The Creating Pathways and Access for Student Success™ Foundation (CPASS) proudly celebrates Dr. William A. McDade, distinguished physician, national leader in medical education, and treasured member of the CPASS Board of Directors, on being named the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient by the Institute of Medicine of Chicago (IOMC). The award will be presented at the 2026 IOMC Annual Leadership Awards & Annual Meeting on June 25, 2026 in Chicago.
IOMC provides an independent, neutral forum for the Chicago region’s health leaders to convene, collaborate, and contribute to the health of Chicago, counties, and the State of Illinois community. This mission aligns powerfully with CPASS. Like the IOMC, CPASS is committed to improving health outcomes by strengthening the systems, pathways, and leadership pipelines that shape the future healthcare workforce. CPASS advances this work by preparing students from historically under-resourced communities for success in STEMM and health careers, expanding opportunity, and helping build a more diverse, prepared, and equity-centered healthcare system.
For CPASS, this recognition is especially meaningful. Dr. McDade is not only a nationally respected leader; he is also an alumnus of the Chicago Area Health and Medical Careers Program™ (CAHCMP), the very program whose legacy CPASS proudly continues today. His life’s work reflects the enduring power of early exposure, mentorship, academic preparation, and community investment in shaping the next generation of physicians, scientists, and health leaders.
The CPASS Board of Directors and staff were proud to nominate Dr. McDade for this extraordinary honor. His nomination was grounded in what so many already know to be true: Dr. McDade represents the highest ideals of leadership in medicine. He has opened doors, challenged systems to do better, mentored emerging leaders, and consistently used his platform to advance equity, excellence, and accountability across the healthcare and medical education landscape.
His service to CPASS carries full-circle significance. As a CAHMCP alumnus, he gives back to the very pipeline that helped inspire his journey into medicine. As a CPASS board member, he invests his wisdom, influence, and leadership in ensuring that today’s students have access to the same kind of encouragement, preparation, and belief that helped shape his own path.
Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, Chair of the CPASS Board of Directors, reflected on both the professional significance of this honor and the deep personal bond he shares with Dr. McDade:
“William McDade is the embodiment of what CAHMCP and CPASS were created to make possible. He has lived a life of excellence, service, and leadership, and he has never forgotten the pathway that helped prepare him for that journey. I am especially proud of this recognition because Bill is not only my colleague and fellow physician — he is my brother in every meaningful sense of the word. I initially met Bill when I was a CAHMCP high school student who was in my junior year and he was a first year medical student at the University of Chicago Pritzker; we later were medical school roommates. To see him honored in this way is deeply personal and profoundly deserved. CPASS is proud to have nominated him, and we are even prouder to celebrate the legacy he continues to build.”
Dr. McDade’s recognition is more than an individual achievement. It is a testament to the lasting impact of intentional pipeline programs, the power of mentorship, and the importance of creating pathways for talented students who may otherwise never see the full range of possibilities available to them in medicine and STEMM.
As CPASS continues its mission to build a more diverse, prepared, and equitable healthcare workforce, Dr. McDade’s example stands as both inspiration and charge. His career reminds us that access matters. Representation matters. Mentorship matters. And when students are given the tools, exposure, and support to thrive, they can go on to transform institutions, professions, and lives.
On behalf of the CPASS Board of Directors, staff, scholars, alumni, and extended community, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to Dr. William A. McDade on this extraordinary and well-deserved honor. His achievement is a proud moment for CPASS, for the CAHMCP legacy, and for all who believe in the promise of pathways that change lives.