Ponce Health Sciences University announces a new partnership with Humboldt Park Health, enhancing clinical training opportunities for students in St. Louis.
ST. LOUIS, MO — September 10, 2026 — Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU) announced a new affiliation agreement with Humboldt Park Health, community hospital founded in 1894 on Chicago’s West Side, that will expand clinical rotation opportunities for PHSU School of Medicine students at its St. Louis, Missouri branch campus beginning in the 2029–2030 academic year. The agreement establishes the first
academic presence on the Humboldt Park Health campus in the hospital’s history and gives PHSU students access to a diverse, community-centered clinical environment closely aligned with the university’s mission to train the next generation of healthcare professionals for Hispanic and historically underserved communities.
The partnership carries a deeper resonance for PHSU. Founded in Ponce, Puerto Rico, the university has built its mission around preparing healthcare professionals who reflect and serve Hispanic and historically underserved communities, a commitment mirrored in its own student body1. Humboldt Park Health sits in the heart of Chicago’s Humboldt Park, the center of Puerto Rican culture in the Midwest and home to the state-designated Puerto Rico Town cultural district along Paseo Boricua, anchored by institutions such as the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture and the Puerto Rican Cultural Center.2 The hospital serves a patient population that is nearly 40% Hispanic.3 That shared connection to Puerto Rican heritage, and to the communities academic medicine too often overlooks, makes the two institutions natural partners.
For PHSU’s St. Louis campus, the partnership will broaden the network of high-quality clinical sites where students can complete rotations and gain direct patient-care experience. Humboldt Park Health is a 200- bed acute care facility whose patient population is predominantly Hispanic and Black, offering PHSU students the opportunity to train in a setting where they care for a richly diverse patient population and
1 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2024 Enrollment. Ponce Health Sciences University (UnitID 243081). Retrieved August 3, 2026, from https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/institution-profile/243081.
2The Puerto Rico Town cultural and economic development district in Chicago’s Humboldt Park was established under State of Illinois Senate Bill 1833 (2021). See University of Illinois Chicago, Great Cities Institute, “Puerto Rico Town Databook.” 3Humboldt Park Health, institutional and patient-population data. Retrieved August 3, 2026, from https://hph.care/. Community demographic context: Humboldt Park Health, Community Health Needs Assessment (2025), https://hph.care/wp content/uploads/2026/05/CHNA_2025_Final.pdf.
build the cultural and clinical competencies that define a PHSU education. PHSU School of Medicine students will be able to pursue rotations in family medicine, psychiatry, emergency medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, surgery, and pediatrics, along with electives. This breadth allows students to gain exposure across primary care, surgical, and specialty disciplines within a single, mission aligned community hospital.
“Every great partnership begins with a shared belief. Today, we come together because we believe that where a person is born, the language that they speak, the color of their skin, or the neighborhood they call home should never determine the quality of healthcare that they receive or the opportunity to live a healthy, fulfilling life,” said Kenira Thompson Garcia, PhD, MBA, President of Ponce Health Sciences University.
Humboldt Park Health has served Chicago’s West Side since 1894, guided by a mission to advance health equity and provide compassionate, high-quality care. The hospital reinvests in its community through programs that support the uninsured, manage chronic conditions, deliver health education, and address the social determinants of health, from food insecurity initiatives to community outreach for children and the elderly. That community-first model mirrors PHSU’s own founding purpose and makes Humboldt Park Health a natural training ground for PHSU students.
“This partnership represents more than an institutional agreement; it is an investment in the future of equitable healthcare, academic excellence, and innovation,” said José R. Sánchez, President and Chief Executive Officer of Humboldt Park Health. “Every community deserves access not only to excellent
healthcare, but to the research, education, and innovation that are shaping the future of medicine. Together, Humboldt Park Health and Ponce Health Sciences University are creating new opportunities that will directly benefit our patients, strengthen our workforce, and prepare the next generation of healthcare professionals.”
Together, Ponce Health Sciences University and Humboldt Park Health are building a future in which academic medicine and compassionate, community-based care converge to expand training opportunities for students and improve patient outcomes for generations to come.
About Ponce Health Sciences University
Ponce Health Sciences University, founded in Ponce, Puerto Rico, with a campus in St. Louis, Missouri,and additional locations in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Tortola, British Virgin Islands, has a nearly 50-year legacy of excellence in health sciences education. PHSU prepares the next generation of health sciences professionals through programs in medicine, clinical psychology, biomedical sciences, public health, nursing, and dental medicine. Through innovative education, research, and community service, PHSU develops compassionate, highly skilled practitioners, scientists, and healthcare leaders who advance health equity, address health disparities, and respond to the evolving needs of communities locally and globally.
About Humboldt Park Health
Humboldt Park Health is an independent community hospital that has served Chicago’s West Side for more than 131 years. Guided by its mission to advance health equity and provide compassionate, high-quality care with dignity, Humboldt Park Health continues to invest in innovative partnerships, clinical excellence, and community-centered programs that improve the health and well-being of the communities it serves.
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Media Contact
For PHSU media inquiries, please contact:
Douglas Clark, MBA, Senior Vice President, Marketing
Ponce Health Sciences University
dclark@psm.edu
