Dr. Ruchika Goel is the inaugural recipient of the O.H. Wesly Endowed Chair of Excellence in Hematologic Disorders. The investiture ceremony on August 26 honored both Goel’s remarkable career as a physician-scientist and the enduring legacy of Dr. Wesly, whose generosity made the endowment possible.

Jeffrey Parrilla-Carrero , PhD knows the face of addiction. As a boy in Puerto Rico, he watched his father battle alcohol use disorder, cycling through attempts to quit that ended in disappointment. The struggle left questions that never stopped tugging at him. Those questions would one day guide Parrilla-Carrero from an aspiring engineer to a neuroscientist — and ultimately, to SIU School of Medicine. Watching his father try and fail to stop drinking sparked young Jeffrey’s curiosity. “At first I thought it was a lack of willpower,” he said. “But I came to understand that addiction is a

Jeffrey Parrilla-Carrero , PhD knows the face of addiction. As a boy in Puerto Rico, he watched his father battle alcohol use disorder, cycling through attempts to quit that ended in disappointment. The struggle left questions that never stopped tugging at him. Those questions would one day guide Parrilla-Carrero from an aspiring engineer to a neuroscientist — and ultimately, to SIU School of Medicine. Watching his father try and fail to stop drinking sparked young Jeffrey’s curiosity. “At first I thought it was a lack of willpower,” he said. “But I came to understand that addiction is a

Jeffrey Parrilla-Carrero , PhD knows the face of addiction. As a boy in Puerto Rico, he watched his father battle alcohol use disorder, cycling through attempts to quit that ended in disappointment. The struggle left questions that never stopped tugging at him. Those questions would one day guide Parrilla-Carrero from an aspiring engineer to a neuroscientist — and ultimately, to SIU School of Medicine. Watching his father try and fail to stop drinking sparked young Jeffrey’s curiosity. “At first I thought it was a lack of willpower,” he said. “But I came to understand that addiction is a

Jeffrey Parrilla-Carrero , PhD knows the face of addiction. As a boy in Puerto Rico, he watched his father battle alcohol use disorder, cycling through attempts to quit that ended in disappointment. The struggle left questions that never stopped tugging at him. Those questions would one day guide Parrilla-Carrero from an aspiring engineer to a neuroscientist — and ultimately, to SIU School of Medicine. Watching his father try and fail to stop drinking sparked young Jeffrey’s curiosity. “At first I thought it was a lack of willpower,” he said. “But I came to understand that addiction is a

Jeffrey Parrilla-Carrero , PhD knows the face of addiction. As a boy in Puerto Rico, he watched his father battle alcohol use disorder, cycling through attempts to quit that ended in disappointment. The struggle left questions that never stopped tugging at him. Those questions would one day guide Parrilla-Carrero from an aspiring engineer to a neuroscientist — and ultimately, to SIU School of Medicine. Watching his father try and fail to stop drinking sparked young Jeffrey’s curiosity. “At first I thought it was a lack of willpower,” he said. “But I came to understand that addiction is a

2025 Spring Research Seed Grants launch projects on rheumatoid arthritis and balance disorders. Two early-stage research projects at SIU School of Medicine are taking on complex, chronic diseases that affect millions, with the help of focused funding designed to plant the seeds of future discovery. The Spring 2025 Research Seed Grants, awarded by the associate dean for research , support SIU School of Medicine faculty in generating data that could lead to larger, external grants. This year’s recipients are Brandon Cox , PhD, professor and director of the Multidisciplinary Biomedical &

2025 Spring Research Seed Grants launch projects on rheumatoid arthritis and balance disorders. Two early-stage research projects at SIU School of Medicine are taking on complex, chronic diseases that affect millions, with the help of focused funding designed to plant the seeds of future discovery. The Spring 2025 Research Seed Grants, awarded by the associate dean for research , support SIU School of Medicine faculty in generating data that could lead to larger, external grants. This year’s recipients are Brandon Cox , PhD, professor and director of the Multidisciplinary Biomedical &

2025 Spring Research Seed Grants launch projects on rheumatoid arthritis and balance disorders. Two early-stage research projects at SIU School of Medicine are taking on complex, chronic diseases that affect millions, with the help of focused funding designed to plant the seeds of future discovery. The Spring 2025 Research Seed Grants, awarded by the associate dean for research , support SIU School of Medicine faculty in generating data that could lead to larger, external grants. This year’s recipients are Brandon Cox , PhD, professor and director of the Multidisciplinary Biomedical &