Police brutality illuminates a dark history in our society. There is no single universally agreed upon definition or guideline for when to use force. However, we know it when we see it. Police brutality was clearly on display when adults, children and our community witnessed George screaming he couldn’t breathe, crying out for his mother, and passing away as a knee was placed on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. We saw a profound, inconceivable tragedy. As physicians, we take a Hippocratic Oath. Witnessing this brutality without taking action violates our oath. Our collective response

On April 6, 2020, my message to SIU Medicine employees focused on racial inequities in the delivery of health care, racial disparities in health care outcomes, and the overt and implicit systemic racism that lies at the root of these inequities and disparities for African Americans. On that day, using concepts articulated by Anthony Fauci, I wrote: “[The COVID-19 pandemic] has shined a light brightly and directly on America’s greatest shame – the inequities that African Americans have suffered and endured for centuries... Inequities have always existed for African Americans. Over four

On April 6, 2020, my message to SIU Medicine employees focused on racial inequities in the delivery of health care, racial disparities in health care outcomes, and the overt and implicit systemic racism that lies at the root of these inequities and disparities for African Americans. On that day, using concepts articulated by Anthony Fauci, I wrote: “[The COVID-19 pandemic] has shined a light brightly and directly on America’s greatest shame – the inequities that African Americans have suffered and endured for centuries... Inequities have always existed for African Americans. Over four

SIU Medicine chair of pediatrics Doug Carlson, MD, was recently named to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Task Force on Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) Associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) to help investigate the prevalence of this new syndrome in patients under age 21 in Illinois. Currently, IDPH is reporting cases of MIS-C in Chicago only, and Dr. Carlson says this syndrome is rare. “Right now, we only have a few cases in the state, but we want parents to watch for symptoms of prolonged fever, lethargy, or belly pain, and to call your

The SIU School of Medicine Alliance of Women in Medicine and Science (AWIMS) group has been named a recipient of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine’s 2020 Inspiring Affinity Group Award ! INSIGHT Into Diversity is the oldest and largest diversity and inclusion publication and job board in higher education today. It is the premiere resource for D and I news and information, the creators of the annual Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award, and the creators of Viewfinder Campus Climate Surveys. INSIGHT is also the only remaining print magazine today focused exclusively on diversity

The SIU School of Medicine Alliance of Women in Medicine and Science (AWIMS) group has been named a recipient of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine’s 2020 Inspiring Affinity Group Award ! INSIGHT Into Diversity is the oldest and largest diversity and inclusion publication and job board in higher education today. It is the premiere resource for D and I news and information, the creators of the annual Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award, and the creators of Viewfinder Campus Climate Surveys. INSIGHT is also the only remaining print magazine today focused exclusively on diversity

May 13, 2020 – SPRINGFIELD - Seventy new physicians and a graduate student at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine achieved degrees Saturday, May 16, in the school’s virtual celebration of commencement ( view the ceremony here ). The event was doubly historic: The Class of 2020 included the medical school’s 3,000 th graduate during its 50 th anniversary year. Following COVID-19 safety protocols, the School of Medicine announced its graduates via video on its Facebook page ( facebook.com/siumed.edu ). SIU School of Medicine Dean and Provost Jerry Kruse, MD, MSPH, welcomed the

May 13, 2020 – SPRINGFIELD - Seventy new physicians and a graduate student at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine achieved degrees Saturday, May 16, in the school’s virtual celebration of commencement ( view the ceremony here ). The event was doubly historic: The Class of 2020 included the medical school’s 3,000 th graduate during its 50 th anniversary year. Following COVID-19 safety protocols, the School of Medicine announced its graduates via video on its Facebook page ( facebook.com/siumed.edu ). SIU School of Medicine Dean and Provost Jerry Kruse, MD, MSPH, welcomed the