Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, located in North Chicago, Illinois, is a private MD-granting institution within a health sciences university that emphasizes interprofessional education across medicine, pharmacy, podiatry, and allied health fields. The school trains physicians with a strong clinical sciences foundation and places particular value on teamwork, communication, and collaborative care. Clinical training is distributed across the greater Chicago metropolitan area, including affiliation with Advocate Health and other North Shore Illinois health systems.
What makes it different
Rosalind Franklin University is one of the few US health sciences universities where medical, pharmacy, podiatric, and allied health students train in explicitly interprofessional teams throughout all four years. The school is named for Rosalind Franklin, the pioneering scientist whose X-ray crystallography work was central to understanding DNA structure, and its naming reflects a commitment to scientific rigor and underrecognised contributions to medicine. Chicago Medical School is the oldest medical school component of the institution.
Course & teaching
Integrated curriculum. 4-year MD with integrated basic science and clinical training. Interprofessional education components throughout all four years. Clinical rotations at Advocate Health System, North Shore hospitals, and Chicago-area affiliate sites. A Graduate Entry Pathway (GEP) is available for selected students with advanced science degrees.
Research strengths
Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (MD) has notable research strength in Neuroscience, Musculoskeletal medicine, Cancer research, Interprofessional health outcomes, Podiatric and foot-ankle medicine.
Interview
Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (MD) interviews via MMI (multiple mini-interview stations). Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University conducts a structured MMI on its North Chicago campus. Applicants rotate through approximately 6–8 stations of 8 minutes each, with a 2-minute preparation window per station. Stations probe ethical reasoning, interprofessional communication, healthcare policy, and professionalism scenarios. The day includes an orientation to Rosalind Franklin's interprofessional health sciences campus — which houses medicine, pharmacy, podiatric medicine, physician assistant, and health professions programs — campus tours, and informal interactions with current students. The school's interprofessional training philosophy is reflected in some station content.
Intake
Approximately 180–200 students per year.
At a glance
Founded in 1912, based in North Chicago, IL. Programmes offered: Internal Medicine, Primary Care, Surgery, Interprofessional Education, Community Medicine.