Health Equity Research Institute Kicks Off Summer Training Program
RFU’s Michael Reese Foundation Center for Health Equity Research launched its annual Student Summer Training Program on June 1 with the inaugural Health Equity Research Institute, a weeklong series of lectures, workshops and presentations from faculty and community partners aimed at preparing students to better understand and address health equity in Lake County, Illinois.
Center for Health Equity Research presenters included Amanda Simanek, PhD, MPH, director; Yvette Castañeda, PhD, MPH, MBA, community engagement core lead; and Namhee Kim, PhD, data core lead, who spoke about “Social Drivers as Fundamental Causes of Health,” “Community Engaged Research Methods,” and “All of Us Dataset Overview,” respectively. Claressa Slaughter, MSLIS, AHIP, education and curriculum librarian, and Jaena Manson, MSLIS, AHIP, scholarly communications and innovation librarian, both from RFU’s Boxer Library, led a session on “Finding and Appraising Health Information for Your Research” to support students conducting literature reviews as part of their summer projects.
The Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center provided students with an overview of the Live Well Lake County network and the Better Birth Outcomes Comprehensive Program. Representatives from RFU community partners Family First Center of Lake County, Brushwood Center, Mano a Mano Family Resource Center and Highwood Library participated in a panel discussion on how these organizations train and deploy community health workers to help bridge the gap between community members and the health care system. Students also visited Superfund and landfill sites in Waukegan to learn about the history of environmental challenges facing local communities, as well as some newer solutions.
Center for Health Equity Research faculty and community partners will co-mentor approximately 20 students conducting summer research projects through the Center. The Health Equity Research Institute was supported by the Michael Reese Research and Education Foundation. |
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University Highlights
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- Daniel D. King, DNP, CRNA, CPPS, CNE, FNAP, associate professor of nurse anesthesia in the College of Nursing and a practicing certified registered nurse anesthetist, has been selected for induction as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. Induction into the Academy is a significant milestone in a nurse leader’s career. Fellows are selected for their outstanding contributions to improving health locally and globally. Dr. King's scholarship and leadership have advanced perioperative safety and health equity through research on cannabis use, stigma, disclosure and risk assessment.
- RFU President Aron Sousa, MD, delivered the keynote address, “Universities as Engines for Community Health,” at the Institute of Medicine of Chicago’s (IOMC) 2026 Leadership Awards and Meeting on June 25. Additionally, Archana Chatterjee, MD, PhD, dean, Chicago Medical School, was welcomed as IOMC’s president for 2026–27, and Mildred M.G. Olivier, MD ’88, clinical professor of surgery, CMS, received the IOMC Humanitarian Global Health Award for voluntary, longstanding commitment to providing international humanitarian health services. The event also inducted the IOMC Class of 2026 Fellows, which included Aron Sousa, MD, James Carlson, PhD, Amanda Simanek, PhD, MPH, Monideepa B. Becerra, DPH, MPH, and Nutan Atre-Vaidya, MD.
- The RFU community celebrated Juneteenth with education, fellowship and food at an on-campus event organized by the Division of Community and Campus Outreach and the African American/Black Employee Resource Group. Vice President for Community and Campus Outreach Eric Williams, PhD, delivered an inspiring overview of Juneteenth’s rich history and enduring significance. Second-year physician assistant student Cayla Adams, CHP ’27, shared an important perspective on maternal health disparities, highlighting the ongoing need for equity in care and the role future healthcare leaders play in advancing change.
- Kristin Mahr, PhD, MS, PA-C, assistant professor and director of clinical education in the Physician Assistant Department, co-presented a session titled “Achieving Compliance: Accreditation Practices from Diverse Clinical Year Teams” at the Midwest PA Education Association Regional Conference.
- Brian Feinstein, PhD, professor of psychology, College of Health Professions, was awarded the American Psychological Association Division 44 Distinguished Book Award for his book titled “Addressing Minority Stress and Enhancing Resilience with Diverse LGBTQ+ Clients,” co-edited with Drs. Nicholas Livingston and Paz Galupo.
- RFU welcomed its newest students in the College of Health Professions and College of Nursing during Summer 2026 Orientation. Over three days, incoming students connected with peers, faculty and staff while exploring campus resources, learning about university traditions and preparing for the academic year ahead. The program featured interactive workshops, community-building activities, and sessions on academic success, wellbeing and professional development. The annual Day of Service gave new RFU students one of their first interprofessional experiences. Teams of students volunteered on service projects for Bernie’s Book Bank, Feed My Starving Children, Roberti Community House, Art Impact Project and Waukegan Park District.
Additionally, RFU launched its initiative on June 15, with approximately 300 incoming students from Chicago Medical School, College of Pharmacy, Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine and the MSN for Entry Into Nursing Practice program taking part in six weeks of online coursework (Scientific Foundations of Medicine and Foundations for Interprofessional Practice) prior to beginning their on-campus experiences in August.
- The following faculty members were honored during the Annual Faculty Awards Ceremony for achievements in teaching, research, service and inclusion:
Board of Trustees Research Award: Holly C. Hunsberger, PhD, assistant professor, Center for Neurodegenerative Disease and Therapeutics and foundational sciences and humanities, CMS.
Morris L. Parker Research Award: Shawn Flanagan, PhD, director, Human Performance Lab, associate professor of podiatric medicine and surgery, Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine.
Lawrence Medoff Award: Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD, MSCI, FAAD, associate professor of medicine, CMS.
Rosalind Franklin Award For Excellence In Teaching: Kimiko Suzue, MD, PhD, professor and chair of pathology, CMS, professor of basic biomedical sciences, SCPM.
Rosalind Franklin Award For Excellence In Service: Joseph Reynolds, PhD, professor and director, Center for Cancer Cell Biology, Immunology and Infection, chair of microbiology and immunology, CMS and SGPS, and interim vice dean for research.
Timothy R. Hansen Mentoring Award: Nutan A. Atre-Vaidya, MD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral science and vice dean for faculty affairs and engagement, CMS.
Deans’ Award For Diversity And Inclusion: Hector Rasgado-Flores, PhD, professor of physiology and biophysics, CMS and SGPS.
- The Annual Staff Awards Ceremony recognized RFU staff for their excellence, dedication and impact on the university community. Award winners included:
Unsung Champion Award: Lainey Toennies, laboratory technician, Center for Neurodegenerative. Disease and Therapeutics; and Paula Taylor, course supervisor, Essentials of Clinical Reasoning.
Photo 51 Impact Award: Emily Bettin, senior research associate, Psychology Department.
Rising Star Award: Peyton Erb, research assistant, Psychology Department.
- The CMS Psychiatry Residency Program held its annual awards ceremony to celebrate graduating residents, other residents and faculty who achieved outstanding accomplishments over the past year. Award winners included:
Collegiality and Humanism (in honor of Dr. Chandra Vedak, MD): Abdullah Damra, MD.
Marc Fahami Award for Passion in Psychiatry: Jiin Vivien Choi, MD, and Carlos Medina, MD.
Resident Teacher of the Year: Chen Bo Fang, MD.
Clinical Teacher of the Year: Scott Nelson, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, CMS.
Academic Teacher of the Year: Atul Sheth, MD, rotation supervisor, Elgin Mental Health Center.
Faculty Service Award: Emily O’Hara, PsyD, Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center.
- Kristy Shanahan, PhD ’16, MLS, adjunct assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences, College of Pharmacy, authored the recently published book “Glimpses Into Other Worlds,” a non-fiction work exploring mythology, science and spirituality.
- The video recording of the Women in Science and Healthcare (WiSH) Seminar Series event “How Meritocracy Fails Female Professionals,” featuring guest speaker Mabel Abraham, PhD, is now available to .
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Research Highlights
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- Kaiwen Kam, PhD, associate professor, Stanson Toshok Center for Brain Function and Repair, received a two-year, $400,000 National Institutes of Health grant for his research study “Machine Learning Discovery of Novel Brainstem Nuclei Controlling Orofacial Behaviors.”
- Moaz Saeed, MD, research technician, Clinical Immunology Laboratory (CIL), was awarded first prize in the postdoc category for his poster presentation “Assessment of Functional Thiamine Status in Patients Using GLP-1 Receptor Agonists” at the 39th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Great Lakes Chapter of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics on June 12. Poster co-authors included CIL colleagues Umida Ganieva, MD, postdoctoral research associate; Mahmood Bilal, PhD, associate director; and Svetlana Dambaeva, PhD, research associate professor and director.
- RFU’s upcoming BioInnovations Speaker Series program on July 15, “The Growing Impact of Diabetic Foot Ulcers,” will bring together industry leaders and clinical experts to discuss the escalating complexities, patient impacts and the latest advancements in wound care. Featured speakers and panelists will include: RFU President Aron Sousa, MD; Ryan Crews, PhD, associate professor, SCPM; Adam Fleischer, DPM, professor, SCPM; Dennis Levinson, MD, medical director of Chicago Clinical Research Institute; and Bharathi Swaminathan, MD, associate chief of staff, research and development at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center. for this in-person and virtual event is free and open to all.
- Daniel King, DNP, CRNA, CNE, FNAP, associate professor, Nurse Anesthesia Department, authored a book chapter titled “The Perioperative Period: Assessment and Anesthesia for Surgery and Procedures,” published in “Clinical Integration and Specialty Practice in Cannabis Nursing.” This work reflects Dr. King’s culmination of scholarship to date in cannabis, anesthesia, and patient disclosure. Dr. King also contributed to the article “Lessons Learned From an Academic and Clinical Partnership to Address Barriers and Facilitators of Cannabis Education and Practice,” published in . The article emerged from the work of the National Cannabis Nurse Task Force, a collaborative group focused on advancing cannabis education, research and clinical practice.
- Maxine Olson, PhD, lab manager for the Physical Therapy Department’s Movement Analysis Lab, earned the Kevin P. Granata Student Award for her presentation titled “Are Abnormal Foot Invertor and Evertor Muscle Tendon Lengths Related to Abnormal Coronal Plane Kinematics?” at the Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis Society’s annual meeting in Phoenix.
- LP Adhikari, a fifth-year microbiology and immunology doctoral candidate in the lab of Joseph Reynolds, PhD, director of the Center for Cancer Cell Biology, Immunology and Infection, was first author on a paper titled “Naive CD4+ T Cells Synthesize a Hyaluronan-Rich Glycocalyx That is Diminished Following Activation,” published in . Co-authors included Jessica Contreras and Kristen Patterson, research technicians; Erin Howe, PhD, assistant professor, Center for Proteomics and Molecular Therapeutics; Dr. Joseph Reynolds; and Meghan Moran, PhD, and Anna Plaas, PhD, at Rush University Medical Center.
- Sophia Sorrentino, DPM ’25; Brittany Cook, DPM ’26; Sanam Jhaveri, former CLEAR research associate; Mohammad Javed, former Lake Forest College summer research intern; and Ryan Crews, PhD, clinical research scientist, Center for Lower Extremity Ambulatory Research (CLEAR) and associate professor of podiatric medicine and surgery, SCPM, co-authored “Reducing Lower Extremity Amputations via Peer Support Interventions: A Scoping Review,” published in . Also contributing were David Armstrong, DPM, PhD, and Tze-Woei Tan, MD, at Keck Medicine of USC.
- Noah Rosenblatt, PhD, associate professor and associate dean of research, SCPM, co-authored three recently published studies: “Dynamic Balance Adaptations in Response to Bound Arm Walking” in ; “Postural Threat Influences Characteristics of Reactive Stepping, But Not When a Step is Necessary” in ; and “International Prosthetists’ Perspectives on Adjustable-Volume Lower Limb Prosthetic Sockets” in .
- Dr. Noah Rosenblatt, Dr. Ryan Crews and Nahir Negron-Fernandez, research associate, CLEAR, co-authored “Development and Validation of an Algorithm to Objectively Quantify Adherence to Offloading Interventions,” published in , as well as “Offloading Adherence for Appearance’s Sake?,” published in with co-authors Dr. Adam Fleischer; Sai Yalla, PhD, former assistant professor, SCPM; and colleagues from institutions in Florida and the United Kingdom.
- Ji Won Yoon and Simran Dhaliwal, both second-year Clinical Psychology PhD students in the College of Health Professions, were selected for The GPF Foundation’s cohort of fellows for 2026–27. Fellows develop community education, awareness and advocacy initiatives aimed at reducing harm caused by recreational drug use.
- Monideepa Becerra, DrPH, MPH, chair, Department of Population Health and Administration, CHP, and Glenn Turner, JD, adjunct instructor in the PHA department, co-authored the article “Closing the Rights Gap for Human Trafficking Survivors: Reconciling Federal Duress Doctrine with International Human Rights Obligations,” published in .
- Daniel Gutierrez, CMS ’28, and Arian De La Torre, CMS ’29, presented a poster titled “Cafecito and Parent Empowerment: Student-Led Health Education via Bilingual Poster Series at Parent Hero Academy” at the Latino Medical Student Association Midwest Regional Conference. Poster co-authors included Arnold Coctecon-Murillo, CMS ’28; Hector Rasgado-Flores, PhD, Latinx students and community liaison and professor of physiology and biophysics; Melissa Chen, MD, assistant dean for community health and engagement and medical director of the Interprofessional Community Clinic; and Chrysee Gorospe, coordinator of community health and engagement programs.
- Justin Whalley, PhD, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology, received the 2026 CMS Schweppe Scholar Award for his research project titled “Computational Alternatives to Animal Models: Benchmarking AI and Rodent Models Against Human Biology.” This one-year, $60,000 award from the Schweppe Foundation provides support for promising young faculty members in the early stages of their careers in academic medicine.
- Members of RFU’s Center for Advanced Simulation in Healthcare presented on a wide range of topics at the Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE) Annual Conference, held June 21–24 in St. Louis, Missouri.
Cory Krebsbach, BFA, CHSE, director of simulation programming:
Pre-conference workshop: “Foundations of SP Methodology: Building, Applying, and Leading Your SP Program”
Invited presentation: “Fostering Growth Through Feedback: Managing Defensiveness and Building Trust”
Panel presentation: “Advancing SP Educator Practice Through Professional Development: Recognizing Professional Growth Associated with Hidden Work”
Workshop: “Speed Mentoring for Early-Career Human Simulationists: Building Mentorship and Career Pathways in Healthcare Simulation”
Poster presentation: “Exploring the ASPE Case Development Template: Strengthening Case Design Through Shared Standards” with members of ASPE’s Curriculum Development and Advancement Committee.
Kevin Kingston, MFA, standardized patient educator, and Robin L. Dyer, MD, OTR, MHPE, CHSE, assistant professor of interprofessional education and clinical simulation, presented “It’s All Greek (and Latin) to Me: A Medical Terminology Tutorial for Standardized Patients.”
Erin Walsh, standardized patient educator, and Mary Launder, MFA, director of simulation programming, presented “Spotlighting Your Professional Identity: Strategic Social Media and Digital Presence” alongside members of the ASPE Communications & Connections Committee.
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Alumni News
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- Alumni from Chicago Medical School, College of Health Professions and Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine gathered for a Wrigley Field at the Chicago Cubs vs. San Francisco Giants baseball game on June 6.
- G. Kelley Fitzgerald, PT ’82, PhD, FAPTA, received the College of Health Professions 2026 Distinguished Alumnus Award in recognition of his achievements and contributions to the profession.
- Jim Hanna, DPM ’91, received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the New York State Podiatric Medical Association during its 128th Annual House of Delegates in May.
- Timothy Mineo, DPM ’07, has been reelected to serve on the board of the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery through August 2029.
- Jennifer Buchanan, DPM ’11, was installed as treasurer of the Massachusetts Foot and Ankle Society board of trustees.
- Christopher M. Ahmad, MS ’20, MPH, MBA, a graduate of RFU’s Biomedical Sciences program and current student at Kansas City University (KCU) College of Osteopathic Medicine, received the United States Public Health Service Excellence in Public Health Award, along with KCU honors including Global Scholar of the Year, the Beacon Award and induction into the Gold Humanism Honor Society.
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