75 Years of Academic Partnerships Began in Chicago

Jesse Brown VA Medical Center (JBVAMC) in Chicago joins the Department of Veterans Affairs in celebrating 75 years of academic partnerships. In 1946, the very first partnership between the VA and a medical school was created right here in Chicago with Northwestern University Medical School. "To educate for VA and the Nation" continues to be one of the VA's foundational missions.

What began here in Chicago 75 years ago has expanded to affiliations between VA medical centers and over 100 medical schools across the nation. These affiliations have changed the face of healthcare in the United States. Today, nearly three quarters of physicians in the United States are trained in VA hospitals. VA funded medical research has led to significant discoveries, such as the development of the pacemaker.

This mission continues today as VA provides state-of-the-art healthcare to our nation's heroes and is instrumental in creating the healthcare workforce of the future. What began here in Chicago 75 years ago gave life to the VA's mission, "To educate for VA and the Nation."

Jesse Brown's observance of this significant event will also honor its two primary academic affiliates, the University of Illinois College of Medicine and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

The event will be held in the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center Damen Pavilion, 2nd Floor Kizer Conference Room at 10:00 am (CSDT), 820 South Damen Avenue, Chicago, IL. Please contact the Public Affairs Office at 312-569-6402 or by email to Debra Denhart, debra.denhart@va.gov for more information.