Eric E. Whitaker, MD, MPH

Dr. Eric E. Whitaker is a nationally recognized physician, public health leader, healthcare entrepreneur, and champion for expanding educational and career opportunities for young people. As founder and board chair of the CPASS Foundation, he leads the organization’s commitment to preparing students from all backgrounds—including those from historically underrepresented and under-resourced communities—to pursue and persist in STEMM and health careers.

Dr. Whitaker’s vision for CPASS is deeply personal. While attending high school on Chicago’s Southwest Side, he participated in the Chicago Area Health and Medical Careers Program™ (CAHMCP) at the Illinois Institute of Technology. The program introduced him to medicine and helped place him on a path toward a distinguished career in healthcare and public service. Decades later, he established the CPASS Foundation to build upon that legacy and ensure that a new generation of Scholars receives meaningful academic preparation, hands-on learning, mentorship, leadership development, and exposure to the many careers available across STEMM and the health professions.

A physician-entrepreneur, Dr. Whitaker is the founder and chairman of Zing Health, Inc., a technology-enabled Medicare Advantage health insurer focused on serving seniors whose needs have historically been underserved by the healthcare system. He previously co-founded Symphonix Health Holdings, LLC, a Medicare Part D insurance company acquired by UnitedHealth Group in 2016. He was also a co-founder and founding chairman of NextLevel Health, an Illinois-based Medicaid managed care organization later acquired by Centene Corporation.

Dr. Whitaker’s career also includes extensive leadership in public health, academic medicine, and community-based healthcare. He served as director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, overseeing a statewide agency with a $450 million budget, more than 1,200 employees, three laboratories, and seven regional offices. During his tenure, he made eliminating health disparities a central priority for Illinois residents. He later served as executive vice president for strategic affiliations and associate dean for community-based research at the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he led the Urban Health Initiative and worked to develop solutions to improve health outcomes on Chicago’s South Side and in urban communities nationwide.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Whitaker served as a senior attending physician at Cook County Hospital and founded Project Brotherhood, an award-winning community health initiative designed to improve health outcomes among Black men. As national president of the American Medical Student Association, he represented approximately 30,000 medical students and testified before Congress on national health insurance and minority health issues.

Dr. Whitaker earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Grinnell College, a Master of Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health, and a medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He trained in primary care internal medicine and preventive medicine/public health and is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health. He is also a fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago. His professional and civic leadership includes service with the Commercial Club of Chicago and the Business Leadership Council, as well as membership on the boards of Grinnell College and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Through the CPASS Foundation, Dr. Whitaker continues to invest in the promise of young people—creating the access, relationships, and opportunities that can transform an early interest in STEMM into a lifetime of achievement, service, and leadership.

“Until CAHMPS, I was not supported in my dream of becoming a doctor. It was an eye-opening experience to be with students of color who all valued education.”