Community Partnerships
Community Partnerships
Partners with a shared purpose
Through varied community partnerships, the Parkinson School broadens its work to improve health outcomes and champion health equity. For both Parkinson students and faculty as well as our partners, these relationships are transformative, not transactional.
Students involved in service-learning courses and academic internships, for example, gain a firsthand glimpse into professional environments and tackle projects with a direct impact on a community partner’s operations and effectiveness. Faculty can then help a local nonprofit organization institute new programming or redefine its advocacy strategies. Our partners, meanwhile, gain access to bright minds, passionate souls, and fresh eyes and become a part of our community, where they participate in events, deliver guest lectures in classrooms, and contribute to the growth of our students as mentors and allies.
Exercise Science and the Power of Community
The Parkinson School’s exercise science program continues broadening its list of community partnerships to enrich student learning and elevate its impact.
Over recent years, the exercise science program’s list of community partners has swelled to include health clubs such as Lakeshore Sport & Fitness and the Maywood Fitness Center, public and private schools, local hospitals, and athletic performance centers such as TC Boost in Northbrook. In addition, the exercise science program teams with organizations devoted to serving special populations, such as individuals with autism (Exercise Connection), neurological conditions (Movement Revolution), and Down syndrome (Gigi’s Playhouse).
Through service-learning courses and academic internships— both being graduation requirements of the undergraduate exercise science program—students bridge theory and practice and discover the applicability of their studies to the real world. Students also gain exposure to diverse environments and populations they might encounter as working professionals.
Partners, meanwhile, enjoy the presence of enthusiastic, knowledgeable students eager to advance organizational objectives. Partners also appreciate working with Loyola, an institution tied into the Jesuit belief system of service first.
In addition to the service-learning courses and internships, community partnerships also open the door to novel research projects. In one recent effort, students conducted a literature review on recovery and performance outcomes in professional rugby to guide athlete recovery efforts for the city’s pro rugby team, the Chicago Hounds.
Along the way, students and partners can learn about each another. As the students spend time at community sites, partners gain a long look at prospective job candidates, while students discover the culture of specific organizations and gain exposure to volunteer opportunities as well as career opportunities to inform their next steps.
The most important thing is that we can help each other out. Students learn in a safe environment and with a partner who can become a third-party educator, while our partners have more hands and knowledge to pursue their goals.
KILEY TYLER, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF EXERCISE SCIENCE AND DIRECTOR OF THE EXERCISE SCIENCE GRADUATE PROGRAM, PARKINSON SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND PUBLIC HEALTH
Exercise Science and the Power of Community
The Parkinson School’s exercise science program continues broadening its list of community partnerships to enrich student learning and elevate its impact.
Over recent years, the exercise science program’s list of community partners has swelled to include health clubs such as Lakeshore Sport & Fitness and the Maywood Fitness Center, public and private schools, local hospitals, and athletic performance centers such as TC Boost in Northbrook. In addition, the exercise science program teams with organizations devoted to serving special populations, such as individuals with autism (Exercise Connection), neurological conditions (Movement Revolution), and Down syndrome (Gigi’s Playhouse).
Through service-learning courses and academic internships— both being graduation requirements of the undergraduate exercise science program—students bridge theory and practice and discover the applicability of their studies to the real world. Students also gain exposure to diverse environments and populations they might encounter as working professionals.
Partners, meanwhile, enjoy the presence of enthusiastic, knowledgeable students eager to advance organizational objectives. Partners also appreciate working with Loyola, an institution tied into the Jesuit belief system of service first.
In addition to the service-learning courses and internships, community partnerships also open the door to novel research projects. In one recent effort, students conducted a literature review on recovery and performance outcomes in professional rugby to guide athlete recovery efforts for the city’s pro rugby team, the Chicago Hounds.
Along the way, students and partners can learn about each another. As the students spend time at community sites, partners gain a long look at prospective job candidates, while students discover the culture of specific organizations and gain exposure to volunteer opportunities as well as career opportunities to inform their next steps.
The most important thing is that we can help each other out. Students learn in a safe environment and with a partner who can become a third-party educator, while our partners have more hands and knowledge to pursue their goals.
KILEY TYLER, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF EXERCISE SCIENCE AND DIRECTOR OF THE EXERCISE SCIENCE GRADUATE PROGRAM, PARKINSON SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND PUBLIC HEALTH