UIC Urban Forum to focus on inclusive post-pandemic recovery

The University of Illinois Chicago’s 2022 Urban Forum will bring together civic leaders, public health professionals and economic development experts to discuss new ideas to create an inclusive and enduring pandemic recovery.

The virtual event, titled “Urban Resilience: An Inclusive Recovery,” will feature panels that address how the health of cities and urban resilience will be measured by successfully including all citizens in a shared recovery. The forum is scheduled for April 20, 9 a.m.-noon. 

The event’s first panel, “Lessons Learned from the Pandemic: How Can We Eliminate Urban Health Disparities?,” will feature Grace Hou, Illinois Department of Human Services Secretary; Dr. Julie Morita, executive vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; and Dr. Garth Walker, White House Fellow with the Office of the Surgeon General and assistant professor in emergency medicine at Northwestern. Their discussion will be moderated by Kristen Schorsch, health and county government reporter for WBEZ.

The second panel, “The Mandate for Equity: How Do We Ensure an Inclusive Post-Pandemic Recovery as We Rebuild Our Economy?,” will include Gloria Castillo, director of The Chicago Community Trust’s We Rise Together: For an Equitable & Just Recovery; Ghian Foreman, president and CEO of Emerald South Economic Development Collaborative; and Samir Mayekar, city of Chicago’s deputy mayor for economic and neighborhood development. Lisa Lee, director of the National Public Housing Museum and UIC associate professor of public culture and museum studies, and gender and women’s studies, will moderate the panel.

All attendees must register online before the event. Full event details, including agenda and speaker bios, are available via the UIC Urban Forum website.

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Co-chairs of the 2022 UIC Urban Forum are Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Board president, and Michael D. Amiridis, UIC Chancellor. Joe Hoereth, director of UIC’s Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement, serves as program director.

The event is sponsored by the UIC College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, UIC’s Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement and WBEZ 91.5.