Message from the Chair
Hello PSP friends and partners,
My name is Wiley Jenkins and I am both humbled and excited to be the next leader of the Department of Population Science and Policy. As a member of this Department since its inception, I’m passionate about improving the health of people in central and southern Illinois. Our Department has the good fortune to work with many academic and community collaborators and there is undeniable enthusiasm and momentum in our work. Dr. Vohra, as the Department’s Founding Chair, has established impactful strategies in the areas of research, teaching, and policy development. I wish him all the best in his new opportunity and I’m looking forward to advancing his vision.
Since its inception, our Department has been fortunate to employ a diverse team of talented individuals. We now have more than 25 faculty and staff who occupy offices in both Springfield and Carbondale and bring exceptional skills and experiences to the table and an interdisciplinary perspective to our work. While we have opportunity to pursue research in the academic sense, we also seek to continue and expand our partnerships and collaborations that help translate data into action and improved health. Examples include addressing youth mental health, disease and overdose risk reduction among people who use drugs, and better assessments of community needs by hospital partners. We have developed a proven track record of success in research and collaboration, and look forward to continuing that effort.
I come to this role with a wealth of background experiences which will serve PSP’s mission. I began my career with 13 years at the Illinois Department of Public Health in the Division of Laboratories, eventually becoming the Springfield laboratory manager and the state laboratory bioterrorism coordinator. I saw firsthand how public health and collaborations across multiple partners can effectively address large-scale challenges (such as the anthrax scare in 2001-2002). During this time, I also completed my graduate education at Tulane University (MPH) and the University of Illinois at Chicago (PhD).
My work at SIU School of Medicine began in 2007 when I was asked to be the Director of Research and Program Development for the Department of Family and Community Medicine. There, I worked with faculty and residents on multiple teaching and research projects and also continued my personal research into sexually transmitted infection epidemiology. I then assumed the role of Associate Director of Faculty Development for the newly-created Center for Clinical Research. In line with this role and faculty engagement across much of SIU Medicine, I decided to shift my research focus to cancer disparities – especially as they relate to rural areas. Successes in this area of work (collaborations, grants, and publications) led to my appointment in 2013 as Science Director for the newly-created Population Health Science Program, which later transitioned into the Office of Population Science and Policy and finally to today’s Department of Population Science and Policy. I also serve as chief of the Department’s Epidemiology and Biostatistics Division. I have called Central IL my home for over 30 years.
I feel privileged for the opportunity to improve the health of people in central and southern Illinois. Please feel free to reach out to me as needed.
Wiley
Research Professor and Interim Chair
Department of Population Science and Policy
|
|
Epidemiology and Biostatistics
The Epidemiology and Biostatistics division is excited to announce funding for a 6th year of its study, Addressing the Opioid Epidemic: Ending Transmission of HIV, HCV, STDs and Overdose in Rural Communities (ETHIC). This study is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a division of the National Institutes of Health. The ETHIC program is led by co-principal investigators, Mai Pho, MD, MPH (at the University of Chicago) and PSP's Wiley Jenkins PhD, MPH, FACE, in partnership with other academic, private and government organizations. The study team also received supplement funding which will use the existing infrastructure of the ETHIC study to enroll sexual and gender minorities who use drugs.
The Epidemiology and Biostatistics Division is also continuing work in the ruralHarmony program. The current study, Illinois Cohort of Rural Sexual and Gender Minority Individuals, assesses risks to good health and barriers to healthcare faced by people living in central and southern Illinois – especially as the risks and barriers relate to sexual orientation and gender identity. This study is intended to help better understand challenges faced by rural LGBTQIA+ individuals to better inform solutions.
|
|
Human and Community Development
The Human and Community Development division has been expanding work to improve youth mental health in central and southern Illinois. Dr. Nicole Summers-Gabr, PSP Assistant Professor and Director of Social Innovation, has expanded youth mental health evidence-based programming to the junior high school in Hillsboro, Illinois. The programming is based on the results of youth mental health assessments administered in November 2019 to identify risk and protective factors that can affect mental health.
Dr. Summers-Gabr and her team have completed a similar assessment of youth mental health in Nokomis, Illinois. Now, Human and Community Development team members will help guide a steering committee of local community leaders and engaged youth to select evidence-based programs to address mental health issues uncovered in the assessment. PSP is looking forward to conducting youth mental health assessments in the Mt. Olive School District and the Alton School District in the coming school year. These projects are possible due to generous funding from Hillsboro Area Hospital, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation.
PSP Assistant Professor Anne Scheer is collaborating with AltonWorks and Alton Forward to make Alton into a happier and healthier place through building regeneration and social impact projects. Dr. Scheer has been using the UNICEF Child-Friendly City Initiative as a framework for her work. To date, Dr. Scheer has hosted focus groups for children ages 5-18, local parents and heads of youth-serving organizations to determine how Alton should be a Child-Friendly City, what assets are already available and what challenges exist. Next steps include community assessments, asset mapping and ensuring adequate community representation.
Dr. Scheer was also recently awarded a grant to become part of the ARISE cohort. ARISE is a collaboration between WE in the World and the Illinois Department of Public Health.
|
|
Health System Science
The Health System Science Division has been busy releasing policy briefs and disseminating important policy information via multiple mechanisms. The COVID-19 and Rural Health series wrapped in April 2022 with a final webinar “Transforming Rural Health in Illinois” featuring Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton as the moderator. Wayne Giles from University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health, Linda Renee Baker from the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and former PSP Chair Dr. Sameer Vohra discussed overarching impacts of COVID-19 on rural communities and how communities can emerge stronger.
The division’s work continues with the 2022 Innovating Illinois Rural Health Event Series, a hybrid event consisting of webinars and an in-person event combining the Rural Health Summit and the Health Policy Institute. The first event in the Series was a webinar in May featuring the Honorable Eric D. Hargan, former Deputy Secretary, US Dept. Health and Human Services and former PSP Chair Dr. Sameer Vohra. It was moderated by W. Eugene Basanta, Southern Illinois Healthcare Professor of Law Emeritus at SIU School of Law, and discussed rural innovations uncovered during the pandemic. The second webinar featured Brock Slabach of the National Rural Health Association, Katie Cangemi from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Rex Brown from Hillsboro Area Hospital and Nicole Summers-Gabr from PSP to discuss the award-winning model and unique collaboration of Healthy Hillsboro. Both webinars were hugely successful and will contribute meaningful information to the upcoming Summit in October. Learn more about that event below.
|
|
Education
The PSP Education team celebrated several milestones in the last few months. SIU Medicine's MD/MPH class filled to capacity for the second year in a row and celebrated the recent graduation of Dr. Aaron Peach, MD, MPH, Class of 2022.
Education Director Dr. Meredith Volle recently completed the American Medical Association’s Health Systems Science Scholars Program. This work allowed the Education team to receive a grant from SIU Medicine Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion to implement new curriculum in all eight core clerkship areas of the third year of medical school. In addition to expanding PSP's reach to medical students, the new curriculum is reaching residents and teaching faculty as well.
The Education team recently collaborated with SIU Medicine's Office of Graduate Medical Education to welcome incoming SIU Medicine residents with a “See the City You Serve” bus tour. The tour helped acquaint the new doctors with the many resources available to patients around the city of Springfield and was covered in an Illinois Times article. The PSP Education team will continue to raise awareness of social determinants and health disparities in its expanded work.
|
|
Department of Population Science and Policy named Healthy People 2030 Champion
We are pleased to be recognized by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as a Healthy People 2030 Champion.
As a Healthy People 2030 Champion, the Department of Population Science and Policy has demonstrated a commitment to helping achieve the Healthy People 2030 vision of a society in which all people can achieve their full potential for health and well-being across the lifespan. ODPHP recognizes PSP, along with other Healthy People 2030 Champions, as part of a growing network of organizations partnering with ODPHP to improve health and well-being at the local, state, and tribal level.
|
|
|
PSP Presentations
The Department of Population Science and Policy is proud to be presenting at the following events:
Illinois Rural Health Association Annual Meeting
"Innovation Meets Mental Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach Addressing Needs of Children and Adults"
Association of Community Mental Health Authorities of IL (ACMHAI) Membership Meeting
"Rural Mental Health: Policy and Innovation"
National Rural Health Association Critical Access Hospital Conference
"Healthy Hillsboro: Rural Hospital Community and Systems Innovation"
American Academy of Pediatrics 2022 National Conference and Exhibition
"PSP in Practice"
American Public Health Association Annual Meeting
"Liquid Assets as an Indicator of Economic Stability"
"Partnership HEALTH: A Framework for Community Collaborations Targeting Rural Youth Mental Health"
"HIV Transmission Risk Behaviors Among Rural People Who Use Drugs"
"Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Rate by Gender Identity Among US Young Adults"
|
|
|
2022 Innovating Illinois Rural Health Summit -
Rural Health Policy: Federal, State and Local Implications
The 2022 Innovating Illinois Rural Health Event Series is designed to highlight innovation and share best practices to inform rural health delivery and improve the social, economic and environmental factors that contribute to health in rural communities. The series' capstone event, "Rural Health Policy: Federal, State and Local Implications," will convene in Springfield on October 27, 2022, and will feature a local, national and federal perspective on four of the most pressing issues impacting health in Illinois.
The Summit is designed to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, foster innovative ideas and create a pathway for rural health improvement.
Contact us to be notified with updates and registration information for this event.
|
|
|
Join Our Team
The Department of Population Science and Policy is seeking health policy, research and community support staff with bachelor's or master's degrees with backgrounds in public health, health services, children's health and/or community health (or related fields) to join our team. View our vacancies (search for the Department of Population Science and Policy) or contact Heather Whetsell for more information.
We also welcome interns who are looking for graduate college credit, are working through the AmeriCorps program or are working through similar pathways. If you have an undergraduate degree and would like to intern with PSP, please contact Amanda Fogleman for more information.
|
|
|
|
|
Population Science & Policy
201 E. Madison Street
Springfield, IL 62702
(217) 545-7939
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
