UI Health

09/08/2025

Did you catch us serving up smiles at the Illinois State Fair?

For the second year in a row, our Division of Specialized Care for Children partnered with the Illinois State Fair to provide a calming space where fairgoing families could take a break and recharge.

Inside the station, visitors found an air-conditioned quiet zone stocked with noise-canceling headphones, fidgets and sunglasses. The station also offered calming pods with sensory swings, puzzles, sound machines, a foam pit, twinkle tunnel, stuffed animal petting zoo, focus course, and coloring station.

Our DSCC partners with families across Illinois to help children with special healthcare needs connect to the services and resources from early diagnosis to transitioning to adult independence.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4mc0Pmt

09/04/2025

Moyamoya is a neurovascular condition that causes the formation of small, weak blood vessels to carry blood to the brain.

These vessels cannot withstand the pressure of normal blood flow, increasing the risk that they burst — leading to as much as a 60% increase in the likelihood of stroke.

Our head of neurosurgery Dr. Fady Charbel shares how his team became one of the few hospitals in the Midwest to diagnose and treat this rare and complex condition.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/425KXe0

09/02/2025

Owen, a four-year-old from Massachusetts, had an important question for our gastroenterologist Dr. Brian Boulay: “How does your body make poop?”

Check out his informative answer in his latest column for The Conversation’s Curious Kids series!

Learn more: https://theconversation.com/how-does-your-body-make-poop-261911

09/01/2025

September is A-Fib Awareness Month, and our ‘electrician of the heart,’ Dr. Dana Johnson, explains the signs and symptoms to look out for.

Visit http://Heart.UIHealth.Care to learn more about our team’s expertise, and ask you primary care physician if seeing a cardiac electrophysiologist is right for you.

08/29/2025

Whether you’re pregnant, recently delivered, or navigating pumping and breastfeeding, our International Board-Certified Lactation Consultants provide expert care, consultation, education, and support to help you reach your feeding goals.

UI Health lactation counselor Angela Martinez talks about the benefits of breastfeeding and the resources available for your growing family.

Learn more: https://hospital.uillinois.edu/news/lactation-care-that-meets-you-where-you-are

08/27/2025

We understand that talking about HPV — human papillomavirus — with a doctor can sometimes feel scary or confusing. But we’re here to provide answers, support, and compassionate care to help you take control of your sexual health.

UI Health primary care physician Dr. Bhrandon Harris talks about HPV, it’s potential impacts on your body, and how you can protect yourself.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3UKaMwj

Learn how UI Health is breaking the stigma and protecting your health.

08/26/2025

Over the weekend, our UI Health community joined together to remember and celebrate the lives of pediatric patients who have passed away in our care.

This year's service included emotional speeches from parents and caregivers, a commemorative poem, personal notes, and the reading of each child’s name to music performed by students from UIC's School of Theatre and Music.

“This event is so special because we get to come together to honor those special kids who we loved caring for,” said UI Health child life specialist Dana Thornquist.

“Getting to see the families that we spent so much time with during long hospitalizations is so special. Even though it is an emotional day, there are still many moments with smiles and laughs as we all catch up with old friends and new.”

Thank you to everyone who has shown their support and love for these special UI Health families 💚💙

08/25/2025

Androgens — a group of hormones that play a role in male development — can fuel tumor growth. With this in mind, androgen deprivation therapy has long been a cornerstone of treatment for advanced prostate cancer.

But there are still questions about how well these drugs work for different people, and that’s where UI Health data is helping.

A team of researchers in our UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy and University of Illinois Cancer Center have been awarded a three-year, $1.2 million grant from U.S. Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program to study variation among patients in the effects of approved treatments for metastatic prostate cancer.

“This project will provide critical information for men diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer who are starting (androgen deprivation therapy) and considering whether to add abiraterone or apalutamide to their treatment plan,” said UI Health researcher Charles Gaber.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4lGXiMQ

08/22/2025

Summer is in full bloom at the Atkins Medicinal Plant Garden 🌺

Each August, scientists from the UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy's Pharmacognosy Institute host a garden walk in the college’s Dorothy Bradley Atkins Garden — home to more than 80 different medicinal plant species.

The open house allows our community to learn more about this unique educational and medical resource, the plant origins of many common medicines, and the role of edible and medicinal plants in our health.