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What is Rosalind Franklin University?
Rosalind Franklin University (RFU) is a health sciences university in North Chicago, Illinois, built around six colleges and a deliberately interprofessional approach to training health professionals. Its site describes students from different colleges learning with and from each other, so that graduates are ready to work in team-based care rather than in professional silos. The academic structure is the clearest way to understand what the university is:
- Chicago Medical School
- College of Health Professions
- College of Nursing
- College of Pharmacy
- Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine
- School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Its stated aim is holistic, team-based patient care. The page points to an interprofessional education model and to programs such as the student-led Interprofessional Community Clinic, where learners, educators, clinical partners and community members work together. It also highlights community work in rural Georgia, with teams that have included medical, nursing and physical therapy students alongside clinicians, interpreters and regional partners. For a prospective student, that means the choice is not just a single degree program but a particular style of training: frequent collaboration across health disciplines, early clinical and community exposure, and faculty described as active mentors.
A practical next step is to decide which college matches your intended credential, then check whether the interprofessional element is a required part of that program or an optional enrichment. If team-based learning is the main draw, ask admissions how often students from your college actually share courses or clinics with other colleges. If you want a research-heavy path, the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies is the relevant starting point. You can begin at Rosalind Franklin University and navigate to the individual college pages.
What health profession programs does Rosalind Franklin University offer?
Rosalind Franklin University organizes its health profession programs across six colleges rather than a single school. Based on the university's own description, those colleges are:
- Chicago Medical School
- College of Health Professions
- College of Nursing
- College of Pharmacy
- Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine
- School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
The university frames this structure around interprofessionalism: students in different colleges are expected to learn with and from each other, so they can work in team-based care after graduation. That matters if you want a program where nurses, pharmacists, physicians and other clinicians train in the same environment rather than in isolation.
Next step: Use the university's "Search Programs of Study" tool to see which specific degrees, certificates or pathways sit inside each college, since the college list alone does not tell you whether a given program is offered at the master's, doctoral or certificate level.
A practical way to decide: If your goal is direct patient care, the College of Health Professions, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy and Scholl College are the most relevant starting points. If your interest is research or academic science, the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies is the better fit. If you are considering medicine, Chicago Medical School is the relevant college. You can also look at Rosalind Franklin University for its interprofessional clinic and education programs, which show how the colleges connect in practice.
How does interprofessional education work at Rosalind Franklin University?
Interprofessional education (IPE) at Rosalind Franklin University means students from its different health professions colleges learn together, not just in separate silos, so they are prepared to work on team-based care. The university describes interprofessionalism as bringing health specialists together to serve patients more effectively through collaboration, and it frames this as a holistic approach to patient care.
What it looks like in practice
- Students from multiple colleges — including medicine, health professions, nursing, pharmacy, podiatric medicine, and graduate/postdoctoral studies — interact with and learn from each other.
- The student-led Interprofessional Community Clinic (ICC) is one of the programs designed to promote collaboration among learners, educators, clinical partners and community leaders.
- RFU also has an Institute for Interprofessional Education and Research supporting this work.
- Community care efforts can involve small teams with medical, nursing and physical therapy students, clinicians, interpreters and regional partners.
Who it suits
This model fits prospective students who want to train alongside other health professions and expect to work in teams after graduation. It may be less appealing if you prefer a strictly single-discipline program with little cross-college interaction.
A practical next step
If you are considering RFU, look at the specific college and program you want, then check how much of the curriculum is interprofessional versus profession-specific. Ask admissions how often students participate in the ICC or similar team-based activities and whether those experiences are optional or built into the program. You can start with Rosalind Franklin University to explore its colleges and programs.
What clinical training opportunities are available for students at Rosalind Franklin University?
Rosalind Franklin University (RFU) builds clinical training around interprofessional, team-based care rather than isolated silos. Students from its six colleges — including Chicago Medical School, the College of Nursing, the College of Pharmacy, the College of Health Professions, and the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine — learn with and from each other, which prepares them to work on interdisciplinary care teams.
Hands-on and community-based training
- Interprofessional Community Clinic (ICC): A student-led clinic designed to promote collaboration among learners, educators, clinical partners and community leaders. This is a direct way to gain supervised clinical experience while working across disciplines.
- Community care in the field: RFU teams have worked in rural Georgia, often including medical, nursing and physical therapy students alongside clinicians, interpreters and regional partners — a model that exposes students to real-world, resource-varied care settings.
- Simulation and virtual training: The university has opened a virtual hospital training facility and a virtual health system, giving students a way to rehearse emergency and clinical scenarios before or alongside live patient contact.
Who benefits most
If you are deciding between health professions programs, RFU's strength is the interprofessional thread: you get clinical exposure not just within your own discipline but in teams that mirror how modern care is delivered. That is especially useful for students in nursing, medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy and podiatric medicine who expect to work in collaborative settings.
A practical next step
Check the specific program page for your intended college, then ask admissions directly how many clinical hours, which partner sites, and what simulation access students in that program receive. The ICC and virtual hospital are university-level opportunities, but availability can vary by program and year.
For official details, start with Rosalind Franklin University and its program pages.
How can prospective students visit or tour Rosalind Franklin University?
Prospective students can visit Rosalind Franklin University through an open house, which the university describes as combining community connection, a student-led campus tour, and the chance to get questions answered. That structure suits applicants who want both an official overview and an unfiltered student perspective in one trip, especially if they are comparing several health professions schools and cannot travel repeatedly.
What to expect from a visit
- Open house format: Connect with the university community, tour campus with a current student, and ask questions.
- Student-led tours: Current students lead the walking tour, so use the time to ask about daily life, clinical placements, and how the six colleges interact.
- Interprofessional focus: RFU organizes much of its identity around students from different colleges learning together. Ask how that plays out in practice — shared courses, team-based clinics, or joint community projects.
A useful next step
Check the admissions or visit page for your specific college before booking, since open house dates and program-specific sessions can differ. If you cannot attend an open house, ask admissions whether a separate student-led tour or virtual session is available.
How to get the most from the trip
- Prepare two or three questions that only a current student could answer, such as how interprofessional teams are formed or what clinical exposure looks like in the first year.
- Ask about the Interprofessional Community Clinic, a student-led program the university highlights, if you want hands-on team-based experience.
- Visit the surrounding area, not just campus, to judge commute and living options.
For official visit details, start with Rosalind Franklin University. If you are also considering other health professions schools, compare their visit formats directly — an open house with a student-led tour gives you more decision-relevant information than a general information session alone.
What research initiatives is Rosalind Franklin University involved in?
Rosalind Franklin University's research activity is easiest to understand through its interprofessional model: six colleges (Chicago Medical School, College of Health Professions, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine, and the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies) are set up so students and faculty from different fields learn and work together on shared problems. That structure shapes the kind of research the university pursues—team-based projects that cross clinical, basic-science and community-care lines rather than work confined to a single department.
Research areas and initiatives highlighted
- Neuroscience and COVID-19's effects on the brain. Nicole Ferrara, PhD, an assistant professor and neuroscientist, received a five-year, $2.3 million NIH grant to study how COVID-19 affects adolescent brains. This is a concrete example of federally funded laboratory research at the university.
- Interprofessional education research. The Institute for Interprofessional Education and Research studies how students from different health professions learn together and how that training translates into team-based patient care.
- Community-based clinical research and service. The student-led Interprofessional Community Clinic (ICC) brings learners, educators, clinical partners and community leaders together. A separate initiative in the fields of Georgia works in small teams that have included medical, nursing and physical therapy students, clinicians, interpreters and partners from regional universities.
- Simulation and health-system training. The university has opened a virtual hospital training facility and virtual health system, which supports research and training in emergency preparedness and clinical decision-making.
What kind of researcher or student this suits
If you want a traditional single-lab, single-discipline PhD track, the interprofessional framing may feel broad. If you want to work on problems that require clinicians, basic scientists and community partners at the same table—public health, health disparities, team-based care, simulation—the structure is a genuine fit.
A useful next step
Go to the university's site and look at the individual college pages and the Institute for Interprofessional Education and Research, then check whether faculty in your specific area of interest are currently recruiting or publishing. For comparison, you can also review research profiles at Rush University and Loyola University Chicago, which operate in the same regional health-research landscape.
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