Illinois Medicine

Southernmost Seven Endowment Quartet Michael Reese foundation provides $1 million for four professorships T HE COLLEGE OF MEDICINE HAS RECEIVED $1 MILLION from the Michael Reese Research and Education Foundation to endow four Michael Reese professorships in honor of the former Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center, which operated from 1881 to 2009. This endowment award, partially funded with the Sweeney matching gift program at the college, will establish the Michael Reese professorships in hematology, urology, anesthesiology and medical education. These professorships are intended to perpetuate the legacy of the Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center for current and future generations of physicians and scientists. The award will underscore more than 120 years of contributions and achievements in medical education, medical treatment, scientific discovery and community health care programs of the Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center benefactors, physicians and staff. the seven southernmost counties of Illinois. Received in partnership with the Southern Seven T Health Department, the grant builds on previous funding from HHS's Office of Women's Health that's addressed health disparities in the seven rural counties of Alexander, Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Pope, Pulaski and Union. The funding is part of a national HHS initia- tive called the Coalition for a Healthier Community. "This grant provides an opportunity for the Center for Research on Women and Gender to collaborate with our partners in southern Illinois, a traditionally under- resourced area of the state, to improve the health of rural women," said Stacie Geller, PhD, director of the Center for Research on Women and Gender and pro- fessor of obstetrics and gynecology. Women in far southern Illinois face significant health disparities compared with women in the rest of the state when it comes to conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity, ac- cording to a regional health assessment conducted in early 2011 by the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Southern Seven Health Department. In response, the project will implement Heart Smart for Women, an evidence-based HE CENTER FOR RESEARCH ON WOMEN AND GENDER at the University of Illinois at Chicago has received a five-year, $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to continue improving the health of women and girls in lifestyle intervention at 12 local churches, designed to boost both physical activity and nutritional intake among women. The classes will run for 12 weeks, followed by monthly maintenance programs to sustain behavior change going forward, including cook- ing demonstrations and walking groups. This menu of offerings Union Alexander Johnson Pulaski Massac $1.5M grant will help investigate health disparities among rural Illinois women ILLINOIS ILLINOIS Pope Hardin should address the myriad factors that affect women's health in this region, including access to health care, lifestyle choices, attitudes and beliefs about health and community resources. A higher percentage of women in this region than statewide fail to meet the recommended standard of five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day; in addition, they report less physical activity and have almost double the state's smoking rate for adult females. "We are extremely pleased to continue our partnership Union Alexander Johnson Pulaski Massac Pope Hardin with UIC for five more years," said Patricia Moehring, commu- nity health education director for Southern Seven Health Department. "I am really excited for the women we serve in our region to have the opportunity to move themselves to healthier lifestyles." ILLINOIS MEDICINE | 5 ILLINOIS MEDICINE | 5

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