Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute

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Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute

Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute As the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's uniting institute for interdisciplinary health s

IHSI supports faculty-driven research by organizing around health challenges, team building, coordinating projects, and managing grant efforts. IHSI fosters connections between academic researchers and clinical partners, providing outreach support, and creating educational opportunities. IHSI makes a point to fuse technological advances with health science research and fosters medical breakthrough

s that help people help themselves. Comment policy: https://publicaffairs.illinois.edu/services/social-media/social-media-comment-policy/

05/13/2026

Congratulations to Deborah Miller on receiving a 2026 Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Award! 🎉

As IHSI Director of Partnerships and Translation and Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance Program Manager, Deborah helps bring people together to advance health innovation and turn research ideas into real-world impact.

We’re grateful for her leadership and dedication to addressing today’s biggest health challenges.

Read more: https://news.illinois.edu/fifteen-employees-honored-with-2025-chancellors-staff-excellence-award/

05/11/2026

Meet the 2026 Community-Academic Scholars 🧡💙

This summer, these students will spend 10 weeks working with a community mentor and an academic mentor on projects designed to make a direct impact on the communities they serve.

Not only will the students support and advance important research, they will develop a better understanding of the unique considerations and benefits of community-engaged research.

Congratulations to this year’s scholars:

🔸 Ace Aceves | biochemistry

🔹Tori Arduini | Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences (NRES)

🔸Celia Barkley | NRES

🔹Alisha Daga | Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering

🔸Grace Fan | Psychology

🔹Sydney Geiger Bryce | earth, society & environmental sustainability

🔸Zahra Ghadeer | Molecular & Cellular Biology(MCB)

🔹Lina Gil | Spanish and psychology)

🔸Amanda Jamrog | History

🔹Isabel Jimenez | Kinesiology

🔸Ellie Kim | Neuroscience

🔹Alan Medina | MCB

🔸Manh Nguyen | Statistics

🔹Zoe Rains | psychology

🔸Aman Saji | electrical and computer engineering (ECE)

🔹Roshellie Salgado (neuroscience)

🔸Rebecca Song | conservation biology and urban studies

🔹Jaritzi Villegas | (Civil and Environmental Engineering

🔸Wonjin Yang (Mathematics)

Learn more about the scholars and their projects:
https://healthinstitute.illinois.edu/news-events/news/the-2026-community-academic-scholars-are-poised-to-make-an-impact

05/05/2026

Do you know a forward-thinking associate professor, newly promoted professor, or mid-career researcher interested in leadership and innovation?

The Emerging Research Leaders Academy (ERLA) provides the tools, training, and network for mid-career faculty and researchers to achieve research success.

We're now accepting nominations for the 2026-27 cohort of emerging research leaders.

You don't need to research health to apply. ERLA is open to faculty across campus.

Applicants must be nominated by a department head, dean, or director, so be sure to get started early!

🔸🔸 Nominations are DUE May 29, 2026.🔸🔸

Submit a nomination: https://lnkd.in/gMjx65ah

View details and eligibility: https://lnkd.in/gPstCPYd

The Emerging Research Leaders Academy is facilitated by IHSI in partnership with Beckman Institute at Illinois, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology
College of Applied Health Sciences at Illinois, Liberal Arts & Sciences at Illinois, The Grainger College of Engineering, and the Office of Proposal Development at .

04/30/2026

IHSI 🧡's Undergraduate Research Week! Every year, members of the IHSI Team volunteer as judges for the symposium. Additionally, we get to see what our past scholars and fellows have been up to!

We are pleased to acknowledge 12 undergraduates involved in today's Undergraduate Research Symposium that have participated in IHSI's undergraduate research programming, including the Commiunity-Academic Scholars (CAS), Health Equity Research Experience at Mayo Clinic (HERE), and the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship at Mayo Clinic (SURF).

Alexander Chang (SURF 2024)

Cindy Chen (SURF 2025)

Sharon Ignatius Newton (SURF 2025)

Rayyan Iqbal (SURF 2025)

Roxana Jafari Haddadian (SURF 2025)

Lucas Jimenez (SURF 2025)

Devina Joshi (HERE) 2025)

Manasi Kulkarni (SURF 2025)

Delaney Marringa (SURF 2024)

Ranjani Ramesh (SURF 2025)

Cecilia Santiago (CAS 2024)

Lara Terpetschnig (CAS 2025)

They are presenting throughout the day. Be sure to check them out!!

Additionally, congratulations to Sharon Ignatius Newton for receiving a Research Support Grant. And to Ranjani Ramesh, Delaney Marringa and Lucas Jimenez for receiving Conference Travel Grants!

Learn more about IHSI's undergraduate research programs by visiting: https://healthinstitute.illinois.edu/education-training/student-fellowships-programs

04/29/2026

This month, the IHSI team is discussing humor and the gendered differences in perceptions of what is funny and what is acceptable in the workplace.

Humor is an essential way we connect with each other. Often used to lighten the mood, humor itself is not light.

It quietly encodes who gets to be funny, who is allowed to take up space, whose humor gets dismissed, and how different voices are treated in public or professional settings.

Humor is not neutral – it reflects power.

Check out the resources and consider:

🔹Are we reacting to the humor itself or to our expectations of the person delivering it?

🔸What can we do to ensure humor is inclusive rather than limiting?

https://healthinstitute.illinois.edu/about/diversity-equity-inclusion/diversity-resources/learn-about-humor-and-power-dynamics

04/22/2026

Get to know one of IHSI's newest affiliates!

Marie Channell, a professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Science at Illinois, studies how language, thinking, and social-emotional skills develop in children and teens with Down syndrome and other neurodevelopmental conditions associated with intellectual disability in the Intellectual Disabilities Communication Lab at UIUC.

In this spotlight, Prof. Channell talks about her research career has evolved to include a more patient-centered approach to her work and enabled her to recognize young people living with Down syndrome and their caregivers as experts with insights into the challenges and potential solutions that she is studying.

Learn more: https://healthinstitute.illinois.edu/news-events/news/ihsi-affiliate-spotlight-marie-channell

04/20/2026

Thanks to support from the Edward Heiken Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute Fund, four students are conducting research that will have a significant impact on studies of cognitive and brain health.

Students are working with Illinois researchers and clinical or community partners at Mayo Clinic and Champaign-Urbana Public Health District to conduct research in real-world settings.

Meet our 2026 Heiken Fund recipients:

🔸 Jiachen Tu
🔹 Yurui Cao
🔸 Neeraj Wagh
🔹 Roshellie Salgado

This support is part of the Edward Heiken Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute Fund, which was established in 2023 to advance brain health research and innovation at Illinois.

Learn more: https://healthinstitute.illinois.edu/news-events/news/donor-gift-provides-ongoing-support-for-students-advancing-brain-health-research

04/17/2026

The IHSI Team just wants to take a moment to recognize our volunteers from Beckman Open House who guided visitors on a "Research Adventure" to help them better understand how research helps build healthier communities.

We are especially grateful the Community-Academics Scholars from past years who joined us. Many thanks to:

Rena Amarteifio
Marina Justo
Kathure Kiunga
Jose Patino
Madisen LeShoure
Esther Cardenas
Lorena Magallanes

Read more about the exhibit: https://healthinstitute.illinois.edu/news-events/news/IHSI-exhibit-explains-how-research-helps-build-healthier-communities

04/14/2026

A couple more members of the IHSI team spent this morning with University of Illinois colleagues learning more about the rich history of the Black community in our region.

The Champaign County African American Heritage Trail's Dr. Barbara Suggs-Mason and Angela Rivers told powerful stories about how members of the local Black community built opportunity through creativity, resilience, and entrepreneurship—creating whole neighborhoods, infrastructure, and systems of care when racist policies like redlining, segregation, and gentrification barred access to be able purchase homes, get an education, or even seek medical treatment.

Experiences like this deepen our understanding of our local community and call on us to reflect on this history as we approach our community-engaged research and partnerships.

Thanks also to Neil St. Blues for an opportunity for good food, reflection, and dialogue. 🧡

These tours are made possible by a Healing Illinois Grant awarded to IHSI and the University of Illinois School of Social Work

To learn more about the funded project, “Teaching Our Shared Past: Healing and Education through the Learning Our History Initiative,” visit https://healthinstitute.illinois.edu/news-events/news/IHSI-and-social-work-receive-Healing-Illinois-grant-to-foster-healing-and-education-through-local-history

More on the Champaign County African American Heritage Trail: https://ccafricanamericanheritage.org/

More on the School of Social Work Learning our History initiative:
https://socialwork.illinois.edu/partnerships/learning-our-history-initiative/

04/06/2026

Happy Graduate Student Appreciation Week!

At IHSI, we want to take a moment to recognize all of the vital ways that graduate students advance research that responds to personal, public, and planetary health challenges.

Graduate students conduct research, mentor students, support research operations, and educate the public on topics in health.

Learn more about Graduate Student Appreciation weekhttps://grad.illinois.edu/engagement/celebrations-events/grad-student-appreciation-week

04/03/2026

Prof. Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo cares deeply about mental health and identifying ways to reduce mental health disparities—on our campus, in communities, and globally.

In her recent affiliate spotlight, Prof. Lara-Cinisomo talks about her research on pain. By understanding how cultural, structural, personal, and social factors influence individuals’ perception of pain, her team will be able to continue developing interventions and treatments that are sensitive and appropriate.

She also talks about her career, current goals, and more. Read more:

https://healthinstitute.illinois.edu/news-events/news/ihsi-affiliate-spotlight-sandraluz-lara-cinisomo

College of Applied Health Sciences at Illinois Department of Health and Kinesiology at Illinois

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Urbana, IL
61801

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+12172448480

Website

http://healthinstitute.illinois.edu/

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