written by Steve Sandstrom and Karen Carlson In the days following the presidential election, racial tensions soared. Hate crimes and racist comments and actions flooded social media. Although few surfaced at SIU School of Medicine, Sacharita Bowers, MD, was troubled. “I wondered if I was the only one who was concerned. Did anybody feel like I did?” Dr. Bowers, an assistant professor in internal medicine, talked with Dean and Provost Dr. Jerry Kruse about her concerns. He listened intently and saw it as an opportunity to continue discussions of diversity, race and inclusion that have soaked

written by Steve Sandstrom The minister fixed his gaze on the Sunday morning congregation. In a firm baritone, he said, “In the old days, mapmakers would sometimes mark the margins outside of the known areas with the statement, ‘Beyond this, there be monsters.’” He stepped from behind the pulpit. “What they were trying to say is, ‘We only know so much. And you should only go as far as we know. So stay within the boundaries.’” “But sometimes we do things that are dangerous, and there are problems that threaten our daily life,” he said, pacing across the stage as he spoke. “So you’ve got to have

written by Karen Carlson Last fall, Termaine Brewer wasn’t sure she would be able to give her four kids a good Christmas. Termaine, 24, lives in Springfield with her sister, Tammy, in Enos Park. Both single mothers, they have a full house with Termaine’s four children and Tammy’s three. The house had only two beds and no other furniture. The children needed clothes. Filling the stockings with presents and the children’s stomachs with Christmas dinner was going to be a challenge. Tammy works at Help at Home; Termaine is looking for work. A few weeks before the holidays, Termaine was dropping

The SIU Center for Maternal-Fetal Medicine is dedicated to providing the highest quality of care to women in central Illinois who face complicated or high-risk pregnancies. This type of pregnancy can include diabetes, preeclampsia, pre-term labor, fetal growth problems, suspected fetal anomalies, multifetal gestations, as well as other, less common conditions. The SIU Center for Maternal-Fetal Medicine provides services that span preconceptional risk assessment and counseling, care during pregnancy and postpartum follow up. Using an integrated care approach, the Division provides patients with

Family physicians in a pair of Illinois communities are hosting students from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine April 14 – May 12. The students are participating in the School’s Family Medicine Preceptorship Program. [Editor: See the list below for the student or physician from your community.] The experience provides an opportunity for students to use their medical knowledge in an office setting under the supervision of an experienced physician. The students choose from more than 160 family practice physicians in Illinois for their preceptorship experience. They will graduate

Family physicians in a pair of Illinois communities are hosting students from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine April 14 – May 12. The students are participating in the School’s Family Medicine Preceptorship Program. [Editor: See the list below for the student or physician from your community.] The experience provides an opportunity for students to use their medical knowledge in an office setting under the supervision of an experienced physician. The students choose from more than 160 family practice physicians in Illinois for their preceptorship experience. They will graduate

April 12, 2017 – Cells that typically grow in the lining of the uterus can emerge in other places in the abdominal cavity where they don’t belong, resulting in severe pain and infertility. The condition, called endometriosis, affects nearly 200 ,000 women annually in the U.S. A new study by Southern Illinois University Medicine scientist Andrea Braundmeier-Fleming, PhD, could lead to an earlier diagnosis and new treatments for the disease. Dr. Braundmeier-Fleming has been awarded a $12,500 grant from the Endometriosis Foundation of America to help develop an analysis method that uses the

April 12, 2017 – Cells that typically grow in the lining of the uterus can emerge in other places in the abdominal cavity where they don’t belong, resulting in severe pain and infertility. The condition, called endometriosis, affects nearly 200 ,000 women annually in the U.S. A new study by Southern Illinois University Medicine scientist Andrea Braundmeier-Fleming, PhD, could lead to an earlier diagnosis and new treatments for the disease. Dr. Braundmeier-Fleming has been awarded a $12,500 grant from the Endometriosis Foundation of America to help develop an analysis method that uses the