Written By: Adam Reid, MD, FACS, Assistant Professor, Surgery, Bariatric Surgeon Happy New Year! 2020 is here and our Earth has initiated another journey around the Sun! Many of us may interpret the start of a new year as an opportunity to reflect, give thanks, dream, resolve conflict, set goals, and rejuvenate. Traditionally, resolutions have become part of our entrance into a new year. Resolutions are defined as “firm decisions to do or not do something”. According to Statista, four of the top five popular New Year’s resolutions for 2020 involve improving one’s health. These include eat

Family physicians in six Illinois communities are hosting students from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine throughout January. The students are participating in the school’s Family Medicine Preceptorship Program. The experience provides an opportunity for students to use their medical knowledge in a clinic 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 from medical school in May 2021, then pursue advanced training in a specific area of

SIU Medicine & University of Chicago partnering on National Institute on Drug Abuse Project

Applications for the 2020 summer lab internships at Simmons Cancer Institute (SCI) at Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine are being accepted through March 9. Four positions will be awarded on a competitive basis to qualified undergraduate college students who plan a career in medicine or research with a focus on cancer. Established in 2009, the paid internship program provides hands-on experience for college undergraduates. It is funded through Denim & Diamonds, the cancer institute’s annual gala to benefit cancer research, patient programs and needs of SCI’s patient

As part of our continuing mission to provide exceptional patient experience at SIU Medicine, and in tandem with our Forward Together colleague recognition program, we are sharing positive patient experience highlights. Our September 2019 Patient Experience Highlight comes from the Department of Emergency Medicine and the Department of Surgery, Colorectal Division for creating access and delivering fantastic patient care. Christopher McDowell, MD, saw a patient who was stable on Sept. 17. In collaboration with colorectal surgery, this patient was able to be seen by Prasad Poola, MD, the very

As part of our continuing mission to provide exceptional patient experience at SIU Medicine, and in tandem with our Forward Together colleague recognition program, we are sharing positive patient experience highlights. Our September 2019 Patient Experience Highlight comes from the Department of Emergency Medicine and the Department of Surgery, Colorectal Division for creating access and delivering fantastic patient care. Christopher McDowell, MD, saw a patient who was stable on Sept. 17. In collaboration with colorectal surgery, this patient was able to be seen by Prasad Poola, MD, the very

As part of our continuing mission to provide exceptional patient experience at SIU Medicine, and in tandem with our Forward Together colleague recognition program, we are sharing positive patient experience highlights. Our September 2019 Patient Experience Highlight comes from the Department of Emergency Medicine and the Department of Surgery, Colorectal Division for creating access and delivering fantastic patient care. Christopher McDowell, MD, saw a patient who was stable on Sept. 17. In collaboration with colorectal surgery, this patient was able to be seen by Prasad Poola, MD, the very

SIU Medicine’s December 2019 patient experience highlight recognizes Sandra Ettema, MD, Department of Otolaryngology. Informing patients and their families of a terminal illness is not something that most of us would think about daily. For our providers, that is a different story. Dr. Ettema received a card in the mail last month from a patient’s family. In the card was a letter describing the meaning of this patient to the family but most impressively, the gratitude and appreciation shown to Dr. Ettema for her kindness in the delivery of the news and explanation of the diagnosis of cancer

Project will address children’s knowledge about nutrition and nutrition-related diseases. Dec. 16, 2019, Springfield, IL – Southern Illinois University School of Medicine Department of Population Science and Policy (PSP), a nontraditional academic medical department aiming to understand and advance health, development and wellness in central and southern Illinois, is the recipient of a $45,000 “Healthy Kids Healthy Families” grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois. This grant will be used to fund Phase II of a project designed to understand and shape children’s knowledge about nutrition

Cheryl Roberts, BBA Office Support Specialist Department of Population Science and Policy Contact 217-545-8872 croberts58@siumed.edu Primary Responsibilities I am an office support specialist in the Department of Population Science & Policy. My primary responsibility is to provide administrative assistance for the PSP chair, faculty, principal investigators, and staff. About I joined PSP in 2019. I previously served as an office support specialist in the SIU Medicine Population Health Core Office of the Executive Director for four years, where I assisted staff and students with numerous