Message from the Chair
A Year of Discovery
As the holidays quickly approach and we prepare for 2020, I have been taking some time to reflect on all that has happened in 2019 at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine Department of Population Science and Policy (PSP). As loyal readers of our Pioneer and Pioneer Pulse know, our team launched as an academic department at SIU School of Medicine in September 2018. At that time, PSP was the first new department at the medical school in nearly 30 years. We knew that this exciting transition would mean change - and 2019 has been filled with change. We added new staff, started many new projects, and even established the education wing of our Department. However, 2019 has also served as a year of discovery. We now better understand how to make an even bigger difference in central and southern Illinois.
PSP has now created partnerships, performed research, or started programs in 25 of the 66 counties in central and southern Illinois. For example, in the Illinois Delta region, PSP is partnering with government and community agencies to learn more about rural opioid use, the stigma it produces, and its link to sexually transmitted diseases and infections. In 2019, our project team, in partnership with the University of Chicago, received a $5.2 million grant from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) to begin the implementation aspect of our work. In Arcola, Illinois, PSP is partnering with the Douglas County Health Department to research and design programs to address food insecurity and improve the town’s obesity rates. In 2019, this project
received additional fundin
g
from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois to advance our efforts to protect the food security of Arcola’s youth. Finally, 2019 also saw the start of a community-driven initiative in partnership with Hillsboro Area Hospital and Hillsboro School District to empower youth and build resilience for every child in the community.
We also advanced our education efforts in 2019. PSP’s Education team, led by our new
Education Director Meredith Volle
, has restructured the population science and policy curriculum for SIU School of Medicine, integrating our ideas and work in epidemiology, biostatistics, human and community development, and health system science into the education of our medical students and resident trainees. We are excited to add even more components and bring our ideas and information not only to med students but also to the communities we serve.
PSP also had great opportunities to expand its policy reach this year. In 2018, PSP joined the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, SIU Medicine Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development, Illinois Department of Public Health and University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health to lead organization of the first
Illinois Rural Health Summit
in more than 15 years. PSP's Health System Science team spent hundreds of hours performing research, having conversations, and engaging in first-hand experience to write a series of eight policy briefs that we hope will create a path to improve health in rural Illinois - and possibly nationwide. We are excited to release those briefs to leaders across Illinois in early 2020.
To top it all off, we even won our first national award in 2019. The American Public Health Association’s Section on Public Health Education and Health Promotion awarded PSP the
2019 Health Equity Award
. We’re honored that our work to close health disparities was recognized by such a notable organization.
I am proud to say that PSP has embraced change, embarked on a path of discovery, and - more than at any point in our history - we are ready to make a significant impact to improve the health outcomes in central and southern Illinois. We have much to celebrate, many thanks to offer to our partners, and the dedication to do more. We look forward to continuing to work with all of you, our talented, inspirational residents and communities, to better understand and improve the lives of residents in our service region.
Sincerely,
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Read more about PSP divisions’ 2019 achievements and 2020 goals.
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Epidemiology and Biostatistics
It has been an exciting year for the
Epidemiology and Biostatistics Division
(Epi Bio). This diverse team has expertise in public health, epidemiology, public administration, health policy, and statistics and has partnered with several state agencies focused on improving health disparities for people in central and southern Illinois.
Epi Bio continues to focus on addressing the opioid epidemic in rural southern Illinois through an
NIH/NIDA
-funded project in collaboration with the
University of Chicago
and
The Community Action Place, Inc
. This project is designed to interrupt injection drug use-associated diseases like HIV, HCV and STDs. PSP and project partners have received a $5.2 million grant for project implementation, which will provide disease screening and care referrals for 600 people through 2022.
The
Telligen Community Initiative
grant has allowed PSP to establish a telehealth-based pre-exposure prophylaxis (or
PrEP
) clinic in deep southern Illinois. This clinic targets individuals at high risk of getting HIV and provides access to a free, daily pill to prevent HIV infection. PSP is continuing to recruit patients for this important project.
As PSP’s service region continues to experience disproportionately high cancer rates, Epi Bio is focusing on colorectal cancer (CRC) and lung cancer screening implementation by exploring the relative effectiveness of different CRC surgery techniques in correlation to clinical and financial burden. This project is made possible by a
Memorial Medical Center Foundation
grant. Additionally, PSP is exploring lung cancer risk factors as well as barriers to individuals participating in lung cancer screening in a partnership with
Hillsboro Area Hospital
.
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Human and Community Development
2019 has been a year of growth for the Human and Community Development Division (HCD).
The division was awarded a new grant, led by
Nicole Summers-Gabr, PhD
, from
Blue Cross Blue Shield
to continue nutrition efforts in Douglas County in collaboration with the Douglas County Health Department. The first phase of the project, a survey of nutrition attitudes and barriers to eating healthy food given to multiple generations (students in 7
th
-12
th
grade and their parents/caregivers and grandparents), was funded through a
Lumpkin Family Foundation
grant. The goals of Phase II include increasing enrollment and utilization of the Summer Fun and Meals program as well as to provide quality nutrition education activities to the participants of the program.
Hillsboro Area Hospital
collaborates with PSP through multiple projects. The HCD team is continuing the Little Leaps program by providing educational sessions focused on child brain development to teachers and parents of the children at Hillsboro Community Child Development Center. A new initiative with Hillsboro Area Hospital and the Hillsboro School District is examining local youths' exposure to protective or risk factors. PSP will then design or determine an evidence-based program to mitigate the risk factors or enhance the protective factors.
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Health System Science
The Health System Science Division has been busy this past year distilling the information from the
2018 Illinois Rural Health Summit
into individual policy briefs. The briefs recommend polices for decreasing rural disparities in health and housing, economic development, rural workforce, children’s growth and development, mental health, opioids, care for the aging population, and rural nutrition and fitness. These briefs will be released throughout 2020.
September 2019 brought the
Veteran’s Summit
to Mt. Vernon, IL. The two-day event was a SIU System-wide collaboration involving SIU Carbondale, SIU Medicine and SIU Edwardsville. PSP helped plan and facilitate the first day of the event, which included discussion of important issues for veterans such as justice, access to healthcare, mental health, and veteran treatment courts. PSP will spend the next several months creating a report compiling recommendations generated from the event.
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Education
The Education team is excited to introduce the newest member of the team,
Dr. Meredith Volle
. As Education Director, Dr. Volle’s primary responsibility for PSP is to innovate the population science and prevention curriculum for undergraduate medical students at SIU School of Medicine and to oversee all aspects of PSP education as it engages with students, residents, faculty and staff. Dr. Volle also practices as a general pediatrician at SIU Medicine.
Dr. Volle is excited to combine her experiences in public health and medicine to inspire future doctors to find new ways to address the health of the residents of central and southern Illinois. Quickly after assuming her role as Education Director, Dr. Volle met with faculty in SIU Medicine’s Department of Medical Education to explore ways to increase education efforts centered on population science for medical students and residents. Her ideas have been well received and relevant information is being incorporated into patient cases studies, interactions students have with standardized patients, and core competency exams. The MD/MPH dual degree offered by SIU is another area of focus for Dr. Volle and the education team in 2020.
Finally, the Education team is exploring opportunities to work with healthcare professionals beyond SIU. Education faculty and staff met with PSP's advisory board in October to discuss opportunities for expansion. As one of a select few medical school departments focused on population health in rural areas, PSP is positioned to be leader in health education in the coming years.
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The Department of Population Science and Policy is proud to be the recipient of the 2019 American Public Health Association (APHA) Public Health Education and Health Promotion (PHEHP)
Health Equity Award
. The award honors an individual or organization that has worked to eliminate health disparities and improve health equity through advances in health education or communication. Department Chair
Dr. Sameer Vohra
and Administrative Director
Heather Whetsell
accepted the award on behalf of the PSP staff at APHA's annual meeting in Philadelphia last month.
“Health equity refers to the ability for all people to reach their full health potential without being blocked by socially determined circumstances,” said
Dr. Vohra
. “Things like socioeconomic level, education, access to care and others factors can undermine someone’s health and ripple out to impact the entire family. Our team is focused on the 66 mostly rural counties in central and southern Illinois, an area that is unique, underserved and incredibly resilient. I’m proud to accept this award and look forward to doing more to broaden Illinois residents’ opportunities for optimal health.”
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PSP brought Dr. Tierney to Springfield for an informative Grand Rounds presentation in September 2019. Dr. Tierney’s presentation, “From ‘Big Data’ to ‘Little Data’ - From Disarray to Action,” was well-attended by SIU Medicine students, faculty and staff. His presentation focused on the importance of breaking down data silos and making data more accessible to allow healthcare providers to make better, more informed decisions and recommendations.
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Research Project Specialist
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Research Project Specialist
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The Department of Population Science and Policy is looking for talented, dedicated individuals to join our interdisciplinary team and assist with meeting our mission of understanding and advancing the health, development and wellness of residents in central and southern Illinois.
PhDs and MDs with backgrounds in epidemiology, biostatistics, health services, children and community health (or related fields) are encouraged to apply. We’re also seeking health policy, research and community support staff with bachelor's or master's degrees. View our vacancies at
www.siumed.edu/jobs
or contact
Heather Whetsell
for more information.
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SAVE THE DATE - HEALTH POLICY INSTITUTE
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PSP will be leading the planning efforts for the
21
st
Annual SIH/SIU Health Policy Institute
. The event, collaboratively held by Southern Illinois Healthcare and Southern Illinois University, will examine health equity from both a medical and legal perspective and will offer expertise of national, statewide and local experts.
Speakers will focus on the intersection of medical, legal, and policy efforts to promote health equity, which is the opportunity for every person to attain his or her fullest health potential without being restricted by social position or other socially determined circumstances.
Please mark your calendars for June 5, 2020. The event will be held live in Springfield and simulcast to sites in Chicago and Carbondale. For more information or to receive email updates for the Health Policy Institute please contact
PSP@siumed.edu
.
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The Department of Population Science and Policy's community outreach is fueled by grants and
donations
. Please continue to remember PSP in your charitable giving to allow us to continue to expand our important work to improve health of communities in central and southern Illinois. Want to fund a particular outreach initiative or direct money to work in a particular community? Contact
PSP@siumed.edu
to learn more.
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Population Science & Policy
201 E. Madison Street
Springfield, IL 62702
(217) 545-7939
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