Patients who have been diagnosed with Stage II or III melanoma and have had surgery may be eligible to participate in a new clinical trial at Simmons Cancer Institute at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. The clinical trial is studying the effectiveness of a vaccine for melanoma. Stephen Stone, M.D., professor of dermatology at SIU School of Medicine, is the principal investigator on the study. This Phase III melanoma clinical trial uses a combination of proteins associated with laboratory-grown melanoma cells to stimulate the body’s immune system to fight the cancer. The

A new partnership between Simmons Cancer Institute (SCI) at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield and Litchfield Oncology Institute will expand area cancer patients’ access to cancer care. Sherjeel Sana, MD, assistant professor of hematology/oncology at SCI, will hold clinic hours every Tuesday at the clinic located at 1201 East Union in Litchfield. Appointments can be made by calling 217-545-8000. Sana said SCI physicians also travel to Staunton and Jacksonville. “This is a continuation of our efforts to provide oncology services to patients closer to their homes.”

More than 50 people from Memorial Medical Center and Southern Illinois University School of Medicine participated in a complex simulation exercise that followed a critically ill patient from the moment he called for help in his home until he was wheeled into an intensive care unit. The live simulation was the "first time that a simulation of this complexity has been attempted," said Dr. Sapan Desai, medical director of the surgical skills lab in the Memorial Center for Learning and Innovation as well as vice chair of research with the department of surgery with SIU School of Medicine. "This

Memorial Medical Center has launched the Memorial Advanced Hernia Center to assist patients facing complex hernia cases. Dr. John Mellinger, a surgeon with SIU HealthCare, and Dr. James Fullerton, a surgeon with Springfield Clinic, serve as co-medical directors of the Memorial Advanced Hernia Center. "The concept behind the Memorial Advanced Hernia Center is to offer the patients we are here to serve a comprehensive, multidisciplinary and outcome-focused approach to their hernia, including the related conditions and health issues that often accompany and contribute to hernia formation,”

Dale Smith, Chair Kari Wolf, MD, Vice Chair Sheref Unal, MD Beau Batton, MD Jerry Kruse, MD, Dean, CEO John Flack, MD, MPH Jan Rakinic, MD Aziz Khan, MD Ricardo Loret de Mola, MD Sarah Phalen John Simmons Lucy Stafford

A collaboration of Springfield health care organizations took home top honors at an international meeting for health care leaders held Oct. 6-8 in Chicago. A panel of experts at the International Hospital Federation’s (IHF) 39th World Hospital Congress presented representatives from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and Memorial Health System with first prize for the best presentation. The study, “Improving the Success of Strategic Management Using Big Data*”, explored how big data can be used to personalize health care. The School of Medicine and Memorial teamed up through the

Patients of SIU HealthCare now have easy, free and secure access to their personal health information online, allowing them to request appointments, refill prescriptions, view lab results and receive updates to changes in their health record. Launched Oct. 1, the password-protected patient portal, available at SIUHealthCare.org , “allows patients to directly communicate with their doctors’ offices, manage their health and their family’s health online and request prescription refills anywhere using a computer, smartphone or tablet,” said Harald Lausen, DO, MA, chief medical officer of SIU

A new partnership between Simmons Cancer Institute (SCI) at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and Passavant Area Hospital in Jacksonville will expand area cancer patients’ access to cancer care. Edem Agamah, MD, MS, FACP, formerly of Central Illinois Hematology Oncology Center in Springfield, has joined Simmons Cancer Institute and will see patients on Tuesdays in Jacksonville. Swati Pathak, MD, assistant professor of internal medicine at SIU School of Medicine, will begin seeing patients on Mondays in November at Passavant. Pathak is also a member of Simmons Cancer Institute

Arts and Culture If you enjoy history, there are many historic sites and museums to visit in Springfield and the surrounding area. One of the most engaging is the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site, about 20 minutes north of Springfield, is another popular destination. Along with the recreated village from the 1800s, the Theatre in the Park at New Salem hosts a variety of theatrical performances from April to August. The Dana-Thomas House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Springfield socialite Susan Dana, is an architectural gem worth experiencing