UIC Nursing in the News

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WBEZ Chicago | May 12, 2026
Dean Eileen Collins and UI Health nurse Gina Barrett were featured guests on Say More with Mary Dixon and Patrick Smith in a nurse appreciate segment marking the last day of Nurses Week.

National Geographic (subscription required) | May 6, 2026
Professor Judith Schlaeger was quoted about her research on acupuncture in the article, “Scientists are finally decoding how acupuncture eases pain.”

WCIA  and WICS | May 6, 2026
Two regional networks were on hand to cover the traditional senior class pool jump in Urbana

CBS2 Chicago, FOX Chicago and Univision Chicago | May 4, 2026
Coverage of the traditional senior class pool jump!

State Journal-Register (Springfield) | May 1, 2026
Nursing students celebrate graduation with a splash in Springfield
BSN seniors’ traditional pool jump made front-page news for Springfield’s primary news outlet. The story is behind a paywall, but the SJR also ran a complementary collection of photos on the same day.

WAND-TV (Central Illinois) | April 30, 2026
Congrats with a splash: UIC nursing students dive into graduation
Coverage of the traditional pool jump by graduating seniors at our Springfield campus.

Chicago Tribune | April 29, 2026
Kennedy-King College market offers students fresh food for free in an area with limited grocery options
Assistant professor Saria Lofton was quoted as an expert on food insecurity in this article about a free market for students at Kennedy-King College in Englewood.

Rockford Register Star | April 21, 2026
Two UIC grad programs operating in Rockford land in top 25 in US
The primary news outlet in Rockford, Illinois, called out UIC Nursing’s DNP and MSN programs for their #11 and No. 22 rankings, respectively, in new U.S. News and World Report rankings. Both programs are offered at the college’s Rockford campus.

WGN Daytime Chicago | April 20, 2026
The IMAGE Project: A sexual and reproductive health program for Black teen girls and their families
Associate professor Natasha Crooks appeared on WGN TV’s Daytime Chicago to talk to co-hosts Tonya Francisco and Amy Rutledge about the IMAGE project.

Fox 32 Chicago | April 14, 2026
Child psychologist talks teen takeovers, causes and solutions
Clinical instructor Jasmin Ford, a board certified psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner (misnamed by Fox as a “child psychologist”) discusses the drive in young people to participate in viral “teen takeovers” of metro areas.

State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL) | April 8, 2026
US News & World Report ranks best Illinois grad schools. See the list.
Notes UIC Nursing’s MSN program as the top nursing master’s degree program in the state.

Our Quad Cities News | May 13, 2026
Jessica McKearney named Blood Drive Partner of the Year
McKearney, MS ’15, was recognized by the Association of Donor Relations Professionals (ADRP) for her work as a blood drive coordinator who has recruited more than 2,000 donors to blood drives over the last seven years.

University of Illinois System website | April 29, 2026
Search committee announced
Liz Aquino, PhD ’13, was selected as one of only three UIC faculty members to serve on the search committee for the next University of Illinois System president, and alumna Mary Maryland, PhD ’94, was selected as the UIC Alumni Association representative.

The West Bend News (Paulding, Ohio) | April 29, 2026
PEVS 2026 Academic Hall of Fame Recipients
Betty Schlatter, PhD ’90, who was director of the UIC Nursing nurse-midwifery program from 1989-1995, was inducted into the Paulding Exempted Village Schools Academic Hall of Fame.

Business Wire | April 13, 2026
Covista announces AI-powered classroom of the future for healthcare education with Google Cloud
Gay Landstrom, MS ’88, is noted as a member of Covista’s Healthcare AI Readiness Council, assembled “To ensure [Covista’s] AI innovation is grounded in the realities of clinical practice.”

Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation | April 6, 2026
License to serve: 250 years of Illinois professions
Linda B. Roberts, BSN ’78, was featured in Episode 1, “Hands that heal: The evolution of medicine in Illinois,” in this series honoring the people, professions and public service that have shaped Illinois. Roberts recently retired from the Illinois Nursing Workforce Center.

The Wall Street Journal | April 1, 2026
Nursing is the surefire new path to American prosperity
Recent alumna and UI Health nurse Janna Janthapaiboonkajon, BSN ’25, RN, was quoted about seeing her mother and two aunts thrive as nurses, and shared that she is now experiencing the same job security as a new nurse.

Nurse.org | March 25, 2026
Opportunity & Impact in Nursing Summit 2026: Where Purpose Meets Progress
Alumna Sabrina Ali Jamal-Eddine, PhD ’23, was quoted in an article about the ANA’s 2026 Opportunity & Impact in Nursing Summit.

University of Pennsylvania Almanac | March 17, 2026
Erika Enk: Inaugural assistant medical director for gender and sexual health at Penn
Erika Enk (they/them), MSN ’16, was named the inaugural assistant medical director for gender and sexual health within Student Health and Counseling at the University of Pennsylvania. They come to Penn from University Health Services at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where they directed the transgender and gender diverse medical program and provided comprehensive care to students.

Austin Weekly News | March 6, 2026
Erie opens health center in West Garfield Park
Kawana Tharps, DNP ’22, APRN, FNP‑C, is serving as the site medical director of the newly opened Erie Family Health Centers clinic at the Sankofa Village Wellness Center in Chicago’s West Garfield Park neighborhood.

Nevada Today | March 5, 2026
Over-the-counter doesn’t mean risk-free: understanding overdose risks and key ingredients
Charlie Yingling, DNP ’12, MS ’05, now dean of the Orvis School of Nursing, discusses acetaminophen, ibuprofen and combination cold medicines.

On campus: See our news items in UIC Today