Ann Patla
Member of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs,
University of Illinois at Chicago

Having already earned a master’s degree in interdisciplinary business administration and Public Administration from Roosevelt University in Chicago, and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from DePaul University, Patla is currently working at the dissertation level on a Ph.D. in Public Policy Analysis at the University of Illinois. She has spent more than 25 years in the field of social sciences and health care. Patla served as co-founder of SPS, a consulting firm specializing in health care and social services, and was appointed in 1995 by then Gov. Jim Edgar to serve as director of the Illinois Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities. Prior to joining the University of Illinois at Chicago,  Patla was appointed by Gov. George Ryan as director of the Illinois Department of Public Aid. Her current objective at the University of Illinois at Chicago is to establish the UIC health sciences colleges and the medical center as the think-tank and laboratory for state and other public policy makers.