SPH Alum Crissy Turino Honored with UIC Rising Star Leadership Award
Crissy Turino
Crissy Turino, MPH ’16, has been named a recipient of the University of Illinois Chicago’s prestigious Rising Star Leadership Award, recognizing her exceptional leadership, dedication to public health, and commitment to advancing equity in healthcare.
The Rising Star Leadership Awards celebrate UIC alumni who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and made meaningful contributions within their professions or communities on local, national, or global levels. Turino’s work exemplifies the values and mission of UIC’s School of Public Health and serves as an inspiring model for future leaders.
Turino began her career in public health at Champaign County Healthcare Consumers–leading a nonprofit health hotline that helped clients access health care and social services – before the Affordable Care Act. These early experiences helping underserved individuals navigate an often complex healthcare system sparked her passion in public health.
“I loved that work and really loved working directly with people,” Turino shared. “But I wanted to work on systems-level access and population health work, which is what really inspired me to pursue my MPH.”
Turino’s path led her to UIC’s School of Public Health, where she earned her Master of Public Health in Community Health Sciences with a concentration in Maternal and Child Health. But Turino wasn’t done there. One semester into her MPH, she also began pursuing an MBA. She wanted not only to be able to improve health outcomes and equity but also understand how to finance those programs. She credits her time at UIC with helping her build a strong foundation in community-based public health, which has shaped her current work.
“At UIC, I was challenged to think critically about public health systems and encouraged to better understand an individual’s experience at the community level to develop solutions,” she said. “Those experiences were formative and continue to influence the way I lead and approach my work today.”
Following graduation, Turino worked in the Chicago Public Schools Office of Student Health and Wellness. In this role, she helped schools set up sites for students and families to apply for Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Part 2
As her involvement in the public health field grew, so too did her impact. Turino began a series of roles at CountyCare Health Plan–a Medicaid managed care health plan and a piece Cook County Health’s broad health ecosystem which includes hospitals, ambulatory clinics, and the Cook County Department of Public Health. CountyCare, a 4-star health plan from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, covers more than 400,000 Cook County residents. Turino helped to launch a food and nutrition program that has served over 76,000 individuals in need of emergency meals, dieticians, or medically tailored meals. She also grew CountyCare’s services in the areas of housing and non-emergency medical transportation.
“I feel very proud to be part of a larger public health system that’s mission is to provide care for people regardless of their ability to pay,” emphasized Turino. “We are dedicated to being here for the community and being the safety net in Cook County to support people.”
In her current role as CountyCare’s Interim COO and Chief Plan Officer at CountyCare, Turino is committed to protecting the Medicaid program in the face of looming cuts this year. Additionally, the organization’s services will continue to grow and support individuals across their life course, including two new housing programs and an extension of the 1115 behavioral health transformation waiver set to launch in the coming year that will expand housing, food, and pre-release services in Illinois.
“There’s so much amazing work that’s happening in local communities, at the city level, at the county level, and at the state level that individuals can look to,” Turino advised. “My career has been in government, and there’s the opportunity to make significant improvements in people’s lives.”
As a Rising Star awardee, Turino is celebrated not only for her achievements, but also for the example she sets as a committed, industrious, and forward-thinking public health leader.
“I’m supremely honored to receive this award and be nominated by several individuals at my organization,” she said. “It’s a reflection not just of my work, but of the people and communities I’ve had the privilege to work alongside.”
Crissy Turino’s recognition as a Rising Star underscores the power of passionate leadership rooted in equity and collaboration—a reminder that work aligned with your values will always drive you to do better and make meaningful change.