blog posts Urbana-Champaign team monitors heart rate using ‘smart shirt’ tech May 5, 2025 2:45 pm Inside the "smart shirt" is gold, elastic fabric that detects the stretching and collapsing of your lungs while breathing. Other sensors monitor heart rate and activity. The shirt allows researchers to see the connections between markers that they sense from cardiac signals while walking. Urbana-Champaign study find craved foods in moderation help in weight loss Jun 30, 2025 10:00 am 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. Study from UIC: COVID virus evolves more rapidly in central nervous system Sep 10, 2024 3:15 pm The coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic evolves more rapidly in the brain than in the lungs, according to new research from University of Illinois Chicago and Northwestern University. New variants created in the brain and other parts of the nervous system could also travel back to the lungs, where they could become transmissible and spread new, dangerous variants of the virus. Inspired by piano-playing, UIC professor creates phone app to track brain fitness Jan 2, 2024 12:15 pm 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. UIC training next generation of HIV/AIDS caregivers to end epidemic Jan 6, 2025 3:30 pm 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. UIC, UIUC collaboration shows ultrasounds can predict risk of preterm birth Feb 12, 2024 1:15 pm The new ultrasound method works as early as 23 weeks into a pregnancy, according to the research published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology Maternal Fetal Medicine. UIC College of Dentistry hosts annual Give Kids a Smile Day Feb 19, 2025 10:15 am The UIC College of Dentistry hosted its annual Give Kids a Smile Day as part of a national initiative aimed at ensuring access to quality oral health care for all children. This year’s event welcomed more than 100 children for a day of free oral health screenings, oral health care education and face painting. UI Health Two-Generation Clinic connects more mothers with postpartum care Mar 10, 2025 12:00 pm An innovative clinical model to provide new moms with primary care during their baby’s first pediatric visits successfully connected more moms with the medical care they needed, according to research from the University of Illinois Chicago. Real Impact: Robust program turns out nurses willing to answer the call Mar 11, 2024 3:15 pm The University of Illinois Chicago College of Nursing trains healthcare experts at all three University of Illinois System universities. The program in Springfield is the newest with students gaining in-depth, hands-on experience at Springfield Memorial Hospital. UIC researchers, health care providers partner with communities to address health disparities Apr 10, 2025 12:30 pm The life expectancy for Black people is nearly five years shorter than for white people, according to a new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago and UI Health, the university’s academic health enterprise, want to better understand the correlations and to intervene with services that can bridge the divide. UIUC team finds link between regular exercise, neuron connectivity maintenance Jun 3, 2024 2:15 pm 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. Carle Illinois med student leads team helping chemo patients keep their hair Jul 1, 2024 11:00 am 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. Urbana-Champaign researchers work to improve cancer imaging Jul 10, 2023 1:00 pm Doctors have used nanoparticles in cancer patients to locate tumors during imaging scans more easily. But they tend to collect in the liver, not on the tumor. A new approach developed at UIUC looked to solve this problem. Technique helps bring cell powerhouses back into balance Aug 4, 2022 1:00 pm Researchers at UIUC developed a technique using light to regulate mitochondria. The technique could be used as a treatment for cancer and other diseases. UIC recognized for recovering food for homeless Jan 8, 2021 1:00 pm In the fall of 2020, volunteers with UIC’s Food Recovery Network (FRN) chapter collected 7,589 pounds of food and donated it to area homeless shelters. UIC has been recognized for the achievement of the most recovered pounds by any FRN chapter nationwide in the Fall of 2020. Carle Illinois College of Medicine students design device for longer, better sleep Jan 16, 2024 12:00 pm The team of medical students recently won an award from the U.S. Academy of Medicine for their concept called "SoundAsleep" - a wearable brain wave monitor connected to an app and sound system. The device transmits specific sounds during certain sleep periods to extend and deepen quality sleep. UIC Nursing clinic improves sexual health in LGBTQ+ community Jan 21, 2022 3:00 pm One year after opening, a UIC College of Nursing and UI Health clinic based at Center on Halsted has brought HIV prevention and STI treatment services to more than 100 of the center’s LGBTQ+ community members. ‘Decoy’ protein works against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants Jan 21, 2022 3:00 pm 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. UIC using five-year federal grant to support underserved caregivers Jan 27, 2025 4:45 pm 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. OSF & UIC award Community Health Advocacy grants Feb 2, 2022 9:30 am OSF HealthCare is partnering with UIC to award eight grants totaling more than $700,000 to support projects that remove barriers to care, particularly in low-income, under-resourced communities; enhance health and wellness education, and leverage technology to improve training and community outreach. In person or over Zoom, UIC students help the community Feb 3, 2021 9:00 am Nearly 200 UIC students spent their day off volunteering in the Chicago community for the MLK Day of Service. UI Health leads Chicago in providing vaccines for phase 1B Feb 10, 2021 9:15 am The first day it opened a community COVID-19 vaccination site UIC and UI Health administered more than 1,600 shots to phase 1A and phase 1B eligible people, representing nearly a quarter of all vaccine doses (23%) distributed in Chicago on that day. Alternate-day fasting a good option for patients with fatty liver disease Feb 27, 2023 10:15 am Nutrition researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago studied 80 people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and found that those who followed an alternate-day fasting diet and exercised were able to improve their health. New insight into links between Alzheimer's Disease and hearing loss Mar 2, 2022 10:45 am Researchers at Carle Illinois College of Medicine have uncovered new evidence about hearing loss in patients with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The work could eventually lead to earlier intervention and new treatment strategies to delay cognitive decline. Health equity initiatives receive funding from the American Cancer Society Mar 23, 2022 9:30 am UIC has received a $4 million, four-year grant from the American Cancer Society to establish a solutions-oriented consortium of health care researchers and clinicians charged with improving outcomes in communities disproportionately affected by cancer. Project helps East St. Louis residents overcome barriers to COVID-19 testing, vaccination Mar 23, 2022 9:30 am A project co-led by UIUC that is underway in East St. Louis, Illinois, is investigating strategies for overcoming barriers to COVID-19 testing and vaccination among more than 548 medically and socially vulnerable residents of St. Clair County. Better outcomes for Black and Latinx asthma patients Mar 23, 2022 9:30 am UIC was part of a study which found that when Black or Latinx asthma patients were instructed to use inhaled corticosteroids, their risk of severe exacerbation was reduced by 15%. Saliva test being expanded in Champaign-Urbana community Mar 24, 2021 10:15 am OSF HealthCare announced a new partnership with the University of Illinois Tuesday that will expand the U of I’s saliva-based COVID-19 test into the broader Champaign-Urbana community. UIC researchers targeting blood vessels in brain to combat post-COVID 'fog' Apr 15, 2024 10:00 am In a new study, researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have identified a mechanism that causes neurological problems in mice infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19. The researchers also found a treatment that helped prevent these changes. Community colleges in Illinois now have option to provide free covidSHIELD tests to state residents Apr 19, 2021 1:00 pm Community colleges across the state now have the ability to provide the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s (UIUC) innovative, saliva-based COVID-19 test at no cost to any state resident who wants one. UIUC researchers develop filter technology to combat 'forever chemicals' Apr 24, 2023 10:15 am 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. Child Development Laboratory cares for children of essential, critical personnel May 5, 2020 10:00 am Since mid-March, the staff at the CDL has stepped up to provide emergency childcare for a limited number of essential and critical personnel during the pandemic, under the state’s emergency childcare license. South Shore clinic expands COVID-19 testing May 5, 2020 10:15 am UI Health Mile Square Health Center — a network of federally qualified health centers, or FQHCs, in Chicago — is now providing COVID-19 testing to community members on the South Side who meet testing criteria at its South Shore clinic, located at 7037 S. Stony Island Ave. UIS helping private and community colleges and state agencies transition to remote learning May 5, 2020 9:45 am The University of Illinois Springfield Center For Online Learning, Research and Service (COLRS) is helping Illinois private and community colleges and state agencies transition to remote learning as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic. State invests big in COVID tests for schools May 12, 2021 6:00 pm In an effort to ensure in-person learning can fully resume as quickly and safely as possible, the Illinois Department of Public Health today announced a $225 million investment to expand access to covidSHIELD saliva-based testing, developed by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, to middle and high schools across the state at low or no cost. DPI launches new education and workforce research center May 31, 2020 8:30 am The Discovery Partners Institute has launched a new education and workforce research center, IWERC, with $3.9 million from some of the city’s most influential philanthropists and foundations. SHIELD CU helping raise vaccination rates among people of color Jun 16, 2021 9:00 am The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's SHIELD CU team is partnering with local organizations to help boost COVID-19 vaccine rates in Champaign County's community of color. UIS offers free public webinar series on community health Jun 17, 2020 8:45 am As part of the Springfield Innovation Hub, UIS and the Community Health Roundtable have launched a new webinar series on community health with immediate focus on the impact of COVID-19. U of I to expand COVID saliva testing nationally Aug 10, 2020 3:15 pm The U of I System has embarked on a broad effort to expand the reach of saliva-based testing pioneered by U of I researchers that supports widespread testing with rapid results to limit spread of the COVID-19 virus. Impact on the state economy Aug 14, 2019 1:00 pm The U of I System contributes $17.5 billion annually to the state’s economy through its research, hospital, and entrepreneurial activities, along with the universities' students and visitors, according to a recent study. More... Assisting military-dependent communities Aug 19, 2019 2:30 pm 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... New UIC clinic, training program aim to improve care for people with disabilities Aug 19, 2024 1:15 pm 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. Urbana-Champaign receives $33M federal grant to revolutionize cancer surgery Oct 21, 2024 1:00 pm The grant from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) will support the development of technology that aims to reduce or eliminate the risk of missing some cancer cells after surgical removal, require more surgery and treatments. UIC, Mile Square join national trial of blood test for multi-cancer screening Oct 30, 2023 9:45 am The University of Illinois Chicago will be the first site in the state to participate in a national study of a clinical test that screens for a shared cancer signal in a sample of patient blood. The test screens for a signal shared by more than 50 types of cancers, including pancreatic and blood cancers which do not currently have recommended screening tests and often go undetected until later stages. Collaboration to better serve pediatric patients Nov 3, 2021 8:30 am Cook County Health and UI Health — the leading public health care providers in Cook County and Illinois — will collaborate on specialty pediatric services under the Partnership for Pediatric Care, a new clinical affiliation for shared services. New molecule targets, images and treats lung cancer tumors in mice Nov 3, 2021 8:30 am University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers have developed a finely tuned molecular agent that can target lung and other cancer cells for imaging and treatment. Researchers to combat systemic racism in access to nature Nov 19, 2021 10:00 am Researchers from the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism in the College of Applied Health Sciences at UIUC plan to give a formal evaluation of efforts by the Urbana Park District to increase acceess to nature and recreation opportunites among diverse residents. Preparing youth with disabilities for adulthood Nov 30, 2021 12:15 pm The UIC Division of Specialized Care for Children sponsors an annual conference to help prepare Illinois families for the transition of their children with special health needs to adulthood. Pop-up testing clinics for Rantoul ag workers Dec 2, 2020 1:30 pm 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. UIUC, Carle partner to launch brain study Dec 9, 2021 8:00 am 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.
