Cook County Health and Hospitals System Program

Program Identity & Fit

Cook County Health's Pediatrics Residency at Stroger Hospital is a historic (first ACGME-accredited in 1927), public safety-net program whose stated mission is treating all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults "without regard for the ability to pay." The curriculum is explicitly weighted toward general and ambulatory pediatrics, with each resident building a continuity clinic panel weekly, while inpatient wards, PICU, NICU, and a full subspecialty complement (cardiology, GI, heme/onc, nephrology, neurology, child abuse pediatrics, adolescent medicine) provide breadth through an academic affiliation with Rush University Medical Center. Research is present but secondary—residents complete a scholarly activity and a QI project rather than pursuing a dedicated research track—and the program explicitly states its goal is "to train excellent general pediatricians," while also offering in-house fellowships (Neonatology, Allergy/Immunology with Rush, Adolescent Medicine with UIC) for those who want subspecialty progression. The program values residents drawn to direct, hands-on patient care in a high-volume, underserved, public-hospital environment over those seeking a heavily academic or subspecialty-research-driven experience.