Academic Internal Medicine & Geriatrics Research

Research Heading link

The Division of Academic Internal Medicine and Geriatrics develops, implements, and evaluates interventions that promote healthy lifestyles and support chronic disease self-management. Researchers study various interventions in the health care setting and community, with a focus on vulnerable populations disproportionately burdened with chronic disease. Researchers in this program engage churches, community organizations, health care providers, and many people living or working in or near the UIC neighborhood.

AIM is affiliated with the Institute for Health Research and Policy housed at the University of Illinois Chicago and the Center for Innovation for Complex Chronic Healthcare of the Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

As part of the University of Illinois Chicago, our division provides research training experiences for students, residents, fellows, and junior faculty. The division nurtures investigators, from sponsoring post-doctorate fellows to supporting their pursuit of career development grants or their first research project grants from the National Institutes of Health.

Research interests focus on the latest innovations in a variety of health care services. These include improving patient-physician communications; bioethical aspects of practice in the managed care environment; innovations in educating medical residents and students regarding managed care and primary care; enhancement of self-care in diabetic patients; and secondary data analyses of large clinical databases with regard to quality assessment, access and patient satisfaction.

Researchers in the Division of Academic Internal Medicine and Geriatrics aim to:

Learn how health status, cultural factors and perceived vulnerability for secondary cancers and other health risks might influence the health behaviors of adults who were treated for cancer as children.
Improve the health of these adults by developing and testing an intervention to help them be more active in their relationship with their physician as a way to improve their health and lessen the secondary effects of their cancer treatments.
Reduce obesity among children by developing and testing a nutrition and physical activity curriculum in preschool classrooms.
Improve the control of diabetes among African American and Latino adults by testing an intervention that integrates health promoters in clinic-based pharmacy services to promote medication adherence and healthier lifestyles.

Recent Grants Heading link

Rachel Caskey, MD, MAPP

Increasing the Uptake of Postpartum Long-Acting Reversible Contraception: A Novel Approach Combined with Well-Baby Visit, Society of Family Planning
Hagar Hallihan, PhD, RN

1.StuDy AimED at Increasing AlCohol AbsTinEnce (DEDICATE)

2. Pilot Trial to Evaluate PROblem Solving Therapy and APPLE Watch for College Students (PRO-APPLE Pilot)