UChicago Medicine's chief equity officer, Brenda Battle, BSN, RN, will retire at the end of the year, the academic health system said Sept. 9.
Ms. Battle has spent 12 years at UChicago Medicine, an urban academic system predominantly serving Black patients. She is the senior vice president for community health transformation, chief equity officer and head of the Urban Health Initiative, which houses the organization's population health and community benefit programs.
Under Ms. Battle's leadership, the health system has more than doubled its investment to improve the health of residents in communities on Chicago's South Side to more than $5 billion. She has led myriad programs and partnerships to address health inequities in the region.
In 2021, Ms. Battle led efforts to form South Side Health Community, a nonprofit composed of 13 organizations, including safety net hospitals, health systems and federally qualified health centers. Her contributions engaged stakeholders and secured $146 million in state funding to establish the nonprofit organization.
"Throughout her tenure, Brenda has been a visionary leader, driving the advancement of health and racial equity both within the institution and across Chicagoland," Tom Jackiewicz, president of the University of Chicago Health System, said in a news release. "Her unwavering belief in the power of community and collaboration has sparked transformative change, as she built strong alliances with community leaders to reduce health disparities and expand access to care."
In 2023, Ms. Battle supported the creation of a new role at UChicago Medicine: chief obstetrical transformation officer. Sarosh Rana, MD, stepped into the role in fall 2023 and leads initiatives to close maternal health disparities by working to improve access to high quality obstetrical care and support services.