blog posts 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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... 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. Women with hypertension, obesity show benefits from UIC cooking class Sep 11, 2023 10:30 am 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. 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. 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. Extension efforts add 64,000 pounds of fresh produce to central Illinois tables Jan 10, 2022 3:15 pm With the enthusiastic support of the growers and buyers at the Arthur Produce Auction, University of Illinois Extension has provided more than 116,000 pounds of fresh produce to central Illinois food pantries in three years. Carle Illinois professor awarded prize to advance vaccine research Feb 9, 2022 8:00 am UIUC biochemistry professor Nicholas Wu has been recognized with a Michelson Prize: Next Generation Grant. He will be awarded $150,000 to enable his high-impact ideas to advance human immunology, vaccine discovery, and immunotherapy. UIS and ILBCF host webinar on equitable and inclusive healthcare Feb 9, 2022 8:00 am The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation (ILBCF) and the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) will convene its fifth speaker series session, with the latest event focused on equity and inclusion in our health care system in Illinois. 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. Oncology dietitians rarely ask cancer patients about food insecurity, study finds Feb 14, 2022 3:15 pm 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. U of I at Urbana-Champaign helping families across the state Feb 18, 2020 2:45 pm Here's just 10 ways the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is helping kids and families across the state. More... Lab results show promise for future pancreatic cancer treatment Feb 18, 2022 1:00 pm University of Illinois Chicago researchers have developed a compound that may one day offer hope for pancreatic cancer treatment. 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. 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 works with Chicago to deliver vaccinations to city's most vulnerable Mar 16, 2021 10:00 am The University of Illinois Chicago along with Protect Chicago Plus have partnered to provide 1,000 COVID-19 vaccines to residents in the Englewood neighborhood, with plans to expand to other city areas with vulnerable populations Real Impact: Heart-focused agency advances neighbor helping neighbor Mar 21, 2023 10:00 am When the five-year grant that launched Illinois Heart Rescue in 2012 expired, the State of Illinois recognized the results-driven program’s impact and took over funding. The University of Illinois System again is advocating for the program’s funding as part of its annual state budget request. Team identifies compound with potent antiseizure effects Mar 23, 2022 9:45 am UIUC researchers studying epileptic seizures of the temporal lobe – the most common type of epilepsy – discovered a compound that reduces seizures in the hippocampus, a brain region where many such seizures originate. K-12 Shield Playbook offers guidance for reopening schools Apr 15, 2021 12:15 pm A new resource is available to help guide teachers and school administrators as they reopen schools amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, assembled by researchers and experts at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. UIC to participate in NIH phase two clinical trial on additional boosters Apr 18, 2022 3:45 pm The University of Illinois Chicago will participate in a National Institutes of Health phase two clinical trial evaluating additional COVID-19 booster shots for adults. UIC to create kindergarten readiness website May 24, 2021 8:30 am Educational researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago have received a $100,000 grant to help fund the creation of an online kindergarten readiness website for teachers and family.
