From dialogue to community engagement, we were thrilled to spend National Public Health Week with so many dedicated public health professionals, students, friends, and community members. Thank you to everyone who showed up, spoke out, and gave back. Now more than ever, public health matters and needs you!

To wrap up NPHW, we were honored to welcome public health leaders from across Illinois and the nation to a panel discussion for incoming graduate public health students. They shared insights on making population-level health impacts, cross-sector partnerships, and the versatility of a public health degree.

Dean Wayne Giles, Helene D. Gayle (President Emerita, Spellman College), Karen Hacker (Former Director, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the CDC), Olusimbo Ige (Commissioner, CDPH), Kiran Joshi (COO, CCDPH), Crystal Pirtle Tyler (CEO, IPHI).

Zhuoer Lin's, PhD, recent study examined Alzheimer's disease clinical trials and found that racially and ethnically minoritized populations remain underrepresented in AD drug trials, comprising less than 10% of participants.

Kelechi Ibe-Lamberts, PhD, co-authored an article researching how physical, mental, and social health of the COVID-19 pandemic detrimentally impacted Black Americans and college students

Lisa Powell, PhD, co-authored a study of front-of-package food labels to see which best helped people understand nutrition. All labels helped more than no label, but labels that clearly warned when nutrients were high worked best. 

Celebrate our researchers, their groundbreaking discoveries, and the regional, national and, global impact of UIC. Join SPH for a series of events that highlight the work of our students, faculty, staff, and community partners. 

SPH will celebrate Spring 2026 graduates on May 7, and we are excited to announce Ayesha Jaco will offer remarks.

Ayesha is Executive Director of West Side United, where she leads collaborative efforts to close the 20-year life expectancy gap between West Side residents and downtown Chicago. Ayesha also serves on the boards of Choose Chicago and the Chicago Chronic Condition Equity Network.

Under ADA Title II, UIC must adhere to international accessibility standards by April 26, 2026, for publicly accessible digital content.

Digital content includes websites, apps, LMS, digital docs, AV, and mass emails. UIC Digital Accessibility Team offers resources and support. Faculty should focus on accessible course materials. UIC purchased YuJa Panorama – an integrated tool in Canvas that analyzes accessibility and offers tools to automate document remediation.

Canvas + Accessibility Q&A: Fridays from 9-10am until May 15, Derrick is offering online office hours. Ask questions, watch demonstrations, and receive live troubleshooting. Register on Zoom 

Updated syllabus templates for summer and fall 2026 are now available on the OAA Teaching and Learning resources page. For more info, view the post on the SPH T&L Teams site.  

Summer textbook adoptions closed on 3/15. For support or questions, please contact Lisette Martinez at lmarti9@uic.edu or lmartinez@follett.com.

The Office of the Dean of Students is looking for students, faculty, and staff to join the Student Conduct Committee. Becoming a member is a great leadership opportunity which will provide experience in critical and analytical thinking skills and conflict resolution. If you are interested in joining, please complete this form.

Student course evaluations are open April 20 at 12pm to May 11 at 11:59pm. Faculty will receive results on May 15 at 8am. Classes with fewer than five students will not receive an evaluation. Emails about course evaluations are sent from the SPH OAA and via an automated notice schedule in CourseEval (no-reply@courseval.net).

To help collect this data, the Dean's Office requests that faculty allocate 15 minutes of class  for students to complete their evaluations. Questions? Contact Derrick Stevens. Graduate course evaluations are no longer handled by Candace White in Student Affairs.

Canvas is now available. All faculty members must complete the Canvas transition survey. LMS Transition website has self-guided learning modules, the schedule for upcoming workshops, and recordings of all past webinars. Workshops will run multiple times a week for the spring semester. For questions or an appointment, email Derrick Stevens.

August 19, 2026 | 9AM - 4PM | Room 932
Join OAA to share what works in teaching practice–from popular assessments, to technology tools, or an annual topic discussion that produces deep conversation. If you are interested in giving short talks or leading sessions on a pedagogical topic, please email Derrick Stevens.

Each month, OAA will share a short, actionable tip for your teaching practice. Do you have a tip to share? Let us know on this form!

Dr. Michele McCay, Interim Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, Dean’s Office

“Using students’ names is a simple yet powerful way to build connections and foster a sense of belonging in your classroom. You don’t need to memorize every name right away, use table tents! Calling students by their names helps them feel seen and supported, which can positively impact their engagement and performance.”