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Dr. Eric Whitaker is the executive vice president of strategic affiliations and associate dean of community-based research at the University of Chicago Medical Center. In his role, he is responsible for the medical center's Urban Health Initiative. Prior to his work at University of Chicago, he was director of the Illinois department of public health, where he oversaw a budget of more than $450 million and more than 1,200 employees statewide.

Dr. Whitaker previously was an attending physician in internal medicine at Cook County Hospital where he was involved in several research projects related to HIV/AIDS prevention and minority health, particularly for black men. Dr. Whitaker received his undergraduate degree in chemistry from Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, his MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health, and his MD from the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Medicine. In 1991, he was president of the American Medical Student Association, which represents more than 30,000 aspiring doctors across the country.