Dear readers,

Welcome to SO Magazine's second annual Medical Issue. The fact that Springfield is such an important hub for medicine in the region warrants us dedicating an issue of the magazine to this vital topic.

Imagine you and your family just sat down together and are enjoying a lively conversation over a delicious meal. Laughing, you look up and notice that your teenager is slowly pushing food around on her plate.

If you've been spending any time at all in medical or dental offices around Springfield, you've probably noticed that professionals who work in those fields have added a little color to their lives.

Mikal Sutton-Vereen's life has been a series of surprises. Pleasant surprises. From working on two ground-breaking campaigns that led to the first African-American U.S. president, to serving as a constituent services agent for then-U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, to being named the program director for the Central Illinois Nursing Initiative in August 2009, Sutton-Vereen's life has taken several twists and turns.