Online
For Alumni
For Clergy
For Lay Leaders
For Students
General Audience
Credit Offered
A growing emphasis on health equity within faith-based health care aligns with religious social teachings and the safety net mission to serve marginalized populations.
Sinai Chicago is a combination of Jewish and Catholic healthcare institutions carrying out faith-based commitments grounded in the shared Judeo-Christian traditions of caring for those in need. With over a decade of successful collaboration, Sinai Chicago and Holy Cross Hospital provide useful insights into different traditions coming together in service of a shared purpose to emphasize solidarity and a unified voice in care for those in need. Although the two entities bring different faith-based perspectives, they share a strong commitment to respect the dignity of every person and to provide the best care possible.
This seminar will explore the challenges and gifts of being on the frontlines to address the significant inequities in healthcare delivery and outcomes that limit opportunity for individuals and communities in need in Chicago.
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, the president & CEO of Sinai Chicago, will offer examples of how these institutions leverage their shared values to promote solidarity and improve outcomes for underserved populations, offering a model for collaborative, purpose-driven care in today’s complex healthcare landscape.
Ngozi Ezike, M.D.
President and CEO of Sinai Chicago
Dr. Ngozi Ezike became president and CEO of Sinai Chicago, the state’s largest private safety net health system, in June 2022. Previously, she was the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), where she valiantly navigated the state through the most difficult waves of the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr. Ezike is a board-certified internist and pediatrician.
At Sinai, Dr. Ezike has focused on advancing health equity through innovation and creative collaboration. Under her leadership, Sinai Chicago has expanded community health worker programs and invested in state-of-the-art technology for electronic health records, robotic surgery and 3D imaging services -- allowing Sinai caregivers to work better and faster, providing better care and service for the people they serve.
Under her leadership, Sinai Chicago’s commitment to uncompensated charity care has been recognized in the top 10 percentile nationwide of safety net providers offering such care, making Sinai one of the top “fair share” contributors in the U.S. for charity care and community investment.
Dr. Ezike is a nationally recognized public health leader. She holds degrees from Harvard University and the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and a business management certificate from Harvard Business School. She is the recipient of dozens of awards including Crain’s Chicago Business 2024 Women of Note, Crain’s Notable Leaders in Healthcare 2023, the Jane Addams Medal of Freedom, and USA Today's Inaugural Women of the Year Award for the State of Illinois.