JUNE 9, 2020 – SPRINGFIELD - Sheltering at home has created problems among some of Springfield’s more vulnerable residents and families who are struggling to maintain their physical and mental health during the pandemic. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) and SIU School of Medicine have established a new Pandemic Health Worker Program to support the specific needs of these individuals during the COVID-19 outbreak. The new program is designed to remove barriers affecting health and well-being, and improve access to social services for those at risk. Pandemic Health

Police brutality illuminates a dark history in our society. There is no single universally agreed upon definition or guideline for when to use force. However, we know it when we see it. Police brutality was clearly on display when adults, children and our community witnessed George screaming he couldn’t breathe, crying out for his mother, and passing away as a knee was placed on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. We saw a profound, inconceivable tragedy. As physicians, we take a Hippocratic Oath. Witnessing this brutality without taking action violates our oath. Our collective response

In May, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine held a historic commencement recognition for the medical student graduates of the Class of 2020. The ceremony was full of milestones. It was the school’s first virtual graduation due to COVID-19 safety protocols, coming in the school’s 50 th anniversary year, in which SIU bestowed its 3,000th medical degree upon a new physician. The global pandemic reminds us of the essential need for knowledgeable, well-trained physicians, who learn for a lifetime and readily adapt to change. A glimpse at our history shows how our graduates have

Congratulations to the winners of SIU School of Medicine's 2021 Pharmacology Award winners. The awards honor students and researchers for their excellence in academics, research and leadership in the laboratory. The 2021 recipients are: Paul Cacioppo , MS3 - Satu Somani Pharmacology Memorial Award Nhung Le - Hemal Vakharia Memorial Award Chris Chambers, PhD - Barbara Armour and Marcus Randall Memorial Award Some background on the trio of awards: Dr. Satu Somani was one of the three original faculty members of the SIU School of Medicine Department of Pharmacology and a dedicated scientist

On April 6, 2020, my message to SIU Medicine employees focused on racial inequities in the delivery of health care, racial disparities in health care outcomes, and the overt and implicit systemic racism that lies at the root of these inequities and disparities for African Americans. On that day, using concepts articulated by Anthony Fauci, I wrote: “[The COVID-19 pandemic] has shined a light brightly and directly on America’s greatest shame – the inequities that African Americans have suffered and endured for centuries... Inequities have always existed for African Americans. Over four

On April 6, 2020, my message to SIU Medicine employees focused on racial inequities in the delivery of health care, racial disparities in health care outcomes, and the overt and implicit systemic racism that lies at the root of these inequities and disparities for African Americans. On that day, using concepts articulated by Anthony Fauci, I wrote: “[The COVID-19 pandemic] has shined a light brightly and directly on America’s greatest shame – the inequities that African Americans have suffered and endured for centuries... Inequities have always existed for African Americans. Over four

SIU Medicine chair of pediatrics Doug Carlson, MD, was recently named to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Task Force on Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) Associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) to help investigate the prevalence of this new syndrome in patients under age 21 in Illinois. Currently, IDPH is reporting cases of MIS-C in Chicago only, and Dr. Carlson says this syndrome is rare. “Right now, we only have a few cases in the state, but we want parents to watch for symptoms of prolonged fever, lethargy, or belly pain, and to call your

Tori Stierwalt, BS Research Project Specialist Department of Population Science and Policy Contact 217-545-4914 tstierwalt75@siumed.edu Primary Responsibilities My primary responsibility for the Department of Population Science and Policy is to assist in research and community engagement aimed at improving health outcomes in central and southern Illinois. About Born in the heart of Illini country, I developed a passion for rural healthcare. I received my bachelor’s degree in biomedical science from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (SIUC) in May 2019. While attending SIUC, I led the

Pharmacology Memorial Awards Ceremony 2020 May 19, 2020 Dr. Satu Somani was one of the three original faculty members of the SIU School of Medicine Department of Pharmacology and a dedicated scientist/educator. He loved teaching, often asking for more time to teach additional material he felt was important to the student’s medical education. Dr. Somani passed in 2002, and to honor his memory, a fund was established to provide a monetary award annually to an outstanding student of Medical Pharmacology. The ten students who achieved the top scores on the Year 2 Pharmacology exam compete for the

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