Department of Internal Medicine Areas of Expertise

The Department of Internal Medicine is home to 14 highly respected divisions. Each one is dedicated to providing innovative medical care of the highest quality to our patients.

Through our divisions, our research and educational programs identify and train the next leaders of medicine. In addition, our community service programs foster relationships with other hospitals and communities in the Chicago area, leading to healthier lives here and across the nation, now and in the future. 

Divisions

Allergy and Immunology

The Division of Allergy & Immunology at RUSH University Medical Center, led by Mahboobeh Mahdavinia, MD, PhD, is a premiere program for both clinical care and translation research.

The Division is focused on high quality patient care and incorporating this into excellent patient outcomes and groundbreaking clinical research.

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Cardiology

The Division of Cardiology ranks as one of the nation’s top 50 programs according to U.S. News & World Report. RUSH's modern, 28-bed coronary intensive care unit is one of the largest in Chicago.

This division is led by Faisal Hasan, MD. 

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Community and Global Health Equity

The Division of Community and Global Health Equity is comprised of educators, clinicians and researchers of various IM disciplines who are dedicated to the vision that all communities have the opportunity to be healthy.

This division, led by Stephanie Crane, MD, serves as the focal point within the Department of Internal Medicine for promoting and teaching principles of health equity including curricular development and deployment, social medicine practice and investigation.

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Digestive Diseases and Nutrition

The Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, led by Irving Waxman, MD, is a patient-centered, fellow-centered program grounded by translational research.

The division’s clinician-driven research approach has led to exciting breakthroughs at RUSH, including discoveries linking compromised intestinal barrier function to neurological diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease; linking disruption of circadian rhythms to compromised intestinal barrier function in chronic inflammation like inflammatory bowel disease, alcoholic and non-alcoholic liver disease, obesity and metabolic syndrome and colon cancer; linking abnormal intestinal microbiota to diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, colon and breast cancers, Parkinson's disease and chronic liver disease.

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Endocrinology and Metabolism

For years, endocrinologists at RUSH have earned a reputation for providing excellent care for patients with diabetes and other metabolic diseases through the medical center’s award-winning diabetes center. The dvision is led by Brian Kim, MD.

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General Internal Medicine

Led by Laura Zimmerman, MD, DipABLM, MS, the Division of General Medicine is the backbone of the Department of Internal Medicine’s strong clinical focus on evidence-based medicine as well as its highly respected educational programs.

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Geriatrics, Gerontology and Palliative medicine

The Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology and Palliative Medicine is widely recognized as one of the top programs locally and nationally for its clinical and research excellence. In fact, U.S. News & World Report ranks Rush as one of the top 20 geriatrics programs in the country. 

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Hematology, Oncology and Cell Therapy

RUSH is recognized as a leader in delivering patient-focused, team-based cancer treatment, which has helped it earn a position among the top 50 cancer programs in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report. The Division is led by Timothy Kuzel, MD, professor of medicine.

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Hospital Medicine

The Division of Hospital Medicine provides high-quality, evidence-based care only for hospitalized patients. In addition to providing excellent inpatient care, the division promotes a seamless transition from the hospital to outpatient follow up with a primary care physician. 

This division is led by Christopher Bruti, MD, MPH. 

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Infectious Diseases

The Division of Infectious Diseases at RUSH, directed by Mary Hayden, MD, the James Lowenstine Professor of Internal Medicine, has been a cornerstone of the Department of Internal Medicine for decades.

The division is known for its excellence in clinical care, education and research.

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Nephrology

For decades, nephrologists at RUSH have advanced our understanding of kidney disease and transformed how clinicians care for patients here and abroad.

RUSH is home to specialized clinics for kidney transplant patients, as well as individuals with diabetic kidney disease, glomerular diseases, renal stones and anemia due to kidney disease.

The Division of Nephrology and Nephrology Transplantation is directed by Monnie Wasse, MD, MPH. Education also is a strength, and Division faculty have earned eight teaching awards from the Department of Internal Medicine.

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Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

The Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, led by Babak Mokhlesi, MD, the J. Bailey Carter, MD, Professor of Medicine, has an excellent clinical and academic reputation and highly sought-after fellowship training programs in pulmonary/critical care, sleep medicine, and critical care medicine.

The Division includes 31 full-time and part-time faculty members who have an extensive range of clinical and research interests providing highly specialized care in several subspecialty clinics, including the interstitial lung disease clinic, pulmonary nodule clinic, pulmonary hypertension clinic, difficult-to-treat asthma clinic, adult cystic fibrosis clinic and sleep medicine clinic.

Our outstanding comprehensive care has helped advance the RUSH Lung Center to earn a position among the top 30 hospitals in Pulmonology and Lung Surgery in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report.

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Rheumatology

For decades, the Division of Rheumatology, led by Joel Block, MD, the Willard L. Wood, MD, professor of rheumatology, has been known for its expertise in osteoarthritis and cartilage biology.

More recently, the division also has earned recognition for expertise in inflammatory and immunological diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

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Translational and Precision Medicine

The Division of Translational and Precision Medicine, led by Alan Landay, PhD, is dedicated to discovering the molecular mechanisms of human disease and advancing disease prevention.

Faculty within the division engage in research and education to develop new diagnostics and therapeutics, translate novel agents and advance biomarker discovery.

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