Closing Gaps in Health and Care

Biomedical engineering professor Alex Leow developed BiAffect, an app and research study that analyzes smartphone keyboard data patterns to learn about a person’s neuropsychological state.

From its roots in Chicago, the UIC College of Nursing is now educating nurse leaders in five additional cities throughout Northern and Central Illinois, including Urbana.

SHIELD Illinois opened two additional free community testing sites in Chicago this month, bringing its total number of locations statewide to 44. These newly opened community sites increase access to COVID testing in underserved communities. 

Two University of Illinois Chicago scientists have collaborated on a device that could detect SARS-CoV-2, influenza, RSV and other pathogens. The technology, called BioAerium, could dramatically improve disease surveillance for public health as well as research on how viral particles move through the air.

Researchers at UIUC developed a technique using light to regulate mitochondria. The technique could be used as a treatment for cancer and other diseases.

A new UI Health clinic and physician training program are designed to create welcoming spaces and lead to better health outcomes for patients with disabilities. At UI Health’s Lifespan Disability Clinic, patients with disabilities can access a wide range of practitioners — from physicians to occupational therapists to physical therapists — under one roof.

Since 1988, UIC's Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center has trained thousands of health care workers to treat people with HIV and AIDS and reduce new diagnoses. Renewed federal funding will help the center continue its critical work beyond its upcoming 40th anniversary.

A team at the University of Illinois Chicago will utilize a five-year, $4.3M grant from the Department of Health and Human Services to find new ways to support underserved caregivers, especially those who have language or cultural barriers.

Because rural life can be foreign to many first-year medical students who hail from urban areas, the program exposes students to topics like farm safety, delivery of health care in a rural setting, and specific stresses in the farming community.

The Sunnyside for Moms app created by researchers at University of Illinois Chicago aims to help pregnant women of color who are shoing signs of depression but haven't reached the point of clinical depression.

Black adolescents who lived in poverty as children and were pessimistic about their future had accelerated immune cell aging and greater levels of insulin resistance in their mid- to late twenties, according to a study by Allen W. Barton, a UIUC professor of human development and family studies.

Lead author Professor Orly Lazarov of the University of Illinois Chicago says, "Taken together, our results suggest augmenting neurogenesis may be of therapeutic value."

The Inclusive Care Clinic solves a problem not many dentist offices are thinking about - being a place that anybody can access. The clinic has design and additional features that aren't found in the average dental office, making it an accessible option for patients with disabilities or other special needs.

The Peoria Innovation Hub will be dedicated to finding solutions to improve the wellness of underserved populations and advance systems related to food, farming, and transportation. More...

A new veterinary pharmacy residency program serves as an example of the collaborations that unite University of Illinois System entities around advancing health and other missions.

Physicians at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine earned top honors at the Midwest’s largest student-run startup conference for the “MenoPatch” — a skin patch that can personalize hormone replacement therapy for women experiencing menopause.

New research from UIUC suggests that older Latinos who regularly participate in Latin dance can help their brains stay healthy.

UIC Medicine students in the rural healthcare program in Rockford are preparing to make a difference in healthcare in rural communities in Illinois and across the country.

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have found a small molecule capable of manipulating an immune process that plays an important role in cancers and autoimmune diseases. 

A new virtual brain bank spanning five Chicago academic medical centers and led by University of Illinois Chicago will create a powerful new resource for clinical care and research on epilepsy, brain tumors and neurological disorders.

Thanks to a collaboration between Carle and the University of Illinois, the first-of-its-kind Champaign-Urbana Population Study will be conducted to collect information about the brain’s structure and function across a diverse group of volunteers.

UIC researchers, supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, will examine feedback from families who are living with the effects of their child’s expulsion. More...

Although studies suggest that many cancer patients experience food insecurity, few oncology dietitians routinely ask them if they are having problems affording or obtaining food, new UIUC research has found.

The researchers hope to find new, more effective treatments for chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, pulmonary fibrosis, and acute respiratory distress disorder, a common and serious complication of COVID-19. 

Participants who practiced medium-intensity yoga for 50 minutes, three times per week “had significantly lower stress and anxiety, and higher accuracy on working memory tasks.” 

A UIUC study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that when muscles contain more nerve cells, and when those muscle-stimulating nerve cells are active, muscle tissue produces a bevy of brain-boosting compounds. 

Researchers at University of Illinois Springfield are examining pollution in and around Lake Springfield and devising strategies to reduce the litter and its impact on the environment.

Illinois State Water Survey researchers have been sampling sewer water to look for traces of SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19, at the neighborhood level in Champaign-Urbana to help monitor the spread of the disease.

Their study identifies a specific protein that plays a pivotal role in promoting cell death, which may allow the development of new immunotherapies against solid tumors and other challenging cancers.

Physician innovators from Carle Illinois College of Medicine are bringing free health screenings and resources within reach for people facing barriers to care, including central Illinois’ LatinX community.

The Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center at the University of Illinois Chicago will expand its services nationwide with the help of a new $3 million grant. 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration is funding the Illinois Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Expansion as part of the American Rescue Plan and the Safer Communities Act.

An interdisciplinary team of scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is working with clinicians and community researchers to expand access to COVID-19 testing by providing pop-up testing clinics for agricultural workers and others at various locations in Rantoul, Illinois.

Researchers from UIC and UIUC have collaborated to develop a new drug treatment to prevent death and lung damage in COVID-19 patients. Early model studies show it may be very effective.

Researchers in food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign say in a new study that eating dessert may be the optimal strategy for losing weight, keeping it off, and keeping cravings at bay. 

Peoria, Illinois-based OSF HealthCare is partnering with the University of Illinois Chicago to establish the Community Health Advocacy (CHA) applied research program to address health and wellness challenges in urban communities. 

UIC has received a $2.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Economic Adjustment to support economic research and resiliency in Illinois’ military-connected communities. More...

Researchers at the University of Illinois are working on a critical project to help make voice recognition technology more useful for people with a wide range of speech patterns and disabilities, and they're seeking participants to assist their work.

Women who participated in a 12-week program called “Food is Medicine: Healing Together” say the cooking classes and nutrition seminars helped turn their health around. 

As the largest contributing collaborator, UIC’s work is backed by about $5 million of the overall award to lead a biogeochemical observation network across the city, collaborate with community groups, and grow educational and workforce development opportunities for educators and students.

The UIS Child Protection Training Academy has trained close to 1,000 DCFS child protection investigators over the last five years. The model has been expanded to Chicago and will soon be replicated at Southern Illinois University.

To help Illinois residents meet their basic food needs, University of Illinois Extension launched a new Illinois community food map that allows individuals to search by Illinois zip code for all food resources in that area.

Some babies in the NICU are exposed to dozens of chest X-rays—necessary, but potentially harmful in the long run. A Carle Illinois College of Medicine team is applying to use NASA-developed anti-radiation coating to create a onesie that shields most of a baby's body from extra radiation.

Nearly 200 UIC students spent their day off volunteering in the Chicago community for the MLK Day of Service.

Stopping an overdose using naloxone requires quick action in tough situations. “With VENT, we’re creating training that mimics hectic moments so people can feel prepared,” said Scott Barrows, University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria clinical assistant professor.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) today announced a statewide system to monitor the virus that causes COVID-19 and its variants in wastewater, providing public health officials with early warnings of a potential outbreak on a county-by-county basis.

As the statutory fire academy for Illinois, the Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI) serves firefighters throughout Illinois and beyond with coursework and hands-on training at regional centers throughout the state. More...

Research led by a Carle Illinois College of Medicine faculty member could give scientists new tools to prevent further damage and promote healing after a heart attack. 

PFAS, or per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, are human-made chemicals linked to a broad spectrum of health problems, including cancer and thyroid issues. They're also known as "forever chemicals" because they don't break down and accumulate in the environment and in humans.

Scalp cooling is a relatively new treatment that helps patients undergoing less potent chemotherapy to retain their hair. A Carle Illinois College of Medicine team has innovated this technology to bring both the helmet's size and price down by half.