Search Site close Close
News

SIU Medicine to Hold 44th Commencement

Published Date:
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine will hold its 44th commencement at noon on Saturday, May 19, in the Sangamon Auditorium at University of Illinois Springfield. Seventy-two physicians and one graduate student will receive degrees.
 
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) will deliver the keynote address. Durbin previously spoke at the 1995 commencement as a congressman, when he represented the 20th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives. He also was a volunteer professor of medical humanities at SIU School of Medicine from 1986-97. Following the keynote address, numerous honors will be presented.
 
Paul Checchia, MD, class of 1993, will receive the 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award, which recognizes alumni for their outstanding contributions to medicine and distinguished service to humankind. Checchia is professor of pediatric critical care medicine and pediatric cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine and medical director of the Pediatric Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at Texas Children's Hospital.
 
Janet Albers, MD, professor and chair of SIU Department of Family and Community Medicine, will receive the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. A faculty member and a student will receive the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award.
 
The new SIU physicians will begin residency training in their chosen specialty fields in July.
 
SIU Medicine’s mission is to assist the people of central and southern Illinois in meeting their health care needs through education, patient care, research and service to the community. Established in 1970, the medical school is based in Carbondale and Springfield and is specifically oriented to educating new physicians prepared to practice in Illinois communities. Since 1975, 2,820 physicians, plus the 2018 graduates, have earned SIU medical degrees.
 
###
 
Note to media: To arrange coverage of the event or schedule interviews, contact Steve Sandstrom, 217-545-5616. To secure an interview with Sen. Durbin the day of commencement, please arrive by 11:15 a.m. and contact Sandstrom’s mobile, 217-741-3240.

More from SIU News

801

SIU Medicine launches national search for next dean, provost and CEO

Southern Illinois University Medicine has launched a national search for its next dean, provost and CEO. The search will be conducted in partnership with Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm specializing in academic medicine and higher education leadership.
Ginger Meyer and Allison Jackson

Ginger Meyer honored for leadership in trauma recovery

Ginger Meyer has spent more than twenty years helping children and families in southern Illinois heal from trauma, and her steady leadership recently earned national recognition from the Academy on Violence and Abuse. As clinical director of SIU School of Medicine’s Children’s Medical and Mental Health Resource Network, she has expanded access to trauma-informed care across rural communities, supported partners who serve children affected by abuse and violence, and trained hundreds of graduate students in evidence-based treatment. Her service with AVA strengthened national efforts to integrate trauma-informed practices into health care, and colleagues praise her ability to unite teams, guide change and keep families at the center of the work. Through her leadership, more children across central and southern Illinois can find safety, support and hope close to home.
Moy Clinic Building in winter

AFSCME, SIU School of Medicine ink 3-year agreement

SIU School of Medicine and AFSCME Local 370 have finalized and ratified a new collective bargaining agreement, effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028. The union represents more than 800 school employees across its campuses.