A spirit of inquiry, diligence, and academic excellence characterized our university's namesake, Dr. Rosalind Franklin, who, in 1952, captured the photograph revealing the structure of DNA. Today, those same traits drive our faculty and 2,000+ students as they engage in a level of rigorous academics, pioneering research, and innovative community service that continues to shape the future of healthcare.
Formed in 1912 as the Chicago Hospital-College of Medicine, today, RFU brings together five colleges and over 30 graduate health professions and science programs. Our private, non-profit university teaches a range of disciplines on a single campus, allowing for team-based, interdisciplinary learning and practice opportunities. This approach has made RFU a national leader in interprofessional medical and healthcare education and research.
Our students are further prepared for their careers through our state-of-the-art network of simulation and skills labs and a wide variety of clinical opportunities. Located 36 miles north of Chicago in the city's North Shore suburbs, RFU students have access to a more significant number and a broader range of clinical and service-learning experiences.
Finally, RFU's 2,000+ students enjoy an engaged, supportive sense of community with peers who share their academic interests and goals. Faculty who know them by name and are committed to their success.
Our mission is "To serve the population through the interprofessional education of health and biomedical professionals and the discovery of knowledge dedicated to improving the wellness of its people."
Our vision is "To achieve national recognition as the premier interprofessional health sciences university."
Our Interprofessional approach to academics is key to our students' learning experience and their ability to improve patient outcomes after graduation. At RFU, you will be learning in with peers in more than 30 other health professions and science programs and then practicing as teams through Service Learning, Global Health, and our student-run Interprofessional Community Clinic.
A wide range of community-based clinical opportunities is available to our students. Our location 36 miles north of Chicago gives RFU students opportunities to work with a broad demographic of people in different settings, including inner-city hospitals that help the underserved, the federal health system that provides medical care to veterans U.S. military personnel, and private clinics and practices.
The vibrant, close-knit community at RFU is rooted in several unique factors: Our entire student population is graduate-level and shares a focus on health sciences. Our smaller size means professors and students know you by name and cross paths with you often; our commitment to diversity and inclusion generates a climate of openness and acceptance. Our engaging campus life provides meaningful and fun opportunities to connect.
While many factors make our university great, we're most proud of the people here and the enormous impact on your education experience. From students who are engaged learners, motivated leaders, and generous givers of their time and talents, to brilliant professors who are exceptionally attentive to their students' academic and general wellbeing, RFU is a community of people with great minds and big hearts.
At RFU, we've developed an interprofessional, hands-on approach to academics that gives you the tools you need to stand out in your field, even as those fields continue to change.
Our dedication to diversity brings many points of view on how we approach academics. We know that when we understand our world, we gain a better understanding of our communities, so our Global Health initiative supports the type of learning that can only happen far from campus. And when you're on campus, we've created a place that can meet every student's needs in every program.
RFU is a graduate-level health profession and sciences university made up of five schools. Each school offers specific degrees and training while working together, interprofessionally to improve patient care and well-being.
Campus life is a priority at RFU. We believe a strong community and activities beyond the classroom are critical to your wellbeing and success—as a student and eventually as a professional.
Go beyond the classroom by living on campus or just getting involved. Most RFU students spend lots of time on campus, providing multiple opportunities to build friendships with students across disciplines and further the conversations and team-building we promote through our interprofessional education approach.
It should be no surprise that an institution named after Dr. Rosalind Franklin, one of the 20th Century's most brilliant researchers, continues to attract and retain some of the world's best and brightest scientists. Our 40+ researchers and their teams, working in disease-related research areas, are heavily funded by the National Institutes of Health.
The focus of our Global Health efforts at RFU is meeting the health needs of all people—especially the poor in underserved communities—with compassion, integrity, high ethical standards, and a high level of competence. We believe the benefits of learning in and about other parts of the world are invaluable, honing cross-cultural communication and problem-solving skills that improve care delivery and patient outcomes even in the United States.
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