A major gift to Southern Illinois University School of Medicine will transform the health care of people throughout Illinois and beyond. Dale and Deborah Smith recently donated a substantial financial gift to the Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders at SIU Medicine to expand research, enhance programming and improve care for people with Alzheimer’s disease and assist their caregivers. The center will now be named the Dale and Deborah Smith Center for Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment at SIU Medicine. The Dale and Deborah Smith Center for Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment at

A partial list of our notable accomplishments and innovations. SIU School of Medicine was the first institution to incorporate problem-based learning and standardized patients into its medical school curriculum. We were the first medical school in the U.S. to require a clinical competency examination before graduation. The exam is now a model for physician licensure throughout the country. The Professional Development Laboratory allows evaluation of students in standardized and real patient encounters in a precise replica of an exam room. It was the first such facility in the nation, providing

In 1968, the Illinois Board of Higher Education sparked the creation of something necessary and bold: Its members recommended that Southern Illinois University establish a medical school. Placing the clinical education programs of the new school in Springfield and basic science programs in Carbondale would make use of the educational resources already available on the downstate campus and the established health care networks in the State Capital. Primary care for downstate Illinois Under the direction of the founding dean, Dr. Richard H. Moy, SIU School of Medicine was established in 1970 with

Understanding the effects of racism and other inequities within the health care system is the focus of a lecture and forum on February 9 and 10 in Springfield. Dr. Joia Adele Crear-Perry, founder and president of the National Birth Equity Collaborative, will present the keynote address, “A New Legacy: Trust, Truth and Anti-racism in Medicine” via WebEx. It is scheduled to begin at 5 pm, Tuesday, February 9. The morning after Dr. Crear-Perry’s presentation, SIU School of Medicine will host a virtual forum starting at 9 am, Wednesday, February 10, via Zoom. Dr. Ann-Gel Palermo, senior associate

SIU Medicine will continue COVID-19 testing for the Springfield community in February. On Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, the testing operation will be hosted by Abundant Faith Christian Center located at 2525 Taylor Ave. Mondays: 9 – 11 a.m. and 1 – 4 p.m. Tuesdays: 9 – 11 a.m. and 1 – 4 p.m. Thursdays: 9 – 11 a.m. and 1 – 4 p.m. Fridays: 1 – 4 p.m. (at Abundant Faith Christian Center, 301 West Reynolds Campus) Additional testing is conducted on Fridays, hosted by other area congregations. February 5, 9 a.m. - noon at Monroe Street Christian Church, 1229 E. Monroe St. February 12, 9 a.m. -

Riluzole is an FDA-approved drug, currently used to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; Lou Gehrig's disease) and is currently in a Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (Clinical Trial #NCT01703117). The exact reason behind riluzole’s potential benefits on cognition in AD patients is unknown. One potential way may be through altering glutamate signaling in the brain, a neurotransmitter essential for learning and memory. A team of researchers at the Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders at SIU Medicine lead by Kevin N. Hascup, PhD, and

Tell me about your childhood, what’s your family like? Both of my parents are immigrants and hustlers. My parents grew up in India and immigrated to California and started their own business. I grew up watching them live out the American dream. They were always telling me as a kid that I could grow up to live out any dream I imagined. What made you decide to go into medicine? It’s funny because one of my friends recently told me that in sixth grade, our teacher asked us to write on the board what we wanted to be when we grow up. He said I wrote “doctor” on the board and he congratulated me by

Tell me about your childhood, what’s your family like? Both of my parents are immigrants and hustlers. My parents grew up in India and immigrated to California and started their own business. I grew up watching them live out the American dream. They were always telling me as a kid that I could grow up to live out any dream I imagined. What made you decide to go into medicine? It’s funny because one of my friends recently told me that in sixth grade, our teacher asked us to write on the board what we wanted to be when we grow up. He said I wrote “doctor” on the board and he congratulated me by

Tell me about your childhood, what’s your family like? Both of my parents are immigrants and hustlers. My parents grew up in India and immigrated to California and started their own business. I grew up watching them live out the American dream. They were always telling me as a kid that I could grow up to live out any dream I imagined. What made you decide to go into medicine? It’s funny because one of my friends recently told me that in sixth grade, our teacher asked us to write on the board what we wanted to be when we grow up. He said I wrote “doctor” on the board and he congratulated me by