In Health and Kinesiology at Illinois, we don’t keep our skills and knowledge to ourselves! It’s important to us that we share our work with those around us and engage our communities. We understand that community and public health benefit most when decision makers are in touch with the people they are serving. This is why we encourage and create opportunities for our students to engage with their communities while they are in school.
Kinesiology Engagement
The University of Illinois’s Lifetime Fitness Program is for Urbana-Champaign residents aged 55 and over, offering exercises and activities that boost health, fitness and daily living. Professors Jack Senefeld and Emerson Sebastião run the program, with graduate students in Health and Kinesiology providing support. Undergraduate students also assist in teaching group fitness classes.
The University of Illinois offers the Illinois Physical Activity and Life Skills (iPALS) Wellness Program, and the Department of Health and Kinesiology works with Champaign Unit 4 Schools to run it. iPALS is a free summer program for children in Champaign Unit 4 elementary schools enrolled in the free and reduced school lunch program.
Exercise is Medicine® on Campus (EIM-OC) helps universities promote physical activity for better health. This program brings together faculty, staff and students to improve campus health by:
- Making physical activity a part of daily campus life.
- Assessing activity levels at each student’s health visit.
- Providing tools for students to build lifelong, healthy habits.
- Connecting campus healthcare providers and fitness specialists for exercise referrals.
Community Health Engagement
Community Health Internship
We want our students not only to learn about improving the health of their communities, but also to experience what it is like to impact their communities.
Learn more about the Community Health internship on our Internships page, or contact one of the Community Health advisors.
The roots of the Illini Service Dogs registered student organization run deep in Community Health. The organization was founded in 2010 by Bridget Evans, who completed bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Community Health. Illini Service Dogs is a charitable RSO that exists to provide service dogs, at no cost, to individuals who have a physical disability. Student members work one-on-one with the service dogs-in-training in partnership with experienced training staff to ensure that dogs acquire the optimal skill set needed by individuals who receive them.
I-Health Engagement
In I-Health, our knowledge goes beyond the classroom.
I-Heal
I-Heal is the registered student organization for the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences program. I-Heal provides students opportunities to explore the health field through field trips and outings and by inviting speakers to campus. They also serve the community in a number of ways, including participating in community events such as the Down Syndrome Buddy Walk or the Race For The Cure.
HK 370 and 471
These two courses provide opportunities for students to get out of the classroom and apply what they have learned in the community. This gives students an opportunity for experiential learning and allows them to create a positive impact on the world around them before they graduate. Some of our field experience partner organizations include Carle Hospital, OSF Hospital, Clark-Lindsey Village and Champaign-Urbana Special Recreation.