About
Our mission is to be the Illinois catalyst for interdisciplinary health research and innovation addressing personal, public, and planetary health challenges.
Established in 2014, IHSI is one of 10 campuswide research institutes at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. At IHSI, we work with campus and external collaborators to advance interdisciplinary health research and translation. We offer learning experiences and opportunities, develop research and training programs, provide support services, and manage partnerships that ensure research addresses and improves human health and well-being.
Research Support
One of the university’s 10 campus-wide interdisciplinary research units, IHSI creates and manages core infrastructure essential to the health sciences. Our support services encompass all stages of research, from early planning and design through award management.
- Biostatistics, Epidemiology, & Research Design (BERD)
- REDCap
- Research Development
Education & Training Programs
IHSI supports the development of current and aspiring health researchers and innovators. We provide education, training, and engagement opportunities and offer programs that guide all stages of research development.
- Grant Seeking Workshops
- Professional Courses (including Computational Genomics)
- Student Fellowships & Programs
Partnerships & Translation
Partnership and collaboration are woven into everything we do. IHSI works with campus, community, and clinical partners in priority areas to strengthen our health sciences ecosystem.
Browse our site and connect with us to explore ways we can, together, advance health and wellness in our society.
Interactive Historical Timeline
IHSI's first year
Illinois launches two major Health and Wellness goals of the Visioning Future Excellence initiative: the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Initiative (replacing and growing beyond an earlier effort, the Division of Biomedical Sciences) and the Carle Illinois College of Medicine.
IHSI starts three program areas in Cancer, Clinical & Translational Neuroscience (to later become Brain Health), and Precision Medicine. IHSI manages the university's side of the Carle Illinois Research Affiliation, including the Biomedical Research Center, and the Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance.
Professor Neal Cohen selected as founding director for IHSI.
2014
Translational research at the BRC
Prof. Rashid Bashir joins Prof. Stephen Boppart (2010) and Prof. Dipanjan Pan (2013) as the third occupant of the Biomedical Research Center (BRC), located in Carle's Mills Breast Cancer Institute. At the BRC, Carle physicians and Illinois investigators work side-by-side on translational science. Illinois oversight of the BRC transitioned from IHSI to the Cancer Center at Illinois in 2019.
February 2015
NIH Grant Writing Series
IHSI launches its first training program for researchers, the NIH Grant Writing Series.
September 2015
Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance welcomes its first fellows
The Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance welcomes its first cohort of three Illinois graduate students for the Fellowship for Technology-Based Healthcare program. The fellowship offers two years of support for students conducting research on new technologies and clinical tools aimed at advancing individualized medicine.
August 2016
Gnotobiotic and Transgenic Mouse Facilities
A campus subcommittee, chaired by former IHSI Deputy Director John Erdman and supported by IHSI, recommends the establishment of a gnotobiotic and transgenic mouse facility to enhance productivity of preclinical researchers.
February 2017
IHSI granted institute status
IHSI is officially designated as an institute and joins six other Interdisciplinary Research Institutes at Illinois.
June 2017
Cancer Center is launched
IHSI's Cancer Community is launched as the Cancer Center at Illinois to formalize and build on the interdisciplinary cancer-research activities at Illinois.
July 2017
Grand Challenge research project begins
The Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance begins its first "grand challenge" project using high-performance computing for rapid genome sequence analysis.
August 2017
Promoting health equity
Health Disparities (later renamed to Health Equity) becomes IHSI's fourth program area.
September 2017
A strategic vision for health
The 8-month effort of the Health Sciences Strategy Task Force culminates with a final report to inform The Next 150 Strategic Plan.
December 2017
Microbiome Initiative launches
The Microbiome Initiative (to later become the Microbial Systems Initiative) launches with support from the OVCRI, IHSI, IGB, the School of MCB, and the Department of Microbiology.
December 2018
Community collaboration
The Community-Academic Partnerships core launches. The inaugural cohort of Community-Academic Scholars participate in community-based research addressing issues of health equity over the summer.
January 2019
Social and Behavioral Science
The Social & Behavioral Sciences Research Initiative (SBSRI) was elevated to the Center for Social & Behavioral Science (CSBS) as part of The Next 150 Strategic Plan. IHSI provides continued support for its launch as an independent center.
February 2019
Illinois MS Research
IHSI hosts Illinois MS Research Day, the founding event for the Illinois MS Research Collaborative.
April 2019
IHSI and partners bring REDCap to Illinois
IHSI, Technology Services - Research IT, and the University Library launch Illinois REDCap.
May 2019
INBAL opens its doors
The Illinois NeuroBehavioral Assessment Laboratory (INBAL), a collaboration of the Department of Psychology, CSBS, and IHSI, offers free academic assessments during its "sneak peak" grand opening.
August 2019
Biostatistics Core expands
The Biostatistics Core, launched in 2017, expands to include epidemiology and research design. The core is renamed BERD.
November 2019
Veteran brain health
The Chez Veterans Center partners with the Beckman Institute, Carle, College of AHS, and IHSI to address Traumatic Brain Injury among Veterans. A collaborative event, "Making the Invisible Visible" fostered discussion among Military Service Members, Veterans, caregivers, researchers, and providers.
November 2019
We CU responds to community needs
The We CU Community Engaged Scholars program launches to meet community needs during COVID-19 with support from the Office of the Chancellor, School of Social Work, IHSI, College of Education, CSBS, and Siebel Center for Design.
May 2020
IHSI joins SHIELD team
IHSI provides administrative and research support for Illinois' SHIELD inititive.
July 2020
SHIELD CU launches in partnership with OSF HealthCare
Based on the successful campus SHIELD testing program, SHIELD CU is launched to help reduce the Champaign County community COVID-19 positivity rate, keep it low, and allow schools, businesses, and activities to safely stay open.
March 2021
Interim Director and Health Innovation Visioning
Prof. Stephen Boppart is recognized as Interim Director and serves as chair of the Health Innovation Visioning Committee (HIVC), charged by Chancellor Jones to consider a new technology-inspired academic health research and education model at Illinois for global impact on human health.
Summer 2022
ARPA-H award to advance surgical precision
The Alliance secures an ARPA-H award of up to $33 million for the development of MarginDx, a platform aimed at advancing precision in surgical care and improving patient outcomes.
Summer 2024