CPASS Foundation STEMM Excellence Showcase

Welcome to our STEMM Excellence Showcase, where we shine a spotlight on excellence and achievement! Here, we celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of our STEMM leaders and scholars and honor their dedication, passion, and commitment to excellence. Get ready to be inspired by stories of perseverance, innovation, and success as we showcase the best and brightest among us.

Mr. John Bradley
2019 Inaugural Winner of the CPASS Foundation
John Bradley STEM Award for Inspirational Leadership

In 2019, CPASS Foundation honored Mr. John Bradley for his inspirational leadership in increasing the number of students of color in STEM with the Inaugural John Bradley Award for Inspirational Leadership..

John earned his undergraduate degree in 1960 from North Central College and later a master’s degree in urban education at Harvard. By the time he arrived at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), he had worked at Kennedy-King College and the University of Chicago and he had a skill level from inside and outside of the classroom that allowed him to carry out his life’s work in civil rights.

Since 1979, John Bradley had been one of the directors of the Chicago Area Health and Medical Careers Program™ (CAHMCP, pronounced “Champs”) at the IIT. The CAHMCP, a State of Illinois-sponsored consortium of Chicago-area medical and dental schools, IIT, and several health-focused community groups, worked as a pipeline program to identify and recruit underrepresented minorities into the health professions. The program has introduced thousands of minority students to careers in medicine, dentistry, and other health professions

While there are a number of diversity programs centered on advanced STEM initiatives at colleges and universities throughout the country, CAHMCP was unique because of its combination of program longevity, its healthcare focus, its affiliation over the years with multiple institutions, and the scale of its impact. Over the course of its nearly 40-year history, John has recruited participants as early as elementary school and advised them until they were established in their careers. With its combination of personalized mentoring, classroom teaching, and community healthcare engagement, CAHMCP has succeeded in identifying the needs of the community and its young people. Beyond helping students enhance their academic profile over time, John helped youth develop as community leaders. Giving back to the community has been a core principle of the program, so as they are matured, CAHMCP alumni have given back to the program as well as influencing broader healthcare and medical education initiatives.

John is a passionate and compassionate, determined and soft-hearted individual. His boundless energy for caring for his students is endless. Because of that, we will honor him not only with the inaugural award but to name it after him going forward.

2024 John Bradley STEM Award
for Inspirational Leadership

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