Dr. Clasina Leslie Smith , director of integrative medicine and culinary medicine, answers some questions about SIU's new Integrative Medicine Clinic. What is integrative medicine? The term “integrative medicine” gets thrown around a lot, and it is often unclear what it means exactly. It is easiest to understand it in the context of two other terms: “alternative medicine” and “complementary medicine.” “Alternative medicine” is a term that means that someone has chosen to use therapies that are outside the scope of biomedical medicine, often as an alternative to or instead of “regular,” western

Two-day event in Springfield aimed to create blueprint to improve rural health Springfield, Ill. –SIU School of Medicine Department of Population Science and Policy, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, UIC School of Public Health, SIU School of Medicine Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development and the Illinois Department of Public Health hosted an influential group of rural health experts and stakeholders at the 2018 Illinois Rural Health Summit in Springfield, Illinois on August 6-7. The two-day event gathered information and inspiration to begin drafting and executing a

The 2018 Illinois Rural Health Summit, sponsored by SIU School of Medicine Department of Population Science and Policy, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, UIC School of Public Health, SIU School of Medicine Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development and the Illinois Department of Public Health, convened an influential group of rural health experts and stakeholders in Springfield on August 6-7, 2018. The two-day event gathered information and inspiration to begin drafting and executing a blueprint to improve the health of residents in rural Illinois. “Our mission at SIU Medicine’s

Report: COVID-19 Widens Disparities in Rural Illinois, Recommends Rural Health Improvements Illinois Rural Health Summit Organizers Convened Discussion Forums, Authored Report March 30, 2021 (Springfield, IL) - A new report released by Southern Illinois University (SIU) Medicine Department of Population Science and Policy, SIU Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health, and the SIU Medicine Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development found that the pandemic has negatively impacted preexisting health disparities in rural Illinois as

The Regional Cancer Partnership of Illinois will distribute free colorectal cancer home screening test kits on several dates and locations during March, Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, to raise awareness about colorectal cancer. FIT kits, or Fecal Immunochemical Tests are a test kit requiring one specimen, compared to fecal occult blood tests which require three on three separate days. FIT kits do not substitute for a colonoscopy, which is the best method to detect colorectal cancer. The test kits can detect the presence of blood, which can be an indicator of several different medical

The Regional Cancer Partnership of Illinois will distribute free colorectal cancer home screening test kits on several dates and locations during March, Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, to raise awareness about colorectal cancer. FIT kits, or Fecal Immunochemical Tests are a test kit requiring one specimen, compared to fecal occult blood tests which require three on three separate days. FIT kits do not substitute for a colonoscopy, which is the best method to detect colorectal cancer. The test kits can detect the presence of blood, which can be an indicator of several different medical

I endowed the Jim Franklin Todd and Keiko Uehara Todd fund to support the Department of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion because my parents’ stories are powerful reminders to me of what can be achieved when Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are hardwired into institutional culture. My father’s story unfolds through the names of his grandfather, Jefferson Davis Todd, and his father, Franklin Pierce Todd. My father’s family came from the county in Kentucky where Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy, was born. His grandfather’s name tells you what side of the Civil War his family

SIU surgeon John Mellinger, MD, FACS, is the 2019 recipient of the SAGES Foundation’s Ponsky Master Educator in Endoscopy Award. The Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) will present Mellinger with the award at the 13 th Annual SAGES Foundation Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, April 3, 2019 during the organizations' meeting in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ponsky Master Educator in Endoscopy Award was established in 2009 by Dr. Jeffrey Ponsky to recognize a distinguished SAGES leader who exemplifies a pioneering leadership spirit and a strong dedication to surgical

SIU surgeon John Mellinger, MD, FACS, is the 2019 recipient of the SAGES Foundation’s Ponsky Master Educator in Endoscopy Award. The Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) will present Mellinger with the award at the 13 th Annual SAGES Foundation Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, April 3, 2019 during the organizations' meeting in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ponsky Master Educator in Endoscopy Award was established in 2009 by Dr. Jeffrey Ponsky to recognize a distinguished SAGES leader who exemplifies a pioneering leadership spirit and a strong dedication to surgical

An experienced medical team on your side can make a difference in your health. That’s why a multi-faceted approach is the foundation of what we do at SIU Medicine. SIU Medicine is the clinical practice of SIU School of Medicine – which means it’s an academic medicine environment, where education and health care combine. Pioneering research meets compassionate care With academic medicine, your care is tailored to you. It’s shaped by the insights of medical students and teachers whose mission is to improve your health while simultaneously advancing medical research. This balance of empathy and