草莓社区

Welcome to the Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health

Welcome to the Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health

It is my privilege to serve as Interim Dean of the Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health at 草莓社区. Since our founding, Parkinson has stood on the foundational principles that access to good health is a fundamental human right, and that meeting today's health challenges requires bringing health sciences and public health together rather than treating them as separate fields.
The diversity of students and programming in our school is not incidental — it's the whole point of the formation of the Parkinson School. The Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health was established in 2019, named after Robert L. Parkinson Jr. (BBA ’73, MBA ’75) and Elizabeth (Betty) (BS ’75), two engaged alumni who believed in Loyola’s mission commitment and generosity. Their gift helped to create student scholarships, the dean’s endowment for strategic initiatives, and the Center for Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Their spirit and vision continue to guide us. Our faculty and students are advancing research that matters, from studying the patient experience in real-world clinical settings to piloting new approaches in health professions education. We are also reimagining our curriculum for a changing field, including how we prepare students to use emerging tools like AI thoughtfully and responsibly, and we are developing new academic pathways, including an undergraduate degree in Health Sciences, to meet the critical needs of the students and communities we serve.
None of this happens in isolation. It is the work of a community of scholars, clinicians, and students committed to Loyola's Jesuit mission to educate the whole person and to go, as our tradition calls us, to the frontiers of health equity and human dignity.
I am honored to help lead this school through this moment, and I invite you to explore all that Parkinson has to offer as we continue reimagining the future of health, today.
Sincerely,

Jennifer O’Rourke, PhD, RN, FAAN
Interim Dean, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health

Impact Report

Download: Parkinson Impact Report