Brenda Battle to retire after 12 years of leading UChicago Medicine's community health transformation and DE&I work

After a distinguished 43-year healthcare career, with the last 12 at the University of Chicago Medicine, Brenda Battle, RN, BSN, MBA, will retire as Senior Vice President for Community Health Transformation, Chief Equity Officer, and head of the Urban Health Initiative at the end of the year.

Since joining UChicago Medicine in 2012, Battle has led the Urban Health Initiative (UHI), which administers the health system's population health and community benefit programs and work. Since its establishment in 2005, the UHI has focused on improving health equity for residents in UChicago Medicine's service areas, which now cover more than 880,000 residents in the South Side and Southland. These communities face a disproportionate burden of chronic and serious diseases and high rates of intentional violence.

“Throughout her tenure, Brenda has been a visionary leader, driving the advancement of health and racial equity both within the institution and across Chicagoland,” said Tom Jackiewicz, President of the University of Chicago Health System. “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.”

A cornerstone of UChicago Medicine’s community effort was established in 2016 when Battle and her team collaborated with 20 volunteer community leaders to create UChicago Medicine’s first Community Advisory Council. Since its inception, the Council has provided invaluable guidance on initiatives focused on chronic disease, maternal and child health, trauma care, and violence prevention.

“Brenda’s leadership is rooted in a deep passion for building healthier communities and fostering equity,” said Candace Henley, chair of UChicago Medicine's Community Advisory Council and founder of The Blue Hat Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness about colorectal cancer. “She has always led with both her heart and a strategic vision, amplifying voices that are too often unheard and ensuring the community is central to every decision."

Battle has led teams dedicated to community health transformation and strategy; diversity, equity and inclusion; community and external affairs; community benefit investment; volunteer services; health literacy; and spiritual care at both the main medical campus in Hyde Park on the South Side and at UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial in Harvey.

Impact on the community

Under Battle’s leadership, UChicago Medicine’s annual community benefit investment has more than doubled since 2013, bringing the health system’s total reported community investments in the past decade to more than $5 billion for South Side and south suburban communities.

Battle’s contributions have been pivotal in launching notable programs and partnerships like the South Side Pediatric Asthma Center, UChicago Medicine’s nationally recognized adult trauma care center and Violence Recovery Program, and Southland RISE, a violence prevention collaboration between UChicago Medicine and Advocate Christ. She also helped set the groundwork for state regulatory approval in 2023 to build a standalone cancer care and research pavilion by working with the community to ensure the facility will better meet the needs of South Side residents, who experience a disproportionately high cancer burden.

In 2019, Battle led an effort to secure $9.1 million in funding to form the BHC Collaborative for Family Resilience, which has engaged more than 3,000 children who have experienced trauma. In 2020, Battle helped to secure an $8 million grant from the AbbVie Foundation to establish the LinC (Liaisons in Care) program, which expanded UChicago Medicine’s team of community health workers supporting chronic disease management.

A signature achievement of hers involved taking the South Side Healthy Community Organization from a promising concept to a viable 501(c)(3) organization by engaging 12 other healthcare organizations and securing $146 million in state funding in 2021 to strengthen the South Side’s healthcare ecosystem.

In addition, last year, Battle helped to create the inaugural role of Chief Obstetrical Transformation Officer at UChicago Medicine to improve critical access to high-risk obstetrical care for Black mothers.

Battle and her team developed and implemented an organizational DE&I strategy, later launching an Equity Plan to ensure that operations and patient care align with community health needs and uphold equitable practices across the health system. The principles were put into action during the COVID-19 pandemic, where she and her team played a pivotal role in establishing testing operations, distributing PPE throughout the community, and setting up a contact-tracing program.

Under Battle’s leadership, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation named UChicago Medicine an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader for eight consecutive years. In addition, the University of Chicago Medical Center was among only 98 hospitals nationwide — and the only academic medical center in Chicagoland — to be recognized this year by U.S. News & World Report as a Best Regional Hospital for Equitable Access. Battle also co-created the Racial Equity Progress Report for healthcare organizations in Illinois, a model now used nationwide and around the world.

Battle will continue to serve in her role until the end of 2024 and will actively participate in the search for her successor, which is already underway.

“Brenda’s leadership has brought visibility and recognition to UChicago Medicine and Biological Sciences Division’s health equity work on a regional and national level,” said Mark Anderson, MD, PhD, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs at the University of Chicago. “Her contributions leave a lasting legacy at our organization and within the community, and we remain committed to building on her work to advance our mission of health equity.”