Dear colleagues,
Dr. Evelyn Figueroa, a Chicago native and University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) College of Medicine alumna, was selected as the 2025 Dr. Tai R. Shin and Mrs. You H. Shin Humanitarian Award recipient. Dr. Figueroa is director of community engagement in the department of family and community medicine at UIC’s College of Medicine. Her influence extends widely, earning her multiple awards for her exceptional leadership, teaching, and advocacy.
Dr. Figueroa has dedicated her career to community engagement and healthcare access for underserved populations. She is a passionate advocate for marginalized and minoritized communities, with a particular focus on women, immigrants, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Over the past 20 years, her efforts include leading a five-year community health screening initiative with St. Pius V Parish, volunteering for over a decade to serve people facing financial and healthcare barriers, co-sponsoring a free clinic for immigrants, and serving as the medical director at Pacific Garden Mission homeless shelter. In that role, she collaborated with the Chicago Department of Public Health during the initial wave of COVID-19 to allow shelter-in-place measures.
In 2017, Dr. Figueroa and her partner, Dr. Alex Wu, established the Figueroa Wu Family Foundation to address social injustices and health inequities. A year later, they launched the Pilsen Food Pantry, which has provided goods and services to more than 210,000 households.
In 2023, Dr. Figueroa selflessly donated a portion of her liver to save the life of a UIC colleague’s child. Her act of compassion reflects her deep commitment to service both inside and outside the clinical setting.
Dr. Figueroa’s impactful work has earned her numerous honors, including being named one of Chicago Magazine’s 2023 Chicagoans of the Year and receiving the American Academy of Family Physicians Humanitarian Award.
Dr. Figueroa chose the family and community medicine department to receive the $50,000 gift that is part of the Shin Humanitarian Award. Dr. Figueroa will receive the award at a special ceremony November 19.
Students, faculty, and staff at U of I System universities, as well as alumni, help determine who receives the unique award for positively impacting humanity.
The Dr. Tai R. Shin and Mrs. You H. Shin Humanitarian Award honors individuals making an exemplary impact on humanity. Honorees:
- Receive a $5,000 honorarium plus travel expenses to interact with faculty, staff, and students at one of our universities.
- Choose a system department or program to receive $50,000 to help advance other humanitarian work.
I encourage you to nominate the world-changing humanitarians in your circles of influence and communicate about the award with others inside and outside of the system who may do the same for the 2026 award.
Thank you for helping make the Shin Humanitarian Award’s impact even more meaningful by submitting your online nominations by April 13.
Best,
Nicholas P. Jones
Executive Vice President/Vice President for Academic Affairs