PEORIA MAGAZINE April 2023

COVER STORY

THE ‘BEACON’ ON BERKELEY AVENUE Ten years of Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center innovations generate excitement about the next decade

BY MIKE BAILEY PHOTOS BY RON JOHNSON

A s Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center commemo rates its 10th anniversary this month, how do we measure its impact on Peoria and beyond? Kelli Ballard of Washington measures it in the "breast cancer survivor" title she can claim after being diagnosed in her early 40s. That was in 2021, and she is “cancer free” and “doing well” today because of the OSF Innovation supported tests — first the CancerIQ assessment, then genetic testing — that identified her high-risk, hereditary status. That prompted the MRI that discovered her early-stage cancer. “You know, if I had waited six more months until my regular mammogram, it (the tumor) could have been ... much more significant,” Ballard said afterwards, “so I was really grateful for the plan that was put in place.” DR. RICHARD PEARL WAS WELL AWARE OF THE USE AND VALUE OF SIMULATION IN AVIATION, AND WANTED TO APPLY IT TO MEDICINE Myla Kramer of Coal City measures Jump’s influence in her life in the celebration of her 10th birthday. Born with congenital heart defects, Myla had

her first operation at age 2 weeks and later suffered a stroke. Multiple follow up surgeries were aided significantly by the 3D printing technology that helped Dr. Mark Plunkett clearly see the abnormalities in her heart, devise a plan of surgical attack, and give Myla a life that today has her enjoying sleepovers, dancing, singing and crafting with her friends. The fruits of Jump also are measured in the multiple companies founded or fostered or financed through OSF Innovation, bringing jobs, revenue and a high-tech reputation to central Illinois.

Ultimately, it’s not just the facility at 1306 N. Berkeley Avenue, next door to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, that matters. “It’s world class not for the building but for the people who we recruited … that are just killing it inside that building,” said Dr. Richard Pearl, the retired surgeon in chief at OSF Children’s Hospital who had a big hand in making Jump happen. “That building makes a difference, not just to OSF HealthCare. It makes a difference around the country and around the world.”

Jeffrey Sponholz, simulation specialist at Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center

APRIL 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 43