Wellness

General Support

Within in the program: You may always reach out to Dr. McConville or any of the chief residents, at any time.

Ombudspersons:

These are faculty members that serve as student/resident advocates and as confidential and private sounding boards regarding experiences at University of Chicago. They will also investigate and resolve complaints of mistreatment or other issues and abuses.

Mental Health

a) You can reach out to Sonali Paul, our ombudsperson. She is always available and everything you speak to her about is confidential. spaul@bsd.uchicago.edu

b) You can take advantage of the Employee Assistance Program, Perspectives. This is: “a no-cost, confidential resource to assist in addressing issues such as stress, change, communication, family matters, financial matters, addiction, etc. Assessment, referral, short-term counseling (when indicated) and follow-up are available through in-person appointments or telephone counseling. To schedule an appointment or to talk with a counselor, call (800) 456-6327. Licensed counselors are available 24 hours a day. In addition, the program offers assistance in finding child/eldercare and an online website with a wealth of information on parenting, aging, thriving, living and working. To access Work Life Online, simply go to perspectivesltd.com and the User Name is UCH001 and password is perspectives.”

c) UCWellCare (UCWellcare@uchicagomedicine.org): email pool for resources for medication management and counseling referral

d) Jennifer Ghandhi (Jennifer.Ghandhi@bsd.uchicago.edu): therapist at U of C dedicated to trainees/physicians

For other resources and information, please see this Wellness handout from the GME or the Staff and Faculty Assistance Program Handout from Perspectives. Please feel free to reach out to the Chiefs or Program Leadership if you have questions!

Physical Health

Doctor’s Appointments

UCM residents (and their immediate family members: spouse/partner and dependent children) can use Forefront Family to schedule adult and pediatric primary care and OB/GYN services at UChicago Medicine. This involves:

• A dedicated employee scheduling line and inbox
• Reserved appointment slots
• Convenient locations across Chicago, the south and west suburbs, and NW Indiana

To schedule: email ForefrontFamily@uchicagomedicine.org or call 773-834-7999

Please include the following information in your email to ForefrontFamily@uchicagomedicine.org or call 773-834-7999 

• Your full name and DOB
• Your home address, telephone #, and marital status (they need this information to register you as a patient in Epic for the first time)
• Your insurance ID number and group number
• Your available dates/times for appointments (at this time, they can only do weekday appointments)
• If you prefer in-person or virtual
• Which location you’d like to be see in (Hyde Park vs. South Loop vs south or west suburbs vs NW Indiana) – see note below about locations

Of note, you will be working with most of the PCPs who work on campus, at PCG. So, if you want to see someone you will not be working with clinically, we encourage you to try the University of Chicago South Loop location (on Roosevelt St, right by Whole Foods. Parking is free in the Southgate Market Garage). None of the providers at the South Loop clinic interact with residents clinically. There are also other offsite locations at Huron and Grand, though some providers at these locations will be involved in your training. You can specify a location and provider preference when you book an appointment through the resident health email.

Occupational Medicine

Located in Mitchell room D-136. Hours are M-F 7:15am-4pm. 773-702-6757. This is where you can receive immunizations, health screenings, annual fit testing and treatment for work related injuries.

All work related injuries (including needle sticks):

• IF due to blood borne pathogen exposure material (needle stick, sharps injury, splash or contact w/ possible infectious blood/fluid), page needle-stick hotline immediately at p9990, follow instructions to on-call clinician.
• For other work related injuries, must immediately obtain medical eval at UCOM during regular business hours. IF it is closed and immediate medical attention is required (ex. life, limb or organ threatening injuries), can report to CCD ED and follow up at UCOM during clinic hours the next day of operation. Otherwise, report to UCOM the following day.
• ALL injuries, including blood borne pathogen exposures must be reported to the work injury reporting line at 480-270-6839. If the injury is not reported, benefits and/or payment of bill may be delayed or denied.

Campus Gym

Residents can join The Ratner Center (pool, fitness center, gym, sauna, indoor track, squash, racquetball courts, fitness center, basketball, cardio equipment) at a discounted rate (~$17/month for a very nice university gym, can pay a month at a time).

Safety

Post-Call Uber/Lyfts – If you are too exhausted to drive after a 28h call, please do not hesitate to call a Lyft or Uber to get home. This ride will be fully reimbursed by our program for IM residents. We would rather you be safe! Email receipts to Tharrie Daniels.

UCM Security Escort – If you ever feel unsafe or feel a need for a security escort to a UCM campus location or parking structure, security is available 24/7. Call 773-702-6262 to parking structures and 773-702-8181 for other locations.

UChicago Safe App – Download this app! It allows you to be up to date on safety alerts, report tips.

Updated 8/2025