Elizabeth Collins, MD, MPH, '96 written by Rebecca Budde "The basic practice of medicine is the same no matter where you are," says Elizabeth Montgomery Collins, MD, MPH. That was the lesson she learned on her first overseas medical trip to Malawi, Africa as a third-year SIU medical student from Charleston and Centralia, Illinois. Since that first experience, she has cared for HIV-infected children and adults and also worked as a global health expert in many areas of the world, including Malawi, Peru, Romania, Moldova, the Dominican Republic, Russia, Nepal, Haiti, Botswana, Tanzania, Lesotho

Simmons Cancer Institute at SIU practices “the team approach” to cancer treatment. Our team – the surgeons, radiologists, oncologists, genetic counselors, therapists, nurses and medical staff – meet together to decide the best treatment plan when you or your family member receives a cancer diagnosis. When the patient leaves SCI after receiving a cancer diagnosis, it’s not with a list of appointments for other opinions about treatment. It’s with a treatment plan and the knowledge that their cancer care team is working for the best possible outcome. Information about each of the cancer care

SIU marks 35 years of using Standardized Patients in medical education Written by Lauren Murphy • Photography by Jason Johnson Aspects, 39-3 Summer 2016 Lisa Jones sits in the exam room clutching an oversized sweatshirt at her waist. Her tiny frame is swallowed by a baggy, brown T-shirt and shapeless, gray sweatpants. Her forearm is wrapped in a white bandage. She drops her head, letting her tangled blonde hair fall over her tear-stained face. Her husband takes a seat next to her. He looks as sad as he is frustrated. "You’ve got to tell her,” he pleads with his wife. "She can’t help you if you

SIU marks 35 years of using Standardized Patients in medical education Written by Lauren Murphy • Photography by Jason Johnson Aspects, 39-3 Summer 2016 Lisa Jones sits in the exam room clutching an oversized sweatshirt at her waist. Her tiny frame is swallowed by a baggy, brown T-shirt and shapeless, gray sweatpants. Her forearm is wrapped in a white bandage. She drops her head, letting her tangled blonde hair fall over her tear-stained face. Her husband takes a seat next to her. He looks as sad as he is frustrated. "You’ve got to tell her,” he pleads with his wife. "She can’t help you if you

SIU marks 35 years of using Standardized Patients in medical education Written by Lauren Murphy • Photography by Jason Johnson Aspects, 39-3 Summer 2016 Lisa Jones sits in the exam room clutching an oversized sweatshirt at her waist. Her tiny frame is swallowed by a baggy, brown T-shirt and shapeless, gray sweatpants. Her forearm is wrapped in a white bandage. She drops her head, letting her tangled blonde hair fall over her tear-stained face. Her husband takes a seat next to her. He looks as sad as he is frustrated. "You’ve got to tell her,” he pleads with his wife. "She can’t help you if you

SIU scientists use teamwork, experience, creativity to improve hearing Written by Steve Sandstrom • Photography by Jason Johnson Aspects Magazine, 39-3 Summer 2016 Hearing loss is the third most common health problem in the U.S and more than 25 million citizens between the ages of 20 and 69 have high frequency hearing loss due to exposure to noise, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In addition, roughly 50 million people in the U.S. experience chronic tinnitus ─ a persistent ringing in the ears. SIU School of Medicine has a reputation for its world-class hearing research

SIU audiologist Anna Bussing’s passion provides a better understanding of her patients Written by Rebecca Budde • Photography by Jason Johnson Aspects Magazine 39-3 Summer 2016 The year was 1903 in St. Louis, Missouri, and a little girl’s lie set in motion a series of events that affected many people. That little girl was Tootie, played by 9-year-old Anna Bussing in the Springfield Muni production of "Meet Me in St. Louis.” Though the 9-year-old Tootie doesn’t know all will be set right when she’s caught in the lie, the story does end happily. For Anna Bussing, an audiologist in the Department

Published in Aspects Magazine, Autumn 2016 | Vol. 39 No. 4 Fourteen-year-old Alyssa* is no ordinary teenager; she has dealt with more trauma in three years than many people will experience in a lifetime. At age 11, Alyssa lost her father after a long battle with cancer. Just a year later, she was sexually abused by her mother’s first love interest since losing her husband; and at 13, the young girl’s trauma was magnified when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She developed a fear of strangers and men, withdrew from her friends and experienced extreme anxiety. To help, Alyssa and her

Published in Aspects Magazine, Autumn 2016 | Vol. 39 No. 4 Fourteen-year-old Alyssa* is no ordinary teenager; she has dealt with more trauma in three years than many people will experience in a lifetime. At age 11, Alyssa lost her father after a long battle with cancer. Just a year later, she was sexually abused by her mother’s first love interest since losing her husband; and at 13, the young girl’s trauma was magnified when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She developed a fear of strangers and men, withdrew from her friends and experienced extreme anxiety. To help, Alyssa and her