The University of Chicago Medicine and Ingalls Memorial Hospital offer a wide range of challenging clinical and non-clinical career opportunities to do work that truly matters.
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Healthy soul food recipes, accessible seating and live classes are among the ideas shared in a community forum at the University of Chicago Medicine’s new “Teaching Kitchen.” The teaching kitchen will be part of the wellness space on the first and second floors of the health system’s new $815 million cancer center. The cancer center, which will receive state regulatory board approval June 27, will be built on East 57th Street between Southern Maryland and South Drexel avenues and will open in 2027. The kitchen will serve as a classroom for nutrition and healthy eating classes for cancer patients and others who may benefit, including patient families, community members, staff and medical students. The kitchen can also be used for social events and gatherings. As with the cancer center planning process, the University of Chicago Medicine sought public input on its project. Hospital leaders envisioned a multifunctional space with an adjacent conference area. The goal was to create a warm, residential atmosphere with plenty of natural light. The kitchen will be equipped with cameras so that classes can be recorded or broadcast live. Community members, hospital staff and representatives from the cancer center’s architecture firm, CannonDesign, met June 9 to review plans for the nutrition center and view photos of teaching kitchens from around the world. During the brainstorming session, participants discussed the questions “What works?” and “What doesn’t work?” Recommendations include: accessible seating and tabletops; special areas for people with food allergies; good ventilation for cancer patients sensitive to food odors; tables where participants face each other (rather than the instructor) for a more social experience.
Contributor Dale Kane, Executive Director of Advocates for Community Wellness Inc. in nearby Auburn Gresham, offered classes with culturally sensitive recipes. “Some cultures want to get better at eating soul food,” she said. “Sometimes the food we learn to cook in these classes may be delicious, but may not suit us because we are not familiar with cooking. Or they may not have the ingredients in our local grocery stores.” reaching out to local programs Pipeline partners to advance education in nutrition, cooking and even health care careers. Participants agreed that it was important to have everything under one roof, including a food pantry, fresh vegetables from the hospital’s rooftop garden, and/or a place to buy ingredients, as it would be difficult for cancer patients to travel to multiple locations. Since cancer affects the whole family, another idea was to create a teaching kitchen suitable for families and children to provide them with support and shared space. Ethel Southern, pastor of the United Covenant Church of Christ in South Holland, proposed a mobile version of the teaching kitchen that could travel to patients in South Holland. Stops may include UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey. “The meeting went great,” Southern said. “They listened to us and gave me a lot of ideas to discuss with everyone,” Edwin C. McDonald IV, a gastroenterologist at the University of Chicago Medicine, a physician and chef who teaches many healthy cooking classes. , asked if he could teach healthy grilling classes using a portable stove that turns into a grill. He also recommended that UChicago Medicine work with local suppliers whenever possible and tap into the expertise of Hyde Park’s James Beard Award-winning chefs. The next step is for UChicago Medical Center and CannonDesign to determine what ideas can be included in the project. “We want to hear your ideas and bring them to life. We have a lot of work to do to implement these ideas and obtain the resources, funding and necessary personnel to provide these services,” Marco Capiccioni, vice president of infrastructure, planning, hospital design and construction services said. In addition to the teaching kitchen, the cancer center’s wellness center will include a nondenominational chapel, a retail store selling cancer-related wigs, clothing and gifts, and a multi-purpose area. The space will be used for a variety of patient and community education, such as:
The University of Chicago Medicine has been designated a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute, the most prestigious recognition for a cancer institution. We have more than 200 doctors and scientists dedicated to defeating cancer.
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The University of Chicago Medicine and Ingalls Memorial Hospital offer a wide range of challenging clinical and non-clinical career opportunities to do work that truly matters.
Post time: Oct-16-2023