Indiana is 35th in the nation in overall health, according to the 2022 America’s Health Rankings report and ranks 42nd when it comes to mental health, according to the State of Mental Health in America 2023. Approximately one baby dies in Indiana every 16 hours — amounting to over 530 infant deaths a year — making the state’s infant mortality rate one of the worst in the country. Indiana also consistently has one of the 10 worst death rates from cancer in the United States.
Indiana Health
These data are a powerful reminder of why we must act with urgency to improve the health of those who call Indiana home. That is why one of the priorities of the school’s strategic plan is to “Improve health and wellness of the people of Indiana and beyond.” Specifically, goals are set to improve Indiana’s Mental Health in America overall ranking, reduce infant and maternal mortality, improve cancer prevention and detection rates, and decrease cancer mortality rates.
Personalized Medicine
IU School of Medicine faculty investigators are working diligently to improve population health in Indiana. With generous funding from the IU Grand Challenges program, the Precision Health researchers are focused on diseases with particularly negative impacts in the state, including some of the most challenging cancers: multiple myeloma, triple negative breast cancer and childhood sarcoma. The team is also working on Alzheimer’s disease and Type 2 diabetes — chronic diseases that were among the top seven leading causes of death in Indiana in 2016.