SIU School of Medicine and Springfield Memorial Foundation are pleased to announce the creation of the Frank and Linda Vala Endowed Chair of Urology.

SIU School of Medicine and Springfield Memorial Foundation are pleased to announce the creation of the Frank and Linda Vala Endowed Chair of Urology.

On a sunny Saturday afternoon in May, seventy physicians and three graduate students from SIU School of Medicine received their diplomas at the school’s 47th annual commencement.

On a sunny Saturday afternoon in May, seventy physicians and three graduate students from SIU School of Medicine received their diplomas at the school’s 47th annual commencement.

Hailing from Divernon, Illinois, Jesse Britz is a pharmacology and neuroscience graduate student in the Department of Pharmacology. He has been the student representative of the Graduate Program Committee and chief coordinator of “Brain Awareness Week.”

Hailing from Divernon, Illinois, Jesse Britz is a pharmacology and neuroscience graduate student in the Department of Pharmacology. He has been the student representative of the Graduate Program Committee and chief coordinator of “Brain Awareness Week.”

Tiayrra Kirkwood - MEDPREP Class of 2021 Before enrolling in SIU’s post-baccalaureate preparatory program, Chicago Heights native Tiayrra Kirkwood was a caseworker for the State of Illinois. What did you want to be when you were young? Even as a child, I knew I wanted to be a physician. I had a Fisher-Price medical kit filled with Band-Aids, a thermometer, a blood pressure cuff, and even a stethoscope! I loved going around playing “doctor” with my friends and family. Tell us about your life prior to entering MEDPREP. I was a caseworker for the Illinois Department of Human Services, working 8

Tiayrra Kirkwood - MEDPREP Class of 2021 Before enrolling in SIU’s post-baccalaureate preparatory program, Chicago Heights native Tiayrra Kirkwood was a caseworker for the State of Illinois. What did you want to be when you were young? Even as a child, I knew I wanted to be a physician. I had a Fisher-Price medical kit filled with Band-Aids, a thermometer, a blood pressure cuff, and even a stethoscope! I loved going around playing “doctor” with my friends and family. Tell us about your life prior to entering MEDPREP. I was a caseworker for the Illinois Department of Human Services, working 8

Fifteen years ago, Randy Burnside, PhD, was in New Orleans with his wife, her family and a new 2-month-old son when Hurricane Katrina struck, pushing 8 feet of water into their home. He had just been hired to teach at SIU and was preparing to move to southern Illinois. This year, Burnside began a new job as director of MEDPREP just as the coronavirus was making inroads into the United States. He had traversed the Carbondale campus to get there, as an associate professor teaching public administration courses in SIU’s Department of Political Science. His research was focused on behavior

Fifteen years ago, Randy Burnside, PhD, was in New Orleans with his wife, her family and a new 2-month-old son when Hurricane Katrina struck, pushing 8 feet of water into their home. He had just been hired to teach at SIU and was preparing to move to southern Illinois. This year, Burnside began a new job as director of MEDPREP just as the coronavirus was making inroads into the United States. He had traversed the Carbondale campus to get there, as an associate professor teaching public administration courses in SIU’s Department of Political Science. His research was focused on behavior