About Us

Department of Women Children and Family Health Science

Lillian Runnerstrom Institute of Excellence in the Study of Women, Children, and Family Health

The Department of Women Children and Family Health Science has a stellar history of commitment and excellence in educating nurses and has been influential in expanding and improving health care for women, children, and families nationally and internationally. Started in 1972, Dr. Lillian Runnerstrom spearheaded the initiation of the first graduate program for the department, the nurse-midwifery program. The first in Illinois, it is currently the only nurse-midwifery program within the state and is ranked first in the country.

Dr. Runnerstrom's leadership laid a strong foundation for the program and ultimately for the entire department. Since 1972, the department has graduated more than 500 nurse-midwives and developed and implemented five other graduate programs: the women's health nurse practitioner, the pediatric nurse practitioner, neonatal nurse practitioner program and the pediatric and perinatal clinical nurse specialist. The students and faculty have delivered over 12,000 babies!

Our faculty excel in teaching, clinical practice, and research. A testimony to their excellence is the high volume of publications, not only faculty publications, but also graduate student publications. Our graduates are highly sought for their clinical and research expertise and have made major contributions to the profession and health care policy.

To maintain a high level of faculty productivity and to remain the leader in research on women, children and families, the department is in critical need of resources for both faculty and students to support our work and future goals. If you would like to contribute to the Institute, you can make a gift online or contact:

Barbara McFarlin, PhD, CNM, RDMS, FACNM
Associate Professor and Interim Department Head
Phone: (312) 996-0516
E-mail: bmcfar1@uic.edu

 

Endowed Chairs

Endowments are essential for sustaining the momentum we have developed and will continue to enhance the growth and development of faculty. An endowed chair will enable faculty to conduct research, mentor graduate students, disseminate findings, and lead our profession into the 21st century and beyond. The ability to conduct cutting edge research translates into the need for state of the art equipment for collection of physiologic and neurocognitive data, funds for the collection of neurohormonal data and laboratory assays, state of the art computerized equipment for collection and storage of data, as well as laboratory space for research teams.

Midwifery and Women’s Health

Midwifery and women’s health care faculty conduct research in the neurohormonal responses of women to alternative methods of pain management during birth, the process of lactation, lactation support, and developing models of preventive health care for women throughout the life span.

The faculty also actively participate in health education and research in Eastern Europe and Africa. Support is critical for developing and implementing preventive health care practices for women and their children in third world countries

Pediatric and Perinatal

Research of the pediatric and perinatal faculty includes understanding the parental experience of early perinatal loss as well as adolescent parenting for inner city African American fathers. Faculty are engaged in cutting edge research on cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents with diabetes and obesity. Our goal is to reach beyond identification of responses and risk factors to the development and implementation of intervention that will ultimately improve health and development of children at risk.

Infancy Research

Infancy research within the department has been ongoing since 1983. Earlier research identified maternal and premature infant behavioral responses to intervention aimed at improving growth and development. Current research is unlocking the key to our understanding of neurohormonal responses of infants and their mothers to developmental intervention. Research has also begun to understand the development of communication in premature infants.

Family Health

Our family health research encompasses how families make decisions regarding genetic testing and manage chronic illness as well as sibling response to chronic illness. Faculty also conduct research on intergenerational responses to teenage pregnancy.

Scholarships

Many of our students are highly capable of but require financial assistance to enroll in the graduate program. Women are often challenged by the need to fulfill multiple roles. They are often enmeshed in the tasks of raising and nurturing their children while simultaneously supporting them financially. Scholarships are essential and allow them the opportunity to work part time instead of full time while in graduate school. Scholarships are needed for our master and doctoral students in:

• Midwifery
• Women’s Health
• Pediatrics
• Perinatal
• Infancy Studies

International Student Award

Our international students face additional obstacles when they elect to study in the United States. We are committed to our international students as well as to advancing the health of women and children around the world. We are proud of our achievements and of our graduates when they return to their countries, especially when they serve to improve health of women, children, and families around the world.

Research Center

As our faculty further develop their programs of research and conduct multiple projects simultaneously, the need has developed for additional space, computer hardware and software, as well as funds for research team support. A dedicated research center will provide stability for research teams, space for the members of the team, and meeting rooms for conferences.