NIU Students Capture Allergy Counts on Gottlieb Hospital Roof  

Dr. Leija, MD, Board Certified Allergist, left, shows Professor Dave Changnon and visiting meteorology students Matthew Clements, Bethany Norris and Jeremy Spencer from the Geography Department of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb how he captures the samples for the daily allergy count on the roof of Gottlieb Memorial Hospital.

The students are examining Dr. Leija’s ten year data to determine a relationship between Chicago monthly and seasonal climate anomalies to the frequency of warm season days with low, moderate and high levels of pollen and mold.

Dr. Leija records the tree, grass, weed, mold, pollen and ragweed counts daily on the Gottlieb Memorial Hospital website (www.gottliebhospital.org) in English and Spanish.  His counts are utilized by area media and institutions and he is considered the regional expert authority in allergies.