SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - Southern Illinois University of Medicine has launched a new department, the Department of Population Science and Policy.
According to the university, the new department "considers social determinants to improve overall health in central, southern Illinois."
The goal is to help improve the health and wellness of central and southern Illinois counties.
The department will work to identify interventions and look at how factors like poverty and access to healthcare impact how people in rural communities live.
"This department provides a significantly new approach to health care that bridges data, health care delivery and social and environmental determinants of health," said SIU Medicine Dean and Provost Jerry Kruse, MD, MSPH. "It also reflects SIU Medicine's deep commitment to improving health care in our rural communities."
Sameer Vohra, MD, JD, MA, FAAP, has been named founding chair of the Department of Population Science and Policy.
"Our mission, as one of the first Departments of Population Science and Policy in the United States, is to understand the health challenges of people in central and southern Illinois and find innovative, sustainable solutions to improve health in their communities," said Vohra. "We work in conjunction with community partners to improve health outcomes in our medically underserved, rural service area."
Some of the first projects are looking into the opioid epidemic in the Illinois Delta Region, childhood growth and development, cancer disparities in rural communities, and building community capacity for health improvement.
The Department of Population Science and Policy will celebrate its launch with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 19, in the Pearson Museum at 801 N. Rutledge St. in Springfield.
