Oct. 16, 2025 | Ethan Simmons New Speech and Hearing Science instructors Lesli Williams and Jerri Seremeth are both “native signers”—they grew up learning American Sign Language as their first language and primary mode of communication. They joined the Department of Speech and Hearing Science this fall, and teach classes remotely. Which classes are you […]
Category: People
AHS Faculty Q&A: Mariana Mendes Bahia on swallowing disorders and her research agenda
Oct. 14, 2025 | Ethan Simmons Speech and Hearing Science Assistant Professor Mariana Mendes Bahia, Ph.D. and CCC-SLP, is an expert on swallowing physiology, respiratory-swallowing coordination, and therapeutic strategies to alleviate swallowing disorders, called dysphagia. She joined the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in fall of 2024, and leads […]
AHS Faculty Q&A: Megan Huibregtse on traumatic brain injuries, MRI and coming to Illinois
Oct. 8, 2025 | Ethan Simmons Megan Huibregtse, Ph.D., is a first-year assistant professor in the Department of Health and Kinesiology, but she’s no stranger to the Midwest. Huibregtse obtained her bachelor’s in neuroscience and a Ph.D. in human performance from Indiana University, Bloomington. She worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Emory University before joining […]
A legacy of fitness: The influence of T.K. Cureton on Illinois’ health and wellness revolution
Oct. 01, 2025 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo “It’s never too late to begin getting into shape but it does take daily, sometimes painful, perseverance. After all, you can’t expect in a week’s time to make over a body that took years to wreck.” – Thomas K. Cureton, Jr. In the College of Applied Health Sciences at […]
AHS Alumni Awards celebrate leadership, resilience and service
Sept. 29, 2025 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo Honorees embody resilience, leadership, service, and equity The College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign once again shined a light on extraordinary alumni at its annual Alumni Awards celebration, held during Homecoming weekend. This year’s honorees—Dr. Jack Groppel, Justice Adrienne Albrecht and Brandon Buchanan—embody the […]
As Huff Hall turns 100, alumnus Isaacson looks back on its evolution, and his journey
Aug. 15, 2025 | Adelyn Mui How an RST alum became a Hollywood trainer to the stars Transforming John Travolta. Becoming the first fitness editor for ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Marketing customized racketball racks for the Denver Broncos. Presenting the first wearable fitness device, the Polar Heart Rate Monitor. The list goes on. “I dream […]
How Illinois helped John Preston redefine himself
Aug. 14, 2025 | Adelyn Mui John Preston had never been in an integrated environment until he came to the University of Illinois in 1967 Arriving at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the 1970s, John Preston was among the few Black students and people with disabilities on campus. His journey through the university not […]
Announcing our faculty promotions for 2025-26
Aug. 14, 2025 | AHS Staff Seven AHS faculty received promotions for the 2025-26 academic year Seven faculty at the College of Applied Health Sciences received promotions prior to the 2025-26 Academic Year. Here are their new faculty titles. Professor Nicholas Burd, Health and Kinesiology Andiara Schwingel, Health and Kinesiology Associate Professor Susan Aguiñaga, Health […]
Tacoria Humphrey is leaping further—in sport, school and life
Aug. 07, 2025 | Adelyn Mui Tacoria Humphrey was recently named a Dike Eddleman Athlete of the Year, presented annually to the top Fighting Illini male and female athlete She races down the rubberized runway, determination pumping through her arms, energy coursing across her strides and focus blazing in her eyes. With a mighty leap, […]
Illinois Sport Psychology: A ‘once in a lifetime’ reunion
Aug. 05, 2025 | Ethan Simmons Today’s Department of Health and Kinesiology once hosted the nation’s foremost researchers of sport psychology. Nearly 50 years on, these pioneers reunited at Huff Hall for a weekend on campus. When Rainer Martens arrived at the University of Illinois in the summer of 1966, he stepped out of his […]