In November, Catina Latham (A.B. ’95) was announced as UChicago Medicine’s (UCM’s) new senior vice president for community health transformation and chief equity officer. The role bridges the gap between the health services the hospital offers and the community members it serves.
After graduating from the College with an anthropology degree, Latham worked at a senior center in Nashville, providing care to patients struggling due to poor healthcare policy.
Latham said she learned that a new policy stated that beneficiaries in Tennessee had to receive care through managed care plans, which meant that, if their providers were not contracted with those plans, they could no longer see them.
“I remember thinking, ‘How did they roll this out? How could it have been improved?’ Because I saw the patient side of it,” Latham said. “That was my introduction into health policy.”
Because Latham saw how the policies were negatively affecting individual patients, she had a unique perspective on what could be improved and how. According to Latham, that was the moment she decided she wanted to make a difference in health policy.
Before coming to UCM, Latham worked on healthcare policy at the Government Accountability Office as an assistant director and spent time as the deputy director of new initiatives and quality management for the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. Latham had previously worked at UCM as executive director of community benefit programs and evaluation in 2017 before she was invited back to UCM to begin her new role in 2025. According to Latham, the nationwide search to fill the position was extensive.
“I appreciated [the thoroughness of the search] because it allowed me to think about all aspects of the job and to reflect on my experiences and what I would need to bring to the table,” Latham said. “It allowed me to think about areas for next steps, in terms of what I would do if I had the role.”
Brenda Battle, who had held the role since 2012, led the search.
“Catina brings considerable strengths to this critical leadership and community-facing position,” Battle said. “That includes her experience in public health policy evaluation, data-driven strategies, and community collaboration and partnerships—factors that have contributed to the growth of UChicago Medicine’s community health initiatives.”
According to the UCM website, these initiatives include supporting holistic recovery by treating more than physical wounds in UCM’s trauma centers, connecting residents to care and resources, preparing high school and college students for pursuing careers in medicine, and promoting healthier communities by targeting health priorities and disparities among South Side residents.
Latham added that she is excited to begin working in her new position, particularly since she will be working closely with the community surrounding the University.
“It’s an awesome opportunity where you are allowed to be in the community, communicating the messages of promoting health, [and] you also are in the community hearing the voices and concerns to then go back and share with the hospitals to help improve the care,” Latham said. “You’re the community arm, and you’re also the community voice, too.”
As Latham steps into her new position, she hopes to build on the “phenomenal” foundation that her predecessor has left behind.
“As I embark on this, I’m excited that there’s this position that has this intersection for me of the things that I enjoy doing,” Latham said. “It’s in a community that I not only love, but I live in, and I’m a part of. It’s just a great next step.”