Search Results

Senior Associate Dean for Education Dr. Debra Klamen chronicles the challenges and improvisation involved in keeping courses and curriculum going through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I can’t have cancer. That’s somebody else,” thought Richard Dennis when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Dennis, a retired Petersburg resident, had been active his entire life, walking two to three miles a day and working in his yard. “I’d never had a symptom, I hadn’t had health issues, and I didn’t take medication,” said Dennis. But a slowly elevating prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood level suggested otherwise. PSA is a protein produced by cells of the prostate gland. A PSA test uses a blood sample to measure the level of PSA in a man’s blood. The PSA blood level is often elevated

by Anneke Metz, PhD, Interim Director of MEDPREP All of us at MEDPREP (Medical/Dental Education Preparatory Program) were heartbroken to learn of the death of one of our own, Dr. Tamara O’Neal, who was a MEDPREP student from 2007-09. After MEDPREP, Tamara went on to complete her MD at the University of Illinois at Chicago, followed by a residency in emergency medicine. She was working as an emergency department physician at Mercy Hospital in Chicago at the time of her death. Dr. O’Neal, who was affectionately known at “TO” by her colleagues and friends, was beloved for her smile, her kindness

SPRINGFIELD, IL – A new report describes the impact of COVID-19 on the existing rural opioid epidemic and identified opportunities to treat opioid addiction and reduce fatalities in rural Illinois. “The opioid epidemic continues to hurt rural regions in Illinois and the pandemic has worsened the economic and social factors that lead to opioid misuse,” said Dr. Sameer Vohra, Chair, SIU Medicine Department of Population Science and Policy. “We need to invest in new strategies and resources that prevent, treat and build appropriate systems of recovery for those struggling from the opioid epidemic

SPRINGFIELD, IL – A new report finds that the pandemic is having an outsize impact on rural children as COVID-19 continues to complicate the systems that support rural children’s development. Children in rural communities often have limited access to healthcare, sub-par early childhood opportunities and Internet connectivity issues that complicate virtual learning. The pandemic has exacerbated those issues and the rise of the Delta variant makes children more susceptible to COVID-19 infection. Southern Illinois University (SIU) Medicine Department of Population Science and Policy , SIU Paul

SPRINGFIELD, IL – A new report dissects the impact of COVID-19 on the rural health workforce and identifies methods the state can utilize current health workers more efficiently while committing to long-term rural health workforce recruitment strategies. “Pre-pandemic, rural regions suffered from significant healthcare provider shortages, which often required rural residents to travel long distances or wait longer for appointments,” said Dr. Sameer Vohra, Chair, SIU Medicine Department of Population Science and Policy. “Despite rural health workers’ heroic efforts during the pandemic, job

State institutions are required to have emergency response plans in place for catastrophic events like floods, fires, tornadoes and active shooters. A global pandemic, on the other hand, is not something for which most have prepared a detailed playbook. In March, research faculty at SIU School of Medicine found themselves creating one on the fly. The work of SIU’s scientific investigators was crucial to not only maintain important research functions, but also to channel new energy toward combatting the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus. Associate Dean for Research Donald Torry, PhD, oversees about 175

Applications for the 2020 summer lab internships at Simmons Cancer Institute (SCI) at Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine are being accepted through March 9. Four positions will be awarded on a competitive basis to qualified undergraduate college students who plan a career in medicine or research with a focus on cancer. Established in 2009, the paid internship program provides hands-on experience for college undergraduates. It is funded through Denim & Diamonds, the cancer institute’s annual gala to benefit cancer research, patient programs and needs of SCI’s patient

Alzheimer’s disease could affect more than 14 million Americans by 2050 if a cure isn’t found, the Alzheimer’s Association reports. The Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders, part of SIU Medicine’s Neuroscience Institute, is hoping new research studies might change that. Three clinical trials, including the Aware Study by AbbVie, Tauriel Study by Genentech, and GRADUATE I Study by Roche, are now recruiting participants with memory impairment or probable mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease. The goal of these studies is test how well the medical treatments work at slowing the

Carol Bauer, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, and Tom Brozoski, PhD, research professor in Otolaryngology, have retired from their respective positions at SIU School of Medicine. The husband and wife duo came to SIU School of Medicine from Iowa in 1995 with a deep knowledge of tinnitus research and ideas of how to study potential treatments for this phantom ringing in the ears. The couple was a welcome addition to SIU’s Auditory Research Group, already renowned for innovative studies on the neurophysiology of hearing. Brozoski used his