Recent Achievements by Rush Women

Twenty-five specialists from RUSH have been recognized by Chicago magazine as “top brain doctors.” Antoaneta Balabanov, Ligia Rioja, Sandra S. Swantek and Aimee Joy Szewka are among 174 recognized by the magazine from across the Chicago area. Read more

The American Public Health Association (APHA) recently selected Robyn Golden, MA, LCSW, associate vice president, Social Work and Community Health, as its 2022 Insley-Evans Public Health Social Worker. In addition to leading Rush’s community-facing social work programs, Golden also is an assistant professor of medicine, nursing, psychiatry and health systems management, as well as chairperson of the Department of Social Work in the RUSH University College of Health Sciences. She received the award during the APHA’s annual meeting in Boston last month.

Sadia Haider, MD, was selected to serve on a White House task force that is working with President Joe Biden in the wake of the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade. “The inequities in health care and the maternal health crisis that existed already are just significantly exacerbated by this situation, and we are seeing this directly in Illinois,” Haider told Fox 32 Chicago. Watch the segment

Two faculty members from the College of Nursing were selected for the American Academy of Nursing’s 2022 Class of Fellows. Shannon Halloway, PhD, RN, FAHA, and Masako Mayahara, PhD, RN, achieved the prestigious honor based on their outstanding contributions to the transformation of America’s health system through their research and scholarship. Read more

The National Academy of Medicine selected Ruchi M. Fitzgerald, MD, for the class of 2022 NAM Fellowships. Fitzgerald and six other fellows from across the United States were chosen based on their professional qualifications, reputations as scholars, professional accomplishments, and the relevance of their current field expertise to the work of the NAM and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Read more

Rukiya Curvey-Johnson, vice president of community health equity and engagement, and Angela Moss, PhD, MSN, APRN-BC, RN, assistant dean of faculty practice in the College of Nursing, were selected among Crain’s Chicago Business’ “Notable Leaders in Community Development,” which recognizes 50 local executives who have made a difference in improving underserved and underinvested communities in Chicago. Read more

Sarah Ailey, PhD, APHN, professor, department of Community, Systems and Mental Health Nursing, College of Nursing, was recently presented with an Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Illinois Chicago. Created in 2018, these awards allow the UIC College of Nursing to recognize alumni who are making exceptional contributions to health care, health science and society. Recipients of the award will be honored at a UIC alumni reunion event later this fall.

Monnie Wasse, MD, MPH, Rush’s director of interventional nephrology and a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, was selected as a Fellow in the 2022-23 Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Program for Women at Drexel University College of Medicine. The program is dedicated to preparing women for senior leadership roles in today’s health care environment. Learn more

Urmeka T. Jefferson, PhD, RN, associate professor in the College of Nursing, was honored with the 2022 Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses Award for Excellence in Research for her work to improve breastfeeding among Black mothers through app-based technologies. Learn more

Sharon Gates, DSW, senior director of student diversity and community engagement, was recently honored with the Angel Award from the I Am Abel Foundation. The foundation sponsors programs to help provide children in underrepresented minority groups with opportunities in health care and other fields. Watch the video

Rachel Start, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, has been selected as the next president-elect of the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nurses (AAACN). Start is associate vice president, medicine, behavioral and emergency services at Rush University Medical Center. She will begin serving as president-elect this month and will become the AAACN’s president starting in 2023. Read more

Stephanie Esterland, BSN, RN, OCN, an oncology nurse at Rush Cancer Center, was driving one morning when she happened upon the scene of a blazing car fire, and provided life-saving emergency aid to the injured driver. Esterland was honored by the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago with the Healthcare Hero award for her selflessness and bravery. Read more

Lynn Mohr, PhD, APRN, PCNS-BC, CPN, FCNS, associate professor, program director for the pediatric and neonatal clinical nurse specialist program and chair of the Department of Women, Children and Family Nursing at Rush University College of Nursing, has been named the 2022 Clinical Nurse Specialist Educator of the Year by the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS). Read more

The Midwest Nursing Research Society has recognized JoEllen Wilbur, PhD, RN, FAHA, FAAN for significantly advancing the profession of nursing through her dedication to research. Read more

Melinda Earle, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, has been named to the 2022 American Organization for Nursing Leadership class of fellows. The director of the Transformative Leadership: Systems program, Earle has more than 20 years of leadership experience including serving as Rush’s associate vice president of hospital affairs and director of Rush Children’s Hospital. Read more

Rush University past president Sherine E. Gabriel, MD, MSc, received an Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Saskatchewan. Known as a “triple threat” by her peers for her excellence in clinical practice, research and education, Gabriel was recognized with the university’s highest honor for an outstanding lifetime of accomplishments and contributions to the social, cultural and economic well-being of society. Read more

Geralyn O’Brien, who provides skin care services to people affected by cancer, won $10,000 for Waterford Place Cancer Resource Center at last year’s Skin Games. This year, the international competition for estheticians recognized her with their Spirit Award for her efforts to pay it forward. Read more

Megan Worthington, AuD, assistant professor in the Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences, recently spoke with the Ida Institute, a nonprofit hearing rehabilitation organization, about RUSH University’s SCOPE program. She discussed the program’s goals, accomplishments and hopes for the future in providing care for underserved populations. Read the article

An Instagram post claiming that Doppler ultrasounds caused damage to babies’ brains was debunked by Reuters and Anna McCormick, DO. McCormick said that ultrasounds can actually “contribute to reducing maternal and neonatal mortality by helping to identify pregnancy complications and monitor the fetus’ development.” Read the article

The Austin Weekly News published an article about the opening of the Bethel New Life food hub that is designed to address food insecurity issues and long-term health challenges of families in Austin and West Humboldt Park. RUSH is a partner in the hub. “When you define health equity, what does that mean? It’s the ability to have a healthy life, but also access to health and health care,” said Julia Bassett. “At RUSH, we tend to provide that for our patients and we do that in our clinic but we also need to have access to health outside of our facilities.” Read the article

NBC News reported the findings of a RUSH study published in the journal Pediatrics that found that calls to poison control centers about kids 5 years and younger consuming edibles containing THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, rose 1,375% from 2017 to 2021. Study co-author Antonia Nemanich, MD, said the combination of more states legalizing recreational marijuana and the coronavirus pandemic, which meant more children were staying at home, most likely drove the increase. Read the article

MSN published an article from Money Talks News about a RUSH study that explores how pelargonidin, a compound that gives strawberries its color is associated with fewer tau tangles in the brain — a key factor in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Julie Schneider, MD explained, “We suspect the anti-inflammatory properties of pelargonidin may decrease overall neuroinflammation, which may reduce cytokine production.” Read the article

“There are many studies that show that any alcohol of any type can increase liver related complications,” said Nancy Reau, MD, in an article published by The Healthy and MSN about alcohol and liver disease. “It is also difficult to know the risk of alcohol when you have another liver disease like fatty liver or viral hepatitis.” Read the article

The death by suicide of Stephen “tWitch” Boss has brought attention to the mental health struggles of Black men. Tanya Sorrell, NP, told FOX 32 Chicago, “We consistently see African American men as the fastest growing rate of suicide deaths…The wait time for appointments, and still having to overcome the stigma both from a social, cultural and religious standpoint of reaching out for help for emotional issues or problems still remains problematic.” Watch the segment

NBC 5 Chicago and 54 other NBC affiliates across the nation gave viewers a look into the RUSH cuddler program, which returned after a two-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Program coordinator Judy Friedrichs, DNP, RN, said, “The holding, rocking, stroking, reading, singing to the babies is really going to help them organize and develop at a very good rate.” Watch the segment

The Supreme Court’s decision earlier this year to repeal Roe v. Wade ushered in a new era of state abortion bans and problems for medical students. “Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien” spoke with Sadia Haider, MD, about the need for students wanting to practice obstetrics and gynecology to cross state lines to finish their training. “I really think that it’s not about personal beliefs. It is about providing essential health care.” Watch the segment

Natalie Witek, MD, was interviewed by NBC-5, ABC-7 and FOX-32 about “stiff person syndrome,” after singer Celine Dion revealed that she was diagnosed with the disorder. “It affects about one in every one million to two million people. So it is quite rare and often undiagnosed,” said Witek. Watch the FOX segment

Sarah Booth, PhD, discussed research that used brain tissue samples from the RUSH Memory and Aging program in a story on The Weather Channel website. Booth said that while it is still unclear exactly how vitamin D might affect brain function, we now know that it seems to be correlated with less decline in cognitive function. Read the article

Neelum Aggarwal, MD, spoke to ABC 7 about the drug lecanemab, which showed promising results fighting cognitive decline, and how soon it or other drugs could be prescribed by doctors. Aggarwal discussed the FDA approval approval process and a RUSH research study currently recruiting participants who are at risk for Alzheimer’s Disease. Watch the segment

Nicole Geissen, DO, stressed the importance on lung cancer research and screenings in opinion pieces that were published in Ms. magazine and Med Page Today’s Kevin MD website. “The stereotype of lung cancer is that it’s a man’s disease,” said Geissen in Ms. “But in the last 40 years, the incidence of lung cancer diagnosis in women has risen 84 percent, while dropping 36 percent in men.” Read the articles in Ms. magazine and KevinMD

Naomi Parrella, MD, was quoted in an article by Money Talks News, which was also published in MSN News, about morning habits to avoid. Parrella says you shouldn’t let your phone “hijack” your first thoughts and feelings of the day. To set boundaries, try taking a few deep breaths, drinking some water or stretching first. Read the article

Opinion pieces by Rukiya Curvey Johnson, MBA, and Molly Moran, MSN, RN, who recently became Public Voices Fellows through The OpEd Project, were well received in national print outlets. Newsweek published “Life and Death — More Black and Brown Health Professionals Needed” by Curvey Johnson, and The Hill published a piece by Moran, titled, “Intensive care: America’s patients need prevention, not procedures.” Moran’s article was also shared by MSN. Read the articles in Newsweek and The Hill

Chicago Parent magazine interviewed Colleen Nash, MD, about the surge in RSV cases. Nash provided advice to parents when cold-like symptoms hit. “Get the kids an e-visit,” she says. “There’s so much work that has gone into telemedicine, it’s best to do a virtual visit before bringing a baby into a hospital with more germs. Write everything down in terms of days and time frames.” Read the article

RUSH University Medical Center’s neonatal intensive care unit has resumed its cuddling program after pausing it during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We saw a need: the fact that we could not expect families to be here all the time, and the babies had needs 24/7,” Judy Friedrichs, DNP, RN, told Newsy. Watch the segment

Pediatric units throughout the Chicago area are seeing an influx of pediatric patients due to respiratory issues, including RSV. “A significant amount of work is being done to coordinate and accommodate all of the pediatric patients throughout the Chicago area,” said Colleen Nash, MD, during an interview with ABC-7 Chicago. Watch the segment

The Atlantic reviewed a paper published in the October issue of Health Affairs that provided context to a 2021 survey, which showed that only 56 percent of doctors “strongly” welcome patients with disabilities into their practice. Laura VanPuymbrouck, PhD, calls the 2021 survey “groundbreaking — it was the crack that broke the dam a little bit.” Now researchers are hoping that medical schools, payers and the Joint Commission will push health-care providers for more equitable care. Read the article

The American Journal of Managed Care profiled Tochi M. Okwuosa, DO, and highlighted the presentations she delivered at this year’s American Heart Association’s scientific sessions. Chief among them were the importance of cardiovascular health in cancer survivors and cardio-toxicity from cancer treatments. Listen to the segment

Telehealth now is eight times more popular than in-person doctor visits, according to Fox 32 Chicago. A news segment explained how doctors are getting better at diagnosing common winter viruses using telehealth. Meeta Shah, MD said, “With kids right now we’re seeing a ton of RSV, rhinovirus, these kids are pretty sick.” Watch the segment

Going a few weeks without a bra “definitely won’t have a significant effect” where pain and sagging is concerned, Andrea Madrigrano, MD, said in an article in Shape magazine. Her quote was later picked up in a Harper’s Bazaar article about the necessity of bras. Read the article

Hannah Holmes, MS, APRN FNP-BC, spoke to Fox 32 Chicago about the death of a Palos Heights teen who passed from complications of mononucleosis. “Unfortunately for some folks, if they are dealing with an immuno-compromised system already, they can go on to have further complications from this virus,” Holmes said. Watch the segment

ABC 7 Chicago shared video from RUSH University Medical Center and spoke to Anne Geistkemper, MSc, RRT, about the surge in RSV cases and hospitalizations. “We are seeing a huge influx of these kids coming to the hospitals and it’s unseasonably early,” said Geistkemper. Watch the segment

Christy C. Tangney, PhD, was quoted in an article about the importance of breakfast by the website Eat This, Not That!, which also picked up by Yahoo. “If you start with a healthy, satisfying meal in the morning, you’re less apt to nibble on less nutritious things during the day, which we often do out of hunger — you grab the first or easiest thing in front of you,” said Tangney. Read the article

Due to the abortion ban, more than two dozen residents with the Medical College of Wisconsin will participate in clinical rounds at RUSH as part of their training, reported the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Sloane York, MD, said freestanding abortion clinics frequently refer patients to RUSH, which would allow the Medical College of Wisconsin residents to see “the depth and breadth” of reproductive care, from abortion to miscarriage.

Nancy Reau, MD, spoke to WebMD for an article on how hepatitis C patients can best manage the emotions that often follow the diagnosis. “There’s a lot of guilt, especially in someone who has a remote history of IV drug use, or got a tattoo at an unregulated parlor, or had a high-risk sexual encounter,” Reau said. Read the article

Elizabeth M. Pieroth, PsyD, ABPP, MPH, discussed a study about hyperbaric oxygen treatment for post-concussion syndrome in children with Medscape Medical News. “There are so many confounding variables here [in the study]. It’s hard to say that hyperbaric oxygen treatment was the cause of the improvement,” Pieroth said. Read the article

Anne-Marie Malfait, MD, spoke about connectivity/tissue disorders and pain with Healio’s health care professionals publication. “The very big elephant in the room in these patients is pain,” said Malfait. “It is largely unaddressed and largely not understood. It effects their quality of life and psychosocial functioning.” Read the article

Salina Lee, MD, provided clarification about a European study on colonoscopies in a news segment on WGN. Lee points out that while colonoscopies are increasingly easier and effective, there are several other tests that can detect colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Watch the segment

Usual patterns of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have been thrown off by COVID-19. Laura Meltzer, MD, spoke with ABC 7 Chicago about the increase of fall cases. “We are very busy with RSV,” said Meltzer. “It’s an unusually early time in the season to see so many children sick.” The story also was picked up nationally by Yahoo! News. Watch the segment

Deborah Hall, MD, spoke to Fox 32 Chicago about Parkinson’s Disease and how the landscape of the disease has changed since Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with the disease. “Not only do we have a whole host of different medications to treat the disease, but we are delivering medications in different ways,” said Hall. Watch the segment

“Arthritis is a degeneration of the joint,” Sonali Khandelwal, MD, explained in a Women’s Health magazine article about inflammatory foods that arthritis patients should avoid. “There are certain foods that cause more inflammation, and it directly affects the joints.” Read the article

Molly Moran, MSN, RN, spoke to Becker’s Hospital Review about RUSH’s partnership with Harper College to develop a paid apprenticeship for future medical assistants. The 16-month program trains participants to become medical assistants through on-the-job learning at RUSH’s medical facilities and accompanying Harper College instruction. Read the article

A regular or “tension” headache is a milder pain that most people can work through, while migraine pain is typically more severe, said Malathi Rao, DO, in a Women’s Health story about migraines, which also was published on Yahoo and MSN. Read the article

Lisa Barnes, PhD, explained to U.S. News & World Report that the evidence on how Alzheimer’s medications work for Black and Hispanic patients is lacking because so few of these patients were included in clinical trials of the medications. With racial diversity lacking in Aduhelm’s recent clinical trials, Barnes says, that drug’s power in ethnic and racially diverse populations remains unclear. Read the article

Sheila Dugan, MD, and the founders of the RUSH pelvic health program were spotlighted in a Chicago Health magazine article about pelvic floor physical therapy. The program aims to fill a need for comprehensive care through a collaborative medical approach, with pelvic-related specialists — from colorectal surgeons to OB/GYNs and rehab providers — working together as a team. Read the article

Janice Phillips, PhD, authored a report in The Nurse Practitioner that highlighted opportunities for advanced practice nurses to help advance health equity through policy advocacy and identified key resources that can help inform the policy advocacy discourse. Read more

Megan Dunning, PT, was asked by a U.S. News and World Report reporter to review a study about Smart Socks, which are wired with sensors that send an alert when a patient tries to get up and puts pressure on the socks. “I think there is a role for the socks in fall prevention in an inpatient setting,” says Dunning. “The evidence in the article makes a pretty big statement, since the unit had zero falls during the pilot period, [and it] also seems promising that the nurse response times were quick, as nurses knew that the chance this was a false positive was low.” Read the article

Jori Fleisher, MD, explained to Everyday Health readers why receiving the annual flu shot is particularly important for people with neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). “Unfortunately, if people with a neurologic condition aren’t explicitly told to get the vaccine, they often don’t. And that’s the wrong message,” says Fleisher. “Just because someone has PD, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t get other age-appropriate preventive care that they need.” Read the article

An opinion piece by Nicole M. Geissen, DO, about the PACT Act, and the need for lung screenings for those whose professions put them in high risk for lung cancer was published in The Hill. “It is time to not only ensure our first responders are cared for should they develop chronic illnesses while on the job — but also that we make it as easy as possible to receive life-saving screenings before things get that far,” says Geissen. Read the article

The American Heart Association News published an article on the benefits of Mediterranean-style eating. “One of the hallmarks of Mediterranean-style eating is its flexibility,” says Christy Tangney, PhD, FACN, CNS, who helped create the Life’s Essential 8 screening tool for evaluating heart health. “Access to the fresh fruits, vegetables and other foods in a Mediterranean eating pattern can be a challenge for people with low incomes,” added Annabelle Volgman, MD, who worked with Tangney on the tool. Read the article

As families prepare to send their kids back to school, WBEZ’s daily talk show “Reset” spoke with Margaret Scotellaro, MD, about staying up-to-date on vaccinations. “We talk with a lot of families who have gotten a lot of misinformation from public media and all of the uncertainties that came with COVID-19,” says Scotellaro. “We find that over time we are able to answer concerns and get people to vaccinate.” Listen to the story

Monkeypox cases continue to rise at an alarming rate across Chicago, and while public health officials are working to curb the spread, they’re encountering challenges. RUSH University Medical Center is stepping up outreach, trying to catch the disease early enough and vaccinate wherever possible. “It may be an event that’s in the middle of the night,” Elizabeth Davis, MD, told NBC 5. “We want to take the vaccine where high-risk people are all over the city.” View the segment

Trying to cope with tragedy is a difficult task, and even more difficult is helping  autistic individuals and others with neurodevelopmental disadvantages to understand and cope with horrific events, writes psychiatrist Lisa Yeh, MD. In a column published by Psychology Today, Yeh explains that approaches to coping vary. Some individuals are very literal and may not understand the nuances of language or innuendos, and others might not understand the impact a tragedy has on other people. Read the article

WBEZ interviewed Hannah Barbian, PhD, a virologist and genomic epidemiologist, about the COVID-19 strain BA.5, which is becoming the dominant COVID-19 strain in much of the country. Barbian discusses the precautions we should be taking. Listen to the story

Demand for workers in the U.S. continues to rise, as the national unemployment rate has fallen to about 3.6%. Psychiatrist Lisa Yeh, MD, says communities need to adopt strategies to help people with neurodevelopmental issues such as autism enter the workforce. “Several of my patients are motivated to work but find it difficult to interview, be hired and maintain a job,” Yeh wrote in an opinion piece published by The Chicago Tribune. Read more

If you come into contact with poison ivy, you may develop an itchy rash that can last for weeks. But as Sonya Kenkare, MD, told Insider, the use of hand or dish soap can effectively get rid of the plant’s oil. She recommends washing the area for about thirty seconds to a minute — just long enough to get rid of the oils without further irritating the skin. Read more

While abortion is still legal in Illinois, experts expect the overturning of Roe v. Wade to hit people of color and poor people the hardest. “Even with insurance, we need some systems in place to help them access care,” Sadia Haider, MD, MPH, said in an interview with WBEZ Chicago. “If you don’t have geographic availability of care, patients that are already under-resourced have to travel further, find ways to get there and figure out child care.” Listen to the segment

Since the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, Illinois is one of the few states in the middle of the country where people can legally access abortion care. Medical abortion has become common in recent years. “We didn’t have these medications back in those days,” Sadia Haider, MD, MPH, said in an interview with PBS News Hour. “We actually have very good medications now that safely can provide medical abortion, both in the hands of clinicians and in the hands of patients.” View the segment

2-year-old Tyra has recently come to work in Rush’s pediatric ICU as part of a new facility dog program. “She gets to see patients and she provides comfort and support like a therapy dog, but she is different than a therapy dog,” Megan Hartnett, MS, CCLS, told Scripps News Service. “If a patient’s having a hard time with getting motivated to ambulate after a surgery, we can go with physical therapy and be motivations for the patient to get up and to walk in the hallways.” View the segment

A new national study found that oxygen level readings are less accurate among Asian, Black and Hispanic patients compared with white patients - leading to delayed COVID-19 treatment for people of color. Study author Amanda Bradke, MD, joined WBEZ to discuss the results and other racially-biased tests in health care. Listen now

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on medicine in the past two-plus years. Healio asked Nancy S. Reau, MD, to discuss whether the perception of the hepatitis C virus care cascade has changed. “COVID-19 eclipsed all other infections and most other health priorities,” Reau wrote. “Screening for HCV came to a grinding halt, and even when routine health maintenance began to return, an HCV-positive individual identified through screening rarely made the next steps of staging the severity of liver injury and linkage to curative therapy.” Read more

Military veterans are revealing what their post-traumatic stress disorder looks like. In a unique program being offered by Rush University Medical Center, they are participating in art therapy and making masks that mirror their emotional state. “A picture is worth a thousand words, right?” Stephanie Clark, MD, MA, LCPC, said in an interview with Fox 32 Chicago. “It’s one thing to tell someone how you feel, it’s another thing to show someone how you feel.” Watch the video

Hannah Barbian, PhD, spoke with NBC Chicago about the COVID-19 variant known as XE, which combines omicron variants BA.1 and BA.2. Studies are underway to determine the exact contagiousness of the variant, but Chicago health officials aren’t concerned just yet. Watch the video

Johnson & Johnson’s $100 million investment to promote health equity solutions includes a new video series, “Starting the Conversation.” In the first episode, Janice Phillips, PhD, RN, CENP, FAAN, director of nursing research and health equity and associate professor, talks about how health equity goes beyond the hospital walls and into the daily lives of at-risk patients. Watch the video

Shivanjali Shankaran, MD, spoke with Fox 32 about the COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois on the two-year anniversary of the state’s first detected case. Watch the video

As Omicron spreads, nurses say they are better prepared to deal with the trauma of fighting a pandemic war. That’s thanks to a pilot program called Growing Forward, designed by bereavement support and education coordinator Kim Sangster, LCSW, while supporting staff members on the units where thousands of patients survived COVID-19 — but where a great many also died. Read more

Susan Lopez, MD, told ABC 7 Chicago in a report on the latest surge that most patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at Rush University Medical Center are unvaccinated. “The patients that are vaccinated are patients that are immunocompromised or with low immune systems,” she said. Watch the report

Strawberries might help protect your brain from Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study authored by Julie Schneider, MD, MS, and Puja Agarwal, PhD. They found that a bioactive compound found in strawberries called pelargonidin may be associated with fewer neurofibrillary tau tangles in the brain. Tau tangles are one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, which is caused by abnormal changes with tau proteins that accumulate in the brain. Read more

A three-month community-based boxing program significantly eased both motor and non-motor symptoms in adults with early Parkinson’s disease, a pilot study showed. “This is another study that highlights the importance of exercise in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease,” said Roshni Patel, adjunct professor of neurology and study co-author. “It should be a part of our treatment, just like medicines are.” Read more

Speech-language pathologist and researcher Anne Hoffmann, PhD, an associate professor of communication disorders and sciences, takes a creative approach to reaching children in marginalized communities who need communication and literacy support. Read more

One of China’s first respiratory therapists, Jie Li, PhD, RRT has been a leading contributor to the scientific research on safe, effective respiratory care during the pandemic. Read more

According to some estimates, Black adults in the United States have more than double the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than their white counterparts. What accounts for the gap? Lisa Barnes, PhD, a cognitive neuropsychologist in the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center and the Alla V. and Solomon Jesmer Professor of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine at Rush Medical College, is working to understand it — and working toward achieving equity in how we examine brain health. Read more

Stephanie Guzik is on the Association of American Medical Colleges professional development affinity group for conflicts of interest and has been teaching faculty for AAMC’s courses on COI 101 for the last four years. She also recently co-authored the chapter “The Academic Research Enterprise” for Drug Discovery and Development, 3rd Edition, 2019.

Sheila A. Dugan, MD, has been named permanent chairperson of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, also known as PM&R. Dugan has been interim chairperson of PM&R since 2019 and medical director of RUSH University Medical Group’s PM&R practice since 2006, and she was division chief of PM& R from 2017 to 2019. She is also a professor in the departments of PM&R, preventive medicine and neurosurgery at RUSH University Medical Center and co-founder of the RUSH Program for Abdominal and Pelvic Health.

Lu Anne Folkmar-Smith, director of medical imaging, was named winner of the Dr. John W. Trope Award at the inaugural RUSH Oak Park Founders Day ceremony in October. The award recognizes a hospital employee who has demonstrated RUSH’s I CARE values and leadership, as well as integrity and perseverance in the face of adversity.

Christine M. Kennedy, PhD, RN, FAAN, the John L. and Helen Kellogg Dean of RUSH University College of Nursing, has been named RUSH University’s interim provost and vice president. Kennedy will continue her role as dean while being responsible for coordinating and overseeing the University vice provost offices, advancing its health equity and teaching mission, and promoting integration with RUSH University System for Health. Read more

Rukiya Curvey Johnson, MBA, has been appointed vice president of community health equity and engagement at RUSH. In this role, she will continue leading RUSH’s efforts to dismantle barriers to longer, healthier lives in the communities RUSH serves through economic, educational, structural and health-related initiatives and community partnerships. Read more

Audrey Killarney Peri, RN, a clinical quality educator and former pediatric emergency room nurse, developed a car seat safety training program for providers and caregivers that is now RUSH’s standard for parents and caregivers alike. Read more

Becky Ozelie, DHS, OTR/L has been named chairperson and program director of the Rush University Department of Occupational Therapy, effective July 1, 2022. Ozelie has been an occupational therapist for more than 20 years, and joined Rush in 2010 as the academic fieldwork coordinator.

Angela Moss, PhD, MSN, APRN-BC, FAAN, was recognized for creative leadership in advancing quality and equity of health care, including COVID-19 response within the most vulnerable communities. Read more

Angelique Richard, PhD, RN, CENP, has been selected for the Carol Emmott Fellowship, which aims to decrease disparities for women in upper-level health care leadership. Richard — senior vice president of hospital operations for Rush University Medical Center and chief nursing officer for the Medical Center and Rush University System for Health — is among 22 fellows in the 2022 class. Read more

Shannon Halloway, PhD, RN, FAHA, has been named as a Fellow of the American Heart Association (AHA) and a member of the Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing. Halloway was recognized at the AHA’s annual meeting and joins a class of highly qualified nurses from across the country. Read more

All eight of the intensive care units across Rush University System for Health, and an intermediate care unit, have received a Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. Granted at gold, silver and bronze levels, the Beacon award honors excellence in intensive care nursing and is regarded as the top honor in the field. Read more

Kathleen Delaney, PhD, PMH-NP, FAAN, has been named the 2021 Joan L. Shaver Outstanding Nursing Leader. The sole recipient of this competitive award, Delaney was honored for her commitment and dedication to the needs of the people of Illinois. Read more

Angela Moss, PhD, MSN, APRN-BC, RN, and Monique Reed, PhD, MSN, RN, were honored with this career milestone based on their significant contributions to advance public health and promote health equity. They are among only five distinguished nurse leaders from Illinois and only 225 from across the United States who were recognized for their achievements. Read more

The Illinois Nurses Foundation recently chose seven nurses and nursing faculty members at Rush University Medical Center as recipients of the organization’s annual 40 Under 40 Emerging Nurse Leader Award. The award highlights and celebrates young nurse leaders who are making an impact on health care and the nursing profession today and who will shape the future of the profession. Read more

Urmeka T. Jefferson, PhD, RN, associate professor at Rush University College of Nursing, is one of 10 nurse scientists accepted to the second cohort of the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators. This fellowship program, funded by a $37.5 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, recognizes early- to mid-career nursing scholars and innovators with a high potential to accelerate leadership in nursing research, practice, education, policy and entrepreneurship. Learn more

On July 1, Jennifer M. Orozco, MMS, PA-C, DFAAPA, director of advanced practice providers at Rush University Medical Center, began her term as president of the American Academy of PAs for the 2021-22 leadership year. Learn more

Monique Reed, PhD, MS, RN, assistant dean for generalist education and associate professor in the College of Nursing, is working to disrupt hierarchies between health care providers and community members. In 2020 Reed was appointed the vice president of the American Nurses Association of Illinois, where her team collaborates to improve diversity, equity and inclusion within the organization and health care facilities alike. Read more

Latania Logan, MD, spoke to Scripps News about a rare but serious illness that some children develop after even a mild case of COVID-19. Rush has treated several patients with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), which can cause inflammation in the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain or gastrointestinal organs. Watch the segment

Rasa Kazlauskaite, MD, MS, associate professor of endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism, spoke to The U.S. Sun about managing diabetes through a balanced diet. Read more

Amelia Garza, associate director of major gifts, and Jennifer T. Holmes, assistant director of corporate and foundation relations, co-wrote an op-ed for the Association of Fundraising Professionals explaining how diverse hiring is not enough to advance organizational equity and inclusion - and offering solutions that can. Read more

Rev. Ally Vertigan, a chaplain at Rush Oak Park Hospital, and colleagues were honored as “Healthcare Heroes” by the Chicago White Sox. Vertigan talked about the experience and her work during the pandemic for a feature on the United Church of Christ’s website. Read more

Amelia Mercer, BSN, RN, CBCN, OCN, talked to Oncology Nursing News about the importance of time management, teamwork and patient support in her role as nurse navigator for the breast team at Rush University Cancer Center. Read more

Beth R. Van Opstal, MD, joined WGN News to discuss concerns involving COVID-19 and returning to schools this fall. Van Opstal talked about the COVID-19 variants; when the vaccine may be available to children under 12; and vaccine mandates. Watch the segment

Susan Lopez, MD, shares how structural racism affected her even at the time of her birth and continues to linger in patient experiences in health care institutions everywhere in an opinion piece published on KevinMD. She calls for health organizations to address how racism has become part of medicine’s structure to ensure that it becomes actively anti-racist. Read more

Paula Meier, PhD, RN, FAAN, director for clinical research and lactation in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Rush University Medical Center and president of the International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation, talked to Parents magazine about the dos and don’ts of breastfeeding when it comes to eating spicy foods. Read more

Elizabeth Pieroth, PsyD, ABBP, associate professor in the College of Health Sciences, has worked with professional athletes as a neuropsychologist for more than 20 years and seen firsthand the stresses they endure. While professional athletes tend to have more accessibility to mental health resources, Pieroth advocates for youth athletes who deserve more focus and resources available for their mental well-being in an article for Psychology Today. Read more

Monnie Wasse, MD, director of the post-Covid clinic at Rush University Medical Center, talked to Men’s Health about Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), also known as long COVID. “Even though these symptoms alone aren’t life-threatening, they feel like a major change to the people experiencing them,” Wasse explained. Read more

A brain disorder called Parkinson’s plus syndrome, also known as atypical Parkinson’s, is highlighted in a Scripps news segment. Jori Fleisher, MD, MSCE, explained to Scripps in a video interview that Parkinson’s plus syndrome is often misdiagnosed. “It’s called a Parkinson’s plus syndrome or an atypical Parkinson’s, and that’s because a lot of times people can present with symptoms that look like Parkinson’s disease,” she says. “So, slowness, stiffness, occasionally a tremor.” Watch the segment

Lisa Rosman and Lisa Sanchez-Johnsen, PhD, presented on October 15th with Hunter Holt at the National LatinX Psychological Association annual conference on “Disparities in Cervical Cancer in Latinxs and Ways to Improve Screening.”

Katherine Fasullo, SBN, RN manager for physical medicine and rehabilitation, recently published an integrative literature review in Clinical Gerontologist to inform practice, research, and policy. Read more

Medical Xpress spotlit a study published in the Journal of Women’s Health that found male patients with COVID-19 had significantly higher rates of hospitalization and of transfer to the intensive care unit, and that a higher percentage of male patients died of COVID-19 than female patients. Joanne Michelle Gomez, MD, studied the first 8,108 positive COVID-19 patients that presented to Rush University System for Health from March 1 to June 21, 2020. Nineteen percent of males required hospitalization, compared to 13 percent of females. Read more

Kathryn Perticone, APN, MSW and Sheila M. Dowd, PhD coauthored a commentary in NEJM Catalyst detailing how Rush created and deployed a simple, easy-to-follow interdisciplinary framework to promote staff well-being during COVID-19. Read more

Cynthia Brincat, MD, PhD, was appointed interim dean of Rush Medical College in October 2021. Brincat, who has distinguished herself as a practitioner in women’s health, as a scholar and as a leader, will work in partnership with the deans of the other three Rush University colleges to enhance the reputation of Rush University as a leading center for health care education and research. She will also expand and support diversity within the student body, faculty and leadership, and foster faculty development at all levels. 

Angela Lorbeck, DACM, MSTOM, MPH, LAc, Dipl OM has been promoted to Manager of Integrative Medicine, and as a 2021 New Investigator Awardee, she presented “Actual and Imagined Acupuncture Effects on Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Breast Cancer Survivors: An Acceptability and Feasibility Trial” at the 18th International Society for Integrative Oncology Conference on September 24, 2021.

Erin Shaughnessy, PharmD, MBA, FACHE, BCPS was awarded the Larry Goodman Leadership Award for demonstrating Rush’s ICARE values and phenomenal leadership throughout the pandemic. Read more (Rush login required)

Grace Dravenack recently earned her Project Management Professional certification in FY21. This credential is internationally recognized and proves project leadership experience and expertise. Grace said she “feels passionate about projects that make a positive impact for the Office of Philanthropy and Rush. I hope to leverage this credential to make a difference at Rush.”

Patricia Steeves O’Neil, MAE, was appointed senior vice president and chief financial officer of Rush University System for Health and Rush University Medical Center effective May 3, 2021. In this role she will provide strategic vision and management for the operational and fiscal direction of Rush University Medical Center and the Rush system. The appointment is the well-deserved culmination of her more than 20 years at Rush, where she has been acting SVP and CFO since May 2020.

O’Neil is also an assistant professor in the Rush University College of Health Sciences, where she teaches in the nationally ranked Master’s in Health Systems Management Program. She received Outstanding Faculty awards in 2004, 2008, 2010, 2014 and 2016.

Sheila Dugan, MD, professor and acting Chair of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, is the recipient of the 2019 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation PASSOR Legacy Award and Lectureship for the mid to late-career physiatrist who has distinguished himself/herself in the field of musculoskeletal physiatry and has attained excellence in three of the four areas: clinical care, national education, national service or scholarship. She will be lecturing and receiving the award at the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Annual Meeting in San Antonio on November 16, 2019.

Rush College of Nursing faculty members Susan Buchholz, PhD, RN, and Sarah Livesay, DNP, APRN, were named Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing. Buchholz and Livesay were honored at an induction ceremony on October 26, 2019.