What does community engagement look like? For NIU Professor of Biology Barrie Bode, it means using the knowledge gained from laboratory research to fight cancer and COVID-19, promoting public health in our region and beyond.
Dr. Bodie sits at a table in his NIU laboratory.
Barrie Bode, a 2023 Presidential Engagement and Partnerships Professor, is an exemplar of community-engaged research at NIU.
Early in the pandemic, when uncertainty abounded, his experience researching nutrient transporters and their role in cancer biology meant that he was knowledgeable about testing methods used to detect the COVID-19 causing virus. Professor Bode quickly put this knowledge to work to serve the community.
Learn from Professor Bode on Thursday, September 19, 2024, at a brownbag lunch presentation.
Register for the free brownbag lunch talk!
He’ll discuss the community engagement and partnerships that led to cancer education and the campus wastewater surveillance testing program. Dr. Bode will extrapolate from his experience to share lessons about university growth, sustainability and evolution in a post-pandemic world.
Professor Bode established a partnership with the University of Illinois’s SHIELD team. He also leveraged NIU’s existing partnership with Northwestern Medicine to establish SHIELD testing at NIU, allowing for a safe return to campus in 2021. In addition, the testing program employed students in paid positions, where they received valuable career experience in data acquisition, healthcare IT and HIPPA regulations.
Later, as the pandemic progressed, Professor Bode partnered with the Kishwaukee Water Reclamation District. Together, they instituted a COVID-19 wastewater surveillance testing program for NIU and DeKalb that would replace SHIELD testing and provide an early indicator of possible outbreaks.
Throughout his career, including 14 years at NIU, Professor Bode’s collaborations with students, alumni, fellow researchers, educators and members of the community have resulted in countless biomedical research advancements, funding resources and opportunities. He has helped to advance public health in the region while preparing students to make a difference through their careers.
Check out this story from NIU Today to learn more about Professor Bode’s exceptional community-engaged research.
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