UChicago Medicine to expand Valparaiso healthcare options. The University of Chicago Medicine is renovating the former Viking Medical building in Valparaiso. The academic health system plans to open the 43,500-square-foot facility in 2027. The academic health system is opening the medical care center at 1425 E. Glendale Boulevard to help meet the needs of Northwest Indiana residents as outlined in its 2026-2028 Community Health Improvement Plan released in August. The facility will offer primary care, imaging, laboratory and infusion services, and specialty care. Renovations of the former Viking Medical building are expected to start later this year. "As Valparaiso grows, partnerships that expand access to high-quality healthcare are increasingly important to our community," said Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas in a press release. "UChicago Medicine Northwest Indiana not only brings academic medicine to our community but also strengthens the healthcare resources available throughout our Region." UChicago Medicine first opened a 130,000-square-foot facility in April 2024 in Crown Point. Only two years later, it plans to expand it by 7,500 feet. "We are seeing firsthand the growing demand for UChicago Medicine's physicians and programs in Northwest Indiana," said Amy Ross, chief strategy and growth officer for UChicago Medicine. "Building on our existing presence in Valparaiso, this expansion will allow us to offer a broader range of care closer to home while strengthening patients' connection to the full breadth of services and highly specialized expertise." Expansion is part of an overall plan to increase access to UChicago Medicine's academic medicine. The health system also is building a 575,000-square-foot facility at its main campus on the the South Side of Chicago. * Heather Pfundstein Publisher/Executive Editor - Linker Media Group Heather Pfundstein is the publisher and executive editor of Northwest Indiana Business Magazine and NWIndianaBusiness.com. She is an award-winning journalist with more than 25 years of experience in Northwest Indiana and northern Illinois newsrooms. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. She has been part of the magazine's team since 2018. View all posts

UChicago Medicine appoints Amir Ghaferi as Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer. Sep 19: The University of Chicago Medicine has appointed Amir A. Ghaferi, MD, MSc, MBA, as its Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer, effective Nov. 16, 2026. Ghaferi will serve as the inaugural leader in this enterprise-wide role, working across UChicago Medicine's academic healthcare mission to advance clinical strategy, strengthen physician leadership and engagement, and better integrate physician practices and ambulatory operations across the clinical enterprise. The role will foster collaboration among faculty and employed and community physicians to advance clinical innovation, ambulatory growth, value-based care and integrated models of care. Discover more Derivatives Financial Markets News He currently serves as President and CEO of the Physician Enterprise and Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he also is a Professor of Surgery. In these roles, he leads strategy for a large academic and community physician enterprise and advances patient-centered care models focused on quality, safety, value and experience. Business & Industrial Previously, he served as Chief Clinical Officer of the University of Michigan Medical Group, where he oversaw clinical operations, quality, strategy and finance. He also served as Vice Chair for Strategy and Finance in the University of Michigan Department of Surgery and as Director of the Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative, a multi-hospital collaborative focused on improving the safety and quality of bariatric surgery. "Physician leadership is essential to the continued success of UChicago Medicine, and this new role reflects our commitment to ensuring that physicians have a strong voice in shaping the future of our clinical enterprise," said Mark Anderson, MD, PhD, Dean of the Biological Sciences Division, Dean of the Pritzker School of Medicine and Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs. "Dr. Ghaferi brings an exceptional combination of clinical expertise, academic distinction and health system leadership." In his new role, Ghaferi will work closely with department chairs, physician and academic leaders, and health system executives to strengthen alignment across UChicago Medicine's physician practices and medical groups, advance clinical innovation and new models of care, improve operational performance, support growth, and enhance patient and clinician experience. "Dr. Ghaferi understands how to bring physicians and operational leaders together around a shared vision and translate that collaboration into meaningful improvements in care, access, quality and value," said Tom Jackiewicz, President of the University of Chicago Health System. "His experience will be an important asset as we continue to build an integrated, high-performing clinical enterprise." An accomplished surgeon, Ghaferi's research focuses on the relationship between organizational systems and design and quality and efficiency, with the goal of developing interventions that improve care locally, regionally and nationally. His NIH- and AHRQ-funded research has examined safety culture, organizational resilience and the systems and practices that influence patient outcomes. His clinical practice is focused on advanced laparoscopic surgery, including gastroesophageal reflux surgery, bariatric surgery, and abdominal wall and groin hernia surgery. Ghaferi earned his bachelor's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, a master's degree from the University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School, and an MBA from the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business. He completed his general surgery training at the University of Michigan, including a research fellowship in health services research. Discover more Stocks & Bonds Business Formation He has held numerous leadership positions in academic surgery and healthcare, including serving as president of the Association for Academic Surgery and the Surgical Outcomes Club. His national and international activities have focused on surgical quality and safety, health services research, physician leadership and the advancement of academic surgery. "UChicago Medicine has an extraordinary foundation of world-class physicians and scientists, an ambitious academic mission, and a deep commitment to the patients and communities it serves," said Ghaferi. "I look forward to listening and learning from colleagues across the organization, strengthening the physician voice in how we lead, and working together to build an even more integrated clinical enterprise that expands access and delivers exceptional care for every patient."

UChicago Medicine names Gina Cronin as Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. Newswise - The University of Chicago Medicine has named Gina M. Cronin, MHA, FACHE, as Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, effective October 19, 2026. Cronin will lead enterprise-wide human resources operations and strategy across the South Side-based academic health system. Her leadership will support UChicago Medicine's continued growth across the Chicago region and Northwest Indiana and its clinical, research and educational missions. "Gina brings a rare combination of enterprise human resources expertise and decades of frontline health system operational experience," said Tom Jackiewicz, President of the University of Chicago Health System, which operates as UChicago Medicine. "She understands firsthand what it takes to build high-performing teams, develop talent and support clinicians and staff in complex healthcare environments. Her experience will be invaluable as UChicago Medicine continues to grow and evolve." Cronin joins UChicago Medicine from Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., where she serves as Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer, overseeing HR functions supporting the organization's clinical, research and academic areas. Prior to Children's National, Cronin built much of her career at Cleveland Clinic, where she held senior operational leadership roles for more than two decades before becoming Chief Talent Officer. In that role, she led talent strategies supporting a health system that grew to 80,000 caregivers across a global enterprise. Her operational experience included leadership within the Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute, giving her a firsthand understanding of clinical operations before transitioning to enterprise HR leadership. Cronin joins UChicago Medicine at a pivotal period of growth and transformation. The health system is expanding access to care across the region while making significant investments in its clinical infrastructure, including the AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion, a 575,000-square-foot facility dedicated to cancer care and research that is scheduled to open in April 2027. The freestanding building will bring together advanced cancer care, clinical research and innovative technologies while expanding access to specialized services on Chicago's South Side. "An organization's ability to deliver world-class care and pioneering research relies on the strength, well-being and engagement of its people," said Cronin. "I am honored to join UChicago Medicine at such an important time and look forward to partnering with leaders, faculty and staff across the health system to support our workforce and advance our shared mission." Beyond her extensive HR and operational experience, Cronin is committed to developing the next generation of healthcare leaders through mentorship, career development and experiential learning. Her combination of enterprise HR expertise, frontline clinical operations experience and commitment to developing people will help UChicago Medicine build a high-performing, resilient workforce as the organization enters its next era of growth and regional impact. Cronin earned her Master of Health Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan. She is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). Media contact. Type of article. Section.