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

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

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Sixteen central Illinois-area high school students are better prepared to become physicians after graduating from the Physician Pipeline Preparatory Program (P 4 ), a four-year program sponsored by Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield Public Schools (SPS) and the Sangamon County Medical Society. The P 4 graduation was held in the South Auditorium at SIU’s main instructional building, 801 N. Rutledge St. on February 14. [Editor: See the list of graduating students below.] The Pipeline Program, established in 2009, was designed to encourage local

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Sixteen central Illinois-area high school students are better prepared to become physicians after graduating from the Physician Pipeline Preparatory Program (P 4 ), a four-year program sponsored by Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield Public Schools (SPS) and the Sangamon County Medical Society. The P 4 graduation was held in the South Auditorium at SIU’s main instructional building, 801 N. Rutledge St. on February 14. [Editor: See the list of graduating students below.] The Pipeline Program, established in 2009, was designed to encourage local

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

SIU’s Student National Medical Association is showcasing famous African Americans as part of the school’s Black History Month celebration. Rebecca Lee Crumpler, MD (1831-1895) Rebecca Lee Crumpler was the first black woman awarded a medical degree from a U.S. university. Dr. Crumpler graduated from New England Female Medical College in Boston in 1864. She achieved this feat at a time when women, regardless of race, were largely barred from secondary education or higher learning opportunities. She published Book of Medical Discourses in 1883, which drew information from her clinical experiences

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

Congratulations to Kathy Semon, Carol Papps and Ron Bowman for receiving the Harbinger of Goodwill Award! Kathy Semon, Cancer Institute, “An elderly patient who until his recent surgery still worked and was healthy was not recovering from surgery well. She went above and beyond by scheduling and finding a pharmacy to deliver medications to him, contacted a service to go to his home to help with his daily living needs, arranged infusions for hydration, and called his family who lives out of state.” Carol Pappas, Surgery, “frequently adjusts her style of communication to accommodate our hearing