Pritzker News
Director of Illinois Department of Public Health Outlined HIV/AIDS Initiatives at Bowman Society Lecture Series
February 15, 2007 — Pritzker School of Medicine alumnus, Dr. Eric Whitaker, MD '93 addressed Pritzker School of Medicine students, faculty and staff on Thursday, March 1, 2007. Dr. Whitaker delivered an address titled, "HIV and AIDS: From Illinois to Africa" as part of the Pritzker School of Medicine's Bowman Society Lecture Series. During his hour long address, Dr. Whitaker outlined the Illinois Department of Public Health's current HIV/AIDS initiatives in Illinois, South Africa and Liberia.
As director of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Dr. Eric E. Whitaker oversees an agency comprised of more than 1,100 employees who are responsible for protecting the state’s 12.4 million residents, as well as countless visitors, through the prevention and control of disease and injury.
Prior to his appointment in 2003, Dr. Whitaker was an attending physician in Internal Medicine at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Chicago (formerly Cook County Hospital), and a member of the hospital’s Collaborative Research Unit. His research interests include HIV/AIDS prevention and minority health, particularly for black males. In 1998, he helped found Project Brotherhood: A Black Men’s Clinic, which is a weekly clinic for African-American men housed in Woodlawn Adult Health Center on Chicago’s southside and funded by the Cook County Bureau of Health Services. This innovative promotes a holistic approach to health and wellness that addresses the patient’s physical as well as mental, vocational and spiritual needs. In 2000, the project received the National Association of Public Hospital and Health Systems' highest award.
Dr. Whitaker, a native of Chicago, received his undergraduate degree in chemistry from Grinnell College in 1987, his master's degree in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health in 1991, and his medical degree from the University of Chicago in 1993.
Dr. Whitaker is the recipient of many awards for outstanding public service, and was recently named to Crain’s Chicago Business’ 40 Under 40 list. He is married to Dr. Cheryl Rucker-Whitaker and has two children, Caleb and Caitlin.
The Bowman Society lectures highlight medical research issues and topics that are important to the health care of minority communities. Sponsored by the Pritzker School of Medicine Office of Multicultural Affairs, The Bowman Society Lecture Series commenced in 2005 through the generous support of Dr. James E. Bowman, Professor Emeritus in the Departments of Pathology and Medicine, and the Biological Sciences Division's first tenured African-American Professor.
For more information on past lecturers, please visit the Bowman Society page.
