Office of the Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs
Vol. 8, Issue 4
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The Pulse of UI Health is an e-newsletter that provides news, celebrations and recognitions from across the university's academic health enterprise. To submit content or learn more please email vcha@uic.edu.
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Holiday Greetings from the Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs |
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As we conclude another momentous year, it is important to pause and reflect upon our accomplishments of 2025. Indeed, it is through the dedication and hard work of each of you who contribute to the mission of our academic health enterprise, that we are able to deliver outstanding training, research and care to our communities locally and beyond. Turning to the New Year, we are eager to continue this shared pursuit of excellent outcomes for our patients, students and neighbors. Wishing you a year of continued health and success.
Robert Barish, MD, MBA
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs
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UI Health and Cook County Health Expand Their Partnership for Excellence in Medical Care, Education & Research |
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The ceremonial signing of the new agreement between UIC and Cook County Health. Signatories seated from left are Dr. Daniel McCormick, Cook County Health (CCH) executive chief clinical officer; Dr. Marie Lynn Miranda, UIC chancellor; and Dr. Mark Rosenblatt, CEO of UI Hospital & Clinics and executive dean of the University of Illinois College of Medicine (UI COM). Standing behind from left are Dr. Steven Aks, CCH chief academic affairs officer; Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Board president; Dr. Heather Prendergast, UI COM associate dean for clinical affairs; and Dr. Robert Barish, UIC vice chancellor for health affairs. (Photo: DMS Photography)
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On Tuesday, October 28, 2025, community stakeholders joined with leadership of UI Health, the University of Illinois College of Medicine and Cook County Health to formally launch the expanded partnership with a celebration and ceremonial agreement signing. The event was led by Toni Preckwinkle, president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, who has been a driving force for expanding health and wellness for Chicago communities. Participating in the ceremonial agreement signing were Dr. Daniel McCormick, CCH executive chief clinical officer; Dr. Marie Lynn Miranda, UIC chancellor; and Dr. Mark Rosenblatt, CEO of the UI Hospital & Clinics and executive dean of the University of Illinois College of Medicine.
“This transformational partnership between Cook County Health and UI Health is still just the beginning,” said Dr. Robert Barish, UIC vice chancellor for health affairs. “By continuing to architect dedicated frameworks for visioning and strategy implementation, Cook County Health and UI Health are committed to the future of health care in Chicago and beyond.” The partnership received coverage in the Chicago Tribune, Beckers Hospital Review and Crains Chicago Business.
In 2021, the UI Hospital & Clinics and Cook County Health launched the Partnership for Pediatric Care, a clinical affiliation for combining expertise and sharing resources to provide specialty pediatric services to children throughout Chicago and Illinois. Now, this partnership is being expanded to provide high-quality, accessible care to all people in the Chicago metropolitan area, regardless of income or insurance status.
Read More and See Photos from the Celebration
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UIC is Planning to Increase Pedestrian Safety for Patients, Staff and Students |
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The intersection of Taylor Street and Wood Street, which will undergo traffic calming construction starting in 2026. (Photo: Christopher Zell/UIC)
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UIC will soon be initiating traffic improvement projects near the intersection of Taylor Street and Wood Street in order to increase pedestrian safety on the health enterprise campus. These projects will calm the flow of traffic across west campus and provide a safer environment for patients, staff and students alike.
The full scope of the phased projects integrates both structured parking and traffic calming improvements, including upgrades at the intersection near the UI Hospital, the Outpatient Care Center and the Specialty Care Building, to enhance traffic flow and pedestrian safety. Additionally, this activity will also address the immediate need for additional campus parking and help ensure that UIC’s West Campus infrastructure is well-positioned for the future. Project updates will be shared on campus platforms and completion is expected in summer 2026.
Read More about the Traffic Calming Project
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UIC Researchers Advancing the Screening, Detection and Treatment of Cancer
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Dr. Mary Pasquinelli, Dr. Kevin Kovitz and Dr. Frank Weinberg in their lab. (Photo: Jenny Fontaine/UIC)
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AI is being used by UIC researchers to improve early detection of lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. The Sybil Implementation Consortium, of which UI Health is a member, has received a $3 million grant from AstraZeneca to bring more representation to the Sybil AI model, used to predict an individual’s risk of developing lung cancer. To date, the model has been tested in mostly white populations, but UIC researchers have demonstrated that Sybil works equally well in racially and socioeconomically diverse populations who often have a higher risk of developing lung cancer.
A second research team has discovered a unique use of lidocaine in the treatment of cancer, as well as a technology for improving detection of cancer cells in the blood stream. The team, led by Dr. Gina Votta-Velis, professor of anesthesiology in the College of Medicine, reports that the common pain relief drug lidocaine can affect pancreatic cancer cells released into the bloodstream during surgery, reducing their potential for metastasis. In conjunction, Dr. Votta-Velis has teamed with Ian Papautsky, the Richard and Loan Hill Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the College of Engineering. Dr. Papautsky has leveraged his expertise in microfluidics to develop a tiny chip-sized device that separates circulating tumor cells from a blood sample with 93% accuracy, capturing eight times as many cancer cells as currently available technology.
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UI Health S.T.A.R. Clinic Helps Adolescents and Teens Manage Sickle Cell Disease |
S.T.A.R. Clinic peer patient advocates with Dr. Paige Reilly, professor of pediatric hematology-oncology. (Photo Jack Martin/UI Health)
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Sickle cell disease was once thought of as a childhood disease, with few individuals surviving. Today, essentially everyone with the disease survives. However, the transition from childhood to adulthood remains complex and challenging. It is a period when the burden of the disease becomes more manifest, and also a period when people may lose safety nets and supports.
UI Health’s Sickle Cell Transition Adolescent-Adult Readiness (S.T.A.R.) Clinic was conceived to address this situation. The only program of its kind in Chicago, the S.T.A.R. team educates young patients about their disease, helps facilitate the transition to adulthood, and empowers them to take charge of their care.
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| UI Health First in Chicago to Unveil WINGS Hospital Program, Addressing Domestic Violence |
UI Health staff supporting the partnership: Ashwin Siddaraju, Rani Morrison Williams, Minerva Esparza, Kelly Anne Smith and Francesca Davis. (Photo: Jenny Fontaine/UIC)
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WINGS is the largest Illinois agency addressing domestic violence, and UI Health has become the first Chicago health system to partner with their WINGS Hospital Program. The aim of the program is to end domestic violence for the people served by UI Health.
Services provided through the program include bedside crisis intervention, medical advocacy for people experiencing domestic violence, and training for hospital and clinic staff on how to recognize the signs of domestic abuse. Since its launch in January this year, the program has referred more than 60 patients, both men and women, to WINGS for assistance.
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Vice Chancellor Barish Spotlights West Side United as a Model of Community-Based Care |
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Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs Robert Barish (center) alongside other partner hospital leaders such as Dr. Ngozi Ezike, President and CEO of Sinai Chicago (left) participating in a panel discussion moderated by WBEZ’s Sasha-Ann Simons (right) focusing on the success of West Side United. (Photo: Michael Wesbecher)
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Dr. Robert Barish, UIC vice chancellor for health affairs, was a panelist for West Side United: Advancing Health Equity in Chicago, an event hosted by the City Club of Chicago. The discussion focused on the partnership between West Side United, UI Health and other area hospitals to reduce heath disparities in Chicago's west side communities, especially the 20-year life expectancy gap. In addition to healthcare, this coalition has invested in local workforce, businesses and community projects.
Dr. Barish emphasized how the healthcare providers allied with West Side United with the intent of putting community health and community development front and center. He also discussed UI Health’s commitment to research that reflects the communities and populations served by the West Side United partnership. “At the University of Illinois Chicago, about 80% of our clinical trials involve populations that have typically been underrepresented in clinical trials. Some of the Big 10 institutions have five, eight or twelve percent. Almost nobody has 80%,” he said. “So that’s another major investment we are making for our communities.”
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College of Medicine Rockford Launches Street Medicine Program to Care for Unhoused and Underserved Populations
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Family medicine residents working with standardized patients on the Rockford campus to learn street medicine. (Photo: College of Medicine Rockford)
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University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford has launched a project to train family medicine residents to deliver care to unhoused and underserved populations in non-traditional settings. A $2.5 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration is funding the Primary Care Training and Enhancement-Residency Training in Street Medicine Project over five years. During that period, the project aims to train 34 family medicine residents per year in comprehensive street medicine. The project also includes partnerships with community-based and faith-based groups, as well as medical-legal collaborations, to address the complex needs of homeless populations.
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College of Applied Health Sciences Centering Voices and Experiences of People with Disabilities
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UIC professors of disability and human development, Dr. Susan Magasi, Dr. Joy Hammel, Dr. Delphine Labbé and Dr. Yochai Eisenberg. (Photo: Jenny Fontaine/UIC and Martin Hernandez/UIC)
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Dr. Susan Magasi and Dr. Joy Hammel, professors at the UIC College of Applied Health Sciences, are launching a new center for community-engaged research in support of people with long-term disabilities. A five-year, $4.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research is funding the ENGAGED: Disability Community Engaged Medical Rehabilitation Research Resource Center. The center will be a hub for community-engaged training, outreach and investigation into the social, economic, environmental and policy factors that affect the health of people with long-term disabilities. Researchers in the center, some of whom identify as disabled, will not only conduct independent research, but will also create resources and initiatives to support other medical rehab researchers in the integration of community-engaged research practices into their work.
Dr. Delphine Labbé and Dr. Yochai Eisenberg have received a three-year, $750,000 grant from National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research to develop tools and resources for urban planners and ADA coordinators aimed at increasing the involvement of people with disabilities in city planning and advisory committees. The goal is for cities to more effectively incorporate input from people with disabilities in city planning, and the researchers hope their materials will be used by people across the country to spur creation of more accessible cities.
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School of Public Health Continues to Lead in Maintaining Public Water Safety |
Swimmers get ready for the start of the historic Chicago River Swim, Sept. 21, 2025. (Photo: Martin Hernandez/UIC)
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Chicago history was made in September of this year with the return of the Chicago River Swim, after a 98-year hiatus. This was largely due to the water testing performed by Dr. Abhilasha Shrestha, assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences and her students, who were key in determining water safety for the swim. Dr. Shrestha and her team were selected for this important role because of their successful 10-year collaboration with the city in testing water safety at Chicago's beaches.
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| College of Dentistry Researcher Awarded Brasillinois Collaborative Research Grant |
Brasillinois collaborators Dr. Anne George and Dr. Roberta Okamoto.
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Novel ‘Nanopack’ Technology Aims to Reduce Progression of Multiple Sclerosis |
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A myeloid-derived suppressor cell (pink) dotted with nanopacks (white) filled with an anti-inflammatory drug. (Photo: Science Advances)
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Dr. Zongmin Zhao, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the Retzky College of Pharmacy, and PhD student Luyu Zhang, have developed a novel approach to reducing the progression of multiple sclerosis. Current therapeutics often involve delivering anti-inflammatory drugs to the central nervous system through the brain, but the blood-brain barrier can block many drugs from entering the brain at all.
This new technology involves attaching ‘nanopacks’ of the anti-inflammatory drug rapamycin to myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC). The nanopacks boost the activity of the MDSCs, enhancing their ability to find and suppress inflammation in the central nervous system, a key factor in multiple sclerosis. In the lab, the technology reduced progression of the disease and improved motor function. The nanopacks may also be used in the treatment of heart disease or arthritis.
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Community Flourishes Through Salsa Night at Odehmenan Health Equity Center |
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The Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center Salsa Ensemble performing live in the Odehmenan Health Equity Center. (Photo: UIC Creative and Digital Services)
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At the launch event, a panel discussion included people with disabilities sharing their perspectives.
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| Inclusive Care for People with Disabilities
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The Lifespan Disability Clinic (LDC), located in the UI Health 55th & Pulaski Health Collaborative, recently hosted an Open House to showcase the innovative approach to care, which centers the experiences of people with disabilities. The event also formally launched the new Advancing Disability-Inclusive Healthcare website, which offers curriculum to train healthcare professionals in providing individualized care to people with disabilities across the lifespan. Visit the Advancing Disability-Inclusive Healthcare website
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From the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research
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UIC researcher Meenesh Singh and postdoctoral researcher Rohit Chauhan work in a lab. (Photo: Jenny Fontaine/UIC)
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UIC pulls $490M in research funding in fiscal year 2025 |
The University of Illinois Chicago amassed $490.7 million in research funding during fiscal year 2025, which ran from July 2024 to June 2025. The total is a 27% increase since fiscal year 2019. Awards from federal, state, industry and private sources sponsored 3,440 projects on research in health care, transportation, telerobotic surgery, education, climate science and other areas.
| UIC scientists recreate the universe’s first moments by slamming together oxygen ions
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Dean Collins appearing on WTTW's Chicago Tonight.
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| College of Nursing Dean Eileen Collins Defends the Profession |
With the U.S. Department of Education’s recent proposal to exclude nursing from the definition of “professional degree” programs, Dean Eileen Collins has been called on by multiple news outlets to discuss the negative impact this would have on nursing students and nursing programs, as well as the implications for the sustainable provision of healthcare nationwide. View Dean Colins’ Media Appearances
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Scott Jones, MHA, FACHE and Enrico Benedetti, MD, FACS
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UIC Chancellor Dr. Maria Lynn Miranda was honored by Chicago United with a 2025 Bridge Award, which recognizes excellence in inclusive business practices.
Rani Morrison Williams, MS, MSW, FACHE, chief diversity & community health equity officer at the University of Illinois Hospital & Clinics, was chosen as one of Chicago United’s 2025 Business Leaders of Chicago.
The following health sciences faculty were named by Crains Chicago Business as Notable Leaders in Health Care Technology 2025:
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Dr. Niranjan Karnik, J. Usha Raj Professor Director of the Institute for Juvenile Research and interim director of AI.Health4All Center, University of Illinois College of Medicine,
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Dr. David Chestek, associate professor of clinical emergency medicine, University of Illinois College of Medicine, and
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Dr. Andrew Boyd, associate vice chancellor for research and chief research information officer.
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Dr. Evelyn Figueroa, professor of family and community medicine and director of community engagement at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, has been honored with the 2025 Dr. Tai R. Shin and Mrs. You H. Shin Humanitarian Award. Dr. Figueroa was also featured in recent New York Times coverage of the economic divide in America, based on her experience as founder of the Pilsen Food Pantry.
Dr. Ramaswamy Kalyanasundaram, department head and professor of microbiology and immunology, assistant dean for research, and Michael L. and Susan M. Glasser Professor of Rural Health Professions Education and Research at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford, was named by the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition as one of their 12 Researchers to Know for 2025.
Dr. Robin Mermelstein, clinical professor of community health sciences in the UIC School of Public Health, assistant dean of the University of Illinois College of Medicine, and co-principal director of the UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science, has been awarded a 2025 annual Alton Ochsner Award Relating Smoking and Disease.
Dr. Bhrandon Harris, MD, associate chief medical information officer at the University of Illinois Hospital 7 Clinics, was a speaker Becker’s 10th Annual Health IT + Digital Health + RCM Conference, notes from which were shared in the article From idea to implementation: How health systems can effectively pilot new technologies.
Dr. Creasie Finney Hairston, dean of the Jane Addams College of Social Work, was honored by Habilitative Health Systems, Inc. at their 5th annual Race and Health Equity Awards event.
Dr. Mary Pasquinelli, director of the Lung Screening Program at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and co-director of the Lung Screening & Prevention for the Oncology Service Line, has received a GO2 Excellence Award in Advancing Early Detection.
Dr. Bradley Merrill, professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, was awarded the 2025 iBIO iCON Innovator Award for advancing CRISPR-based synthetic biology and stem cell engineering.
Dr. Budi Kusnoto, program director, clinic director and professor in the department of orthodontics at the College of Dentistry, was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award for Lifetime Academic Achievement 2025 from the Faculty of Dentistry at Universitas Indonesia.
Deborah Lauseng, Associate Professor and Regional Head Librarian at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria, was honored with the 2025 Starfish Thrower Award by the Health Science Librarians of Illinois.
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Highlights from Healthcare Simulation Week at UIC |
| The new obstetric maternal and birthing manikin in the M. Christine Schwartz Experiential Learning & Simulation Laboratory, College of Nursing.
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| UI Health: Expert Care for Your Journey |
The University of Illinois Hospital & Clinics is running a new advertising campaign that showcases the compassion we show our patients and our commitment to support them at every step of their care journey. The broadcast spot was the creative anchor for the campaign, which included out-of-home, print and digital advertising.
View the Broadcast Spot
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| Number of Patient Visits at UI Health |
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| Miles Travelled by the College of Nursing Mobile Health Unit |
Since its launch approximately one year ago, the Mobile Health & Wellness Services RV, part of the ENRICH program at the UIC College of Nursing, has traveled 5,875 miles and served over 350 individuals throughout Peoria community locations.
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| The Total Number of Postdoctoral Students at UIC |
Although the majority of postdocs at UIC are in biomedical fields, we have postdocs appointed in many STEM, humanities, liberal arts, and social science fields. UIC fosters a welcoming community of postdocs and a robust professional development training program that benefits all postdocs regardless of field of study or future career choice.
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UIC Office of The Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs
University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System
914 South Wood Street, MCA (MC 973)
Phone: (312) 355-5473 | Email: VCHA@uic.edu
VCHA.UIC.EDU
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914 S. Wood Street | Chicago, IL 60612 US
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