UI Health

Partnerships work best when the people in them actually know each other. Hat tip to the leadership teams of UIC Nursing and UI Health Nursing for making time to sit down, have a meal, talk and listen. Time together builds the trust and shorthand that lets leaders pick up the phone, tell the truth, solve problems faster, and lay a foundation for the next great achievement. It's a level of collegiality that benefits our students, faculty, patients and practitioners, and it's just good sense.

Yesterday, we hosted our 19th annual UI Health Kidney Transplant Symposium!

The event brought together specialists from across our Transplantation Program to showcase how their care and research is making a difference for patients around the world in need of transplantation care.

Thank you to all the speakers, providers, researchers, and patients who were a part of this fantastic meeting. See you all next time to celebrate 20 years of transplantation success stories 💚💙

Earlier today, our Chief Diversity & Community Health Equity Officer Rani Morrison Williams and the CEO of our Mile Square Health Center Dr. Karreim Watson joined State Senator Lakesia Collins to celebrate Diaper Needs Awareness Month with families from across Chicago's West Side.

Mothers and caretakers who attended the event were able to access free diapers, clothes, car seats, and breast pumps to ensure they have the resources their families need to thrive.

We're grateful to everyone who made this morning possible 💚💙

Earlier this year, UI Health researchers in our Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center wanted to study the impact of chronic kidney disease on people with sickle cell disease.

Of the about 100,000 people in the U.S. who have sickle cell disease, more than half will develop chronic kidney disease at some point in their lives.

“Once kidney disease develops, patients with sickle cell disease have a very rapid decline in kidney function,” said Dr. Santosh Saraf, the director of our Adult Sickle Cell Center.

“We do not really understand why or how the kidneys are damaged, and there are currently no therapies approved that have been rigorously tested to look at how they might affect kidney function.”

Learn how the center’s new, five-year, $3.78 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute is aiming to change that: https://bit.ly/3ZnwqbO

UI Health received the American Heart Association’s Commitment to Quality award for 2026 for achieving high performance across three or more clinical areas in their Get With The Guidelines® program!

Just 222 hospitals in the U.S. received the Commitment to Quality award in 2026, and hospitals earning this award demonstrated a comprehensive approach to quality improvement. By participating in three or more Get With The Guidelines® programs, health systems commit to using real-time data registries, evidence-based protocols, and cross-disciplinary teamwork to raise the standard of care across multiple specialties.

This year, UI Health was recognized with eight quality-achievement awards from the AHA/ASA Get With The Guidelines® program for stroke, heart failure, coronary artery disease, and resuscitation care.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4qZF8dk

As GLP-1 usage continues to rise, the search for alternatives has led some to the secondary online market, but physicians caution that these medications can come with serious consequences.

"Many patients think these medications don’t come with side effects, but that just isn’t true — especially when they come from online pharmacies," said UI Health bariatrician Dr. Berger-Fleishman.

Learn how the support of a full team at our Comprehensive Weight Management Program — including experts on diet, mental health, surgery, and medical weight loss — can provide more personalized treatment and better outcomes than an online provider: https://bit.ly/4xAaSs1