her degree will help her career after graduation. She interned for Miracle Medical Center, a community-based health care center. “I’ve been able to understand the gaps in our health care system and the health inequity in our immediate community on a personal level by assisting at the clinic,” Hussain says. “By taking patient vitals, hearing patient life stories, and comforting patients, I learned the urgency of attending to vulnerable populations.”

Dietetics

Community and local partnerships are a major cornerstone of the School of Health Sciences and Public Health. Dietetics alumna Mary (D’Anza) Mora, RDN, CDE ’02, is a project director with Proviso Partners for Health (PP4H), a community-based coalition comprised of Loyola University Chicago, Loyola University Health System, and other partners who collaborate to improve health equity in Chicago’s near west suburbs. “We know that a lot of health issues are within communities that don’t have fresh, affordable produce, and this is a food equity issue,” Mora says. “I feel less like a registered dietitian and more like a social justice worker.”

Public Health Sciences

Department of Public Health Sciences Assistant Professor Justin Harbison works with a consortium of universities and the Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Disease, to research how to prevent the spread of diseases carried by ticks and mosquitoes. “This is academia working with public health infrastructure, so the research can have more immediate, real world effects,” says Harbison.

Clinical Lab Sciences

Some of the most vital parts of the health care system takes place in laboratories that patients never see. Bloodwork and other specimens are handled by medical lab scientists. Their analyses help doctors and health care professionals correctly diagnose and treat patients. Medical Lab scientists are skilled in various chemistry, biology, immunology, and other fields. “Laboratory science practitioners each play a vital role in the health care system, managing and applying evidence-based, scientific testing that supports patient care and protects against public health threats,” says Kamran Mirza, Md, PhD, graduate program director and assistant professor in the Stritch School of Medicine.

Demand increasing for health care workers

Health care jobs are projected to grow 18 percent from 2016 to 2026–faster than the average for all occupations. This growth will add about 2.3 million jobs to the sector. The number of people ages 65 and over is expected to be 98 million by 2060, contributing to the expansion of health care needs.

Supporting the mission of educating locally, caring globally

Robert L. Parkinson Jr. (BBA ’73, MBA ’75) and Elizabeth (Betty) (BS ’75) are engaged alumni who believe in Loyola’s mission. Loyola is recognizing the Parkinsons’ commitment and generosity by naming its new school the Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health. The gift will create student scholarships, the dean’s endowment for strategic initiatives, and the Center for Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Mr. Parkinson is chairman of Loyola University Chicago’s Board of Trustees. The Parkinsons have supported an array of University projects and initiatives, including service on the Quinlan School of Business Board of Advisors, the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Student Life, and the Stritch School of Medicine Annual Award Dinner Committee. Mr. Parkinson is the retired chairman and chief executive officer of Baxter International Inc., former president and COO of Abbott Laboratories, and dean of Loyola’s Quinlan School of Business from 2002 to 2004. He received the 2001 Quinlan School of Business Distinguished Leadership Award.

“ Bob and I believe that access to quality health care is a right, and good health is the foundation for strong families, individuals, and communities.”
—Elizabeth Parkinson
To join the Parkinsons in supporting the new school, make a gift here.

See how our graduates will change health care

The health care work force of the future depends on professionals with specific skills across a range of disciplines. Graduates of the Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health will have the knowledge required to improve patient and population health and minimize inequities.