We are so excited to finally tell the story behind all of our Save da Hoomans photographs! We started this project in collaboration with the Institute for Translational Medicine back in December of 2020 and it really has been a blur. A campaign from Chicagoland universities and hospitals funded by the National Institutes of Health, Save da Hoomans aims to raise awareness for individual enrollment in medical trials.
The New Normal™ Campaign is s partnership between the University of Chicago and Rush in collaboration with Advocate Health Care, the Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech), Loyola University Chicago, and NorthShore University HealthSystem, as well as the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences (NUCATS) Institute and the University of Illinois at Chicago Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS). The ITM, NUCATS, and CCTS are funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program. The Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research shared its technology to help connect the public with research opportunities for this initiative. This initiative is also supported by the Chicago Department of Public Health and other regional and national partners.
The work these organizations do can include anything from mental health studies conducted through surveys to medication tests. With our current healthcare situation, I’ve become much more aware of how important medical trials can be for scientific advancement. These trials are often delayed due to low enrollment numbers, slowing down the rate at which potential advancements could be made.
That’s why this pack of doggos alongside their wonderful humans –Cheryl Scott, Suzanne Le Mignot, Ros Varon, Micah Materre and many others– have united to form #SaveDaHoomans, a campaign meant to encourage folks to sign up and help move science forward! If you have a chance I do so, we encourage you to go and take a scroll through the website. They’re doing some amazing (and adorable) work.
This project has afforded us some amazing opportunities. Our photography has been displayed throughout the city, promoted on social media, and been featured on city-wide newscasts. Despite all of this, the biggest reward for us has really just been the chance to do some good through the work we love to do.
