Combined Drug Therapies May Prevent Need for Surgery A new clinical trial for bladder cancer has opened exclusively at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield. The trial will combine the current use of drug therapy placed inside the bladder with a new, intravenous drug that increases the response of the immune system. The study will determine if the combination of the two drugs is safe and potentially be more effective at eliminating the cancer cells. The new drug, pembrolizumab, may fight the disease and prevent the need for surgery. Dr. Shaheen Alanee, assistant

Dale Buck Hales, Ph.D., finds a new home at SIU School of Medicine Written by Karen Carlson | Photographs by Jim Hawker Published in Aspects. Autumn 2008 (32-4) Dale Buck Hales, Ph.D., stood amid the towering grandeur of Giant City State Park and was in awe. The park was the first stop during his visit to Carbondale to interview for the position of chair of physiology at SIU School of Medicine. Dr. Hales was ready to hit the SIU campus, but former chairman Rick Steger, Ph,D., first took him to Giant City, a captivating introduction to the region and a profound change from Dr. Hales’ home in