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

Doctors from Simmons Cancer Institute at SIU will provide free cancer screenings from 9 a.m. – noon on Saturday, March 9, at Hillsboro Area Hospital, 1200 East Tremont. “Early detection of cancer is so important in treating the disease,” said Aziz Khan, MD, executive director of Simmons Cancer Institute and chief of hematology/oncology at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield. “We are very glad to partner with Hillsboro Area Hospital to offer a second year of free screenings for area residents.” The Montgomery County Cancer Association is sponsoring the free event. Skin cancer screenings, home

Doctors from Simmons Cancer Institute at SIU will provide free cancer screenings from 9 a.m. – noon on Saturday, March 9, at Hillsboro Area Hospital, 1200 East Tremont. “Early detection of cancer is so important in treating the disease,” said Aziz Khan, MD, executive director of Simmons Cancer Institute and chief of hematology/oncology at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield. “We are very glad to partner with Hillsboro Area Hospital to offer a second year of free screenings for area residents.” The Montgomery County Cancer Association is sponsoring the free event. Skin cancer screenings, home

Racial inequalities are pervasive within our systems of education, criminal justice and health care, said Dave McIntosh, PhD, and need to be recognized and addressed for America to achieve its promise. McIntosh delivered “Authentic and Critical Conversations on Race, Health and Patient Care” at the Third Annual Alonzo Homer Kenniebrew, MD, Presentation on Health Inequities and Disparities at the MCLI Tuesday, Feb. 12. McIntosh is the chief inclusion and diversity officer at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. During the program, Dr. Wendi El-Amin, associate dean for equity, diversity and