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Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · 16d

Programs covered include:

🔹 The Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURF)

🔸 The Health Equity Research Experience (HERE) 🔸

🔹 Clinical Research Internship Study Program (CRISP) 🔹

Learn more about these programs: mayoillinois.org/education-tr...

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Mayo Clinic Summer 2026 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Information Session. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the...

Learn about undergraduate research opportunities available at Mayo Clinic, including the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program, Health Equity Research Experience (HERE), and Clinical...

illinois.zoom.us

Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · 16d

Interested in summer research at Mayo Clinic?

#Illinois undergrads have unique pathways to research at Mayo Clinic.

Join us at an information session Oct. 2, 6-7 p.m., over Zoom to learn more about summer programs SURF, CRISP, & HERE.

Register for Zoom details: illinois.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Mayo Clinic Summer 2026 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Information Session. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the...

Learn about undergraduate research opportunities available at Mayo Clinic, including the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program, Health Equity Research Experience (HERE), and Clinical...

illinois.zoom.us

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Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · Sep 3

Introducing #Illinois' 2025-2026 emerging research leaders!

Representing 15 units in 8 colleges and 6 of #Illinois' ten campuswide interdisciplinary research institutes, take a few moments to get to know our 15 newest academy members!

Read more: healthinstitute.illinois.edu/news-events/...

Introducing the 2025-26 Emerging Research Leaders

healthinstitute.illinois.edu

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Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · Aug 28

This summer, 15 #Illinois undergrads worked with Mayo Clinic mentors on cutting-edge projects.

Learn more about their research and the transformative experiences they had. 3-5 p.m. September 4 at @beckmanillinois.bsky.social.

Register today: redcap.healthinstitute.illinois.edu/surveys/?s=R...

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Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · Aug 15

🤯 14 #Illinois undergrad researchers did what all summer? Where? Find out September 4 at @beckmanillinois.bsky.social.

Join us to learn more & celebrate the exciting projects & the outstanding scholars who worked on them!

Register by August 28: redcap.healthinstitute.illinois.edu/surveys/?s=R...

Poster session & celebration
SURF
summer undergraduate research fellowship Health Equity Research experience
HERE

Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · Jul 30

👏 Shoutout to Sophia Stierwalt for an amazing ISPRA 2025 poster presentation! She shared her work with @DREAAM on culturally-rich STEM experiences for 3rd–5th graders.

🎉 Don’t miss more at our Community-Academic Scholars Poster Session. RSVP: redcap.healthinstitute.illinois.edu/surveys/?s=X...

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Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · Jul 29

As we gear up to announce the next #ERLA cohort, we're celebrating Maggie Berg, IHSI’s Senior Research Development Manager and the visionary behind the program. Her leadership has shaped 30 alums—and counting. Learn more: healthinstitute.illinois.edu/news-events/...

“The effort that Maggie and Gill are making to keep our alumni group active through social and educational events is greatly appreciated, and I think it sets this program apart from anything else I have heard about on campus."

--Annette McCoy, Veterinary Clinical Medicine

“One of our goals for ERLA is to build community to keep the alumni engaged as we move forward with the program. A lot of trust has been established among the ERLA alumni and we want to maintain those relationships built during the program as well as provide them with opportunities for peer mentorship.”

--Maggie Berg, IHSI

“Not only have we learned how to develop teams required to realistically pursue larger-scale grants as discussed during the recent ERLA alumni event, but also how to tackle cultural and structural changes that we see as part of maintaining Illinois’ excellence.”

--Simon Rogers, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

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Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · Jul 24

Climate-related disasters are increasing in frequency & intensity—and disproportionately affecting mental health in vulnerable communities.

Dr. Tara Powell’s research focuses on trauma-informed, community-centered solutions.
Read more ➡️ healthinstitute.illinois.edu/news-events/...

"My research is informed by a commitment to community-based, culturally responsive, and collaborative approaches, which have enabled my work to influence post-disaster mental health programs and policies. I highly value collaboration and welcome opportunities to explore connections between our work to advance real-world solutions." -Professor Tara Powell,
School of Social Work,IHSI affiliate

"Over time, I saw that supporting individual mental health required addressing larger social and environmental factors. My work expanded to examine these broader structural issues, aiming to create lasting change. This shift has allowed me to work with communities around the world to shape global mental health policies and practices. " -Professor Tara Powell,
School of Social Work,IHSI affiliate

"I greatly value interdisciplinary and collaborative research and would be interested in learning about other researchers' areas of expertise, the populations or communities they engage with, and the approaches they use to translate their research into real-world application." -Professor Tara Powell,
School of Social Work,IHSI affiliate

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Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · Jul 22

As our Community-Academic Scholars prepare for their August 6 poster session, we thank the late Edward Heiken, a 1972 economics alum & long-time #Illini.

Through his gift, four scholars are working to advance research & translation in brain health. healthinstitute.illinois.edu/news-events/...

Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · Jul 17

📊 From study design to data analysis, the Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) team works with investigators throughout the research lifecycle to make #Illinois health research stronger.

Read more: healthinstitute.illinois.edu/news-events/...

Community academic scholars watch the BERD prsentation

“This is a large, collaborative effort with potential for statewide impact,” Wallace explained. “Having BERD involved in the interpretation phase helps make sure the results are not just accurate, but actionable.”
Max Wallace
Project Coordinator
The Illinois Youth Tobacco Survey (ILYTS)

“We see it as our responsibility not just to support health sciences research, but to help early-career researchers think critically about how they work with data—and who the work is ultimately for,”
Aman Kaur
IHSI Biostatistician

“Strong design, clear questions, and well-aligned analysis—that’s the core of what we offer.” Jesus Sarol,
IHSI Senior Biostatistician

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Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · Jul 11

With a focus on natural language processing, artificial intelligence & machine learning, and knowledge representation for biomedical applications, iSchool Prof. Halil Kilicoglu is making science more innovative and trustworthy:

healthinstitute.illinois.edu/news-events/...

"I am always eager to learn about what other researchers are working on and explore whether/how technological innovations might help address some of their challenges and bottlenecks." Prof. Halil Kilicoglu, iSchool, IHSI Affiliate

"My work is multidisciplinary and I bring my computational expertise to collaborations with domain experts across fields. I am broadly interested in developing automated methods to enhance research planning, execution, and reporting, with the goal of making science more innovative and trustworthy."
Prof. Halil Kilicoglu, iSchool, IHSI Affiliate

"We are currently developing AI-based models and tools to assist medical journals and reviewers in checking the transparency and rigor of randomized controlled trial (RCT) publications. "

Prof. Halil Kilicoglu, iSchool, IHSI Affiliate

Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · Jul 9

As they wrap up their review, we want to acknowledge the hard work of the selection committee for the Emerging Research Leaders Academy (ERLA) for reviewing dozens of applications to select the 25-26 cohort!

Learn more about the 2024-25 ERLA experience:
healthinstitute.illinois.edu/news-events/...

Equipped with team science skills, emerging research leaders share new career perspectives

healthinstitute.illinois.edu

Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · Jul 2

IHSI Affiliate Tara Powell, an #Illinois social work professor, is working with collaborators to explore how to better support children affected by natural disasters.

Read more:
healthinstitute.illinois.edu/news-events/...

a flooded town with buildings underwater and debris floating everywhere

Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · Jul 1

From viral evolution to translational impact, Prof. Chris Brooke is working to address a "critically important knowledge gap for designing and evaluating vaccines that are more effective at stopping viral transmission within the community." healthinstitute.illinois.edu/news-events/...

"My background is in basic research, but the pandemic pushed me to expand beyond model systems to better understand the biology of viral infection and immunity in humans."
-Professor Christopher B. Brooke,
School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, IHSI affiliate

"One research goal that I am currently pursuing to identifying immune correlates of respiratory virus transmission risk in humans. This is a critically important knowledge gap for designing and evaluating vaccines that are more effective at stopping viral transmission within the community."
-Professor Christopher B. Brooke,
School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, IHSI affiliate

"We are building a really unique cohort in which we are collecting longitudinal samples and symptom data for a variety of common respiratory viruses. Anyone working on issues connected to human respiratory viruses and interested in potentially collaborating should reach out."

-Professor Christopher B. Brooke,
School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, IHSI affiliate

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Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · Jun 25

Max Wallace started with one program at IHSI. Now he’s helping lead community-driven public health work across our community and the state. 🤝📣
🌟 Meet Max: The Connector, Collaborator, Community Champion and Two-time @ahsillinois.bsky.social alum!
healthinstitute.illinois.edu/news…

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Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · Jun 24

Max Wallace started with one program at IHSI. Now he’s helping lead community-driven public health work across our community and the state. 🤝📣

🌟 Meet Max: The Connector, Collaborator, and Community Champion:
healthinstitute.illinois.edu/news-events/...

Connecting research, students, and communities for greater impact

healthinstitute.illinois.edu

Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · Jun 10

🥦 Finally, they hit up at Urbana's Market at the Square for tasty pastries, fresh veggies, & chicken pies from Stango Cuisine

Emma Oyola at the Urbana Farmer's Market

Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · Jun 10

🌱 @solagratiafarm.bsky.social's Big Dig.

🤝Fun fact! Healthy Champaign County and Sola Gratia Farm are both IHSI community partners through the Community-Academic Scholars program!

Sola Gratia Farm Presents the 2nd Annual Big Dig; Saturday June 7, 9-11 AM, 2200 Philo Rd. Urbana

Celina Trujillo, Max Wallace, and Emma Oyola at the Sola Gratia Big Dig

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Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · Jun 10

👟The 5K Morrissey Parkrun. Join @parkrunmorrisseypark every Saturday at 9. Morrissey Parkrun was launched through @healthychampaigncounty's Active Living initiative.

Max Wallace, Celina Trujillo, Emma Oyola and Maggie Berg stand next to the Morrisey Park Parkrun sign

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Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · Jun 10

The Community-Academic Scholar (CAS)-IHSI team was out and about in the community this past weekend!

📸 Peep CAS and IHSI friends popping up at

Group selfie including Max W., Celina T., Emma O. and Maggie B.

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Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · Jun 10

🚨 Registration closes in LESS THAN A WEEK! 🚨

Register by June 16: mayoillinois.org/education-tr...

#Genomics #Innovation

Q: What makes the CompGen course special?”
A:
• Cutting-edge content
• Nearly 900 alumni since 2013
• 100% virtual for broader access
• Modules on single cell, spatial transcriptomics, and artificial intelligence
• Fully overhauled tech infrastructure
• A focus on hands-on learning, regardless of coding experience

Q: Who teaches the CompGen Course?
A: Experts from Illinois and Mayo Clinic — including faculty, clinicians, and bioinformatics experts — lead lectures and labs across core genomics and emerging technologies. Stay tuned for a future post introducing the experts.

Q: Is there anything I can do to prepare for the CompGen course?
A: We are glad you asked! We encourage participants to familiarize themselves with the various platforms, apps, and OS used in the course.
Head to our website to check out some background reading and to get comfortable navigating the platforms, apps, and OS.

2025 Computational Genomics Course
June 23 - 27

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Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · Jun 10

Wondering about our 💻virtual Computational Genomics Course? We’ve got answers. ⬇️

🧬 What is CompGen?

🧬 Do I need coding experience?

🧬 Is this course for me? (Spoiler: probably yes)

Swipe through to find out what makes this course so popular, and join us June 23–27!

Q: What is the Computational Genomics (CompGen) course?
A: A week-long intensive hosted by the Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance, designed to equip researchers with skills in genome analysis, variant interpretation, and AI-driven tools.Instructors from Illinois and Mayo Clinic — including faculty, clinicians, and bioinformatics experts — lead lectures and labs across core genomics and emerging technologies.

Q: What can I expect during the CompGen course?
A: Through a mix of live, recorded, and on-demand lectures, you’ll learn core genomics concepts and learn how to work with new software tools.Synchronous and asynchronous labs and expert guidance empower you to explore the software and apply what you have learned right away. You will walk away with practical skills you can apply to your own research.

Q: Should I take the CompGen Course?”
A: If better understanding genomics can enhance your research, then YES!
You don't need previous experience at all. Researchers, clinicians, and students affiliated with Mayo Clinic or the University of Illinois — from genomics beginners to those seeking advanced applications — are invited to take it.

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Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · Jun 9

The answer is 💙🧡💙🧡💙🧡💙🧡💙🧡💙🧡💙🧡

💙 Ask questions early and often! 🧡

Eryck, Cecilia, and Esther all agreed that the best thing you can do as a scholar is ask questions of your mentors, lab mates, guest speakers, and program managers.

Celebrating community-engaged research and impact in Champaign-Urbana

healthinstitute.illinois.edu

Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · Jun 9

LAST CHANCE TO GUESS! What was the nugget they all agreed upon?

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Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute @illinoishealth.bsky.social · Jun 9

The program alumni
🔸 reflected on their most meaningful memories from last summer
🔹 expressed gratitude for how their participation in the program has opened opportunities & encouraged them to pursue post-graduate studies
🔸 finally, they offered advice on how to make the most of the CAS experience.

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