Author: awesterb@bsdad.uchicago.edu

Department of Medicine Faculty Named to “Top Docs” List


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Chicago magazine’s list of “Top Primary Care Doctors,” published in January 2023 has recognized 4 Department of Medicine faculty as the best in the area. Deborah Burnet, MD- General Internal Medicine Kamala G. Cotts, MD- General Internal Medicine Mindy Schwartz, MD- General Internal Medicine Stacie Levine, MD- Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine The data for these lists is collected and analyzed by research company Castle Connolly and based on recommendations from peers on clinical excellence, bedside manner, education and board certification. It is one of several “Top Docs” lists the magazine publishes throughout the year.

Monica Peek,MD,MPH- Recipient of 2023 University of Chicago Diversity Award


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Monica Peek,MD,MPH is among  six members of the University of Chicago community who has been named as a recipient of the University’s 2023 Diversity Leadership Award which recognizes University faculty, students, staff and alumni who have shown a commitment to fostering justice and equality. Dr. Peek is the the Ellen H. Block Professor of Health Justice, associate vice-chair for research faculty development in the Department of Medicine, executive medical director of community health innovations, associate director of the Chicago Center for Diabetes Translation Research, and director of research/associate director of the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. She is a renowned … Read More

Matthew Sorrentino,MD- Appointed Interim Chief, Section of Cardiology


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Matthew Sorrentino, MD has been appointed as interim chief of the Section of Cardiology effective January 16, 2023. Dr. Sorrentino succeeds James Liao, MD who has accepted the position of Chair of Medicine at the University of Arizona, College of Medicine in Tucson. Dr. Sorrentino currently serves as the Department’s Vice Chair of  Clinical Operations, director of the cardiology outpatient practice, and associate director for the Bucksbaum Institute for Clinical Excellence.  He began his career at the University of Chicago in 1980, as a student in the Pritzker School of Medicine.  He graduated from our internal medicine residency and our … Read More

Differences in gut microbiome linked to risk of death in COVID-19 patients with respiratory failure


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A new study finds differences in gut bacteria and metabolites among COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU, offering possibilities for preventing the worst outcomes. In early 2020, Bhakti Patel, MD, a pulmonary and critical care specialist at the University of Chicago Medicine, and Matthew Stutz, MD, who was a critical care fellow at the time, had an idea for a research project. They wanted to study the gut microbiome of patients admitted to the ICU to see if it could help them understand why some patients recover and do well after discharge from the hospital, and others continue to suffer from … Read More

Two Medicine faculty honored with distinguished service, named professorships


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Two Department of Medicine faculty members have received distinguished service professorships or named professorships. Everett Vokes,MD  has been named distinguished service professor and Mark Anderson, MD,PhD has received a named professorship. Everett E. Vokes,MD, Chair of the Department of Medicine, has been named the John E. Ultmann Distinguished Service Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Radiation and Cellular Oncology effective January 1, 2023. Dr. Vokes has a distinguished career in clinical and translational research involving head, neck and lung cancer, and is an internationally renowned expert in treating these malignant tumors. His scientific focus has been on early-phase translational … Read More

UCM receives ‘Center of Excellence’ designation from PKD Foundation


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The University of Chicago Medicine has been recognized as a Center of Excellence by the Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Foundation for its work caring for patients with Autosomal Dominant PKD (ADPKD), a life-threatening genetic disease that is a leading cause of kidney failure. The South Side health system is one of only 28 organizations across the country to earn the foundation’s top designation. PKD Centers of Excellence are selected after an extensive review process. Only those with patient-focused, comprehensive care – coordinated and supported by a patient navigation team – are selected. Led by renowned nephrologist Arlene Chapman, MD, UChicago Medicine’s PKD treatment program is a national … Read More

2023 Janet Rowley Research Day: Schedule and Activities


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2023 Janet Rowley Research Day Tuesday, March 7, 2023   The Department of Medicine’s 2023 Janet D. Rowley Research Day will be held on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. This year’s keynote speaker will be David S. Wilkes, MD,  Dean Emeritus and the James Carroll Flippin Professor of Medicine Emeritus at the University of Virginia School of Medicine  National Director of the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Dr. Wilkes’ talk will take place during Medicine Grand Rounds at noon. Schedule of Events & Activities are here: DoM Research Day Flyer 2023  

UChicago Medicine’s Digestive Diseases and Heart & Vascular centers earn high marks on Newsweek’s 2023 World’s Best Specialized Hospitals list


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The University of Chicago Medicine has been recognized as a top specialty hospital, ranking among the best in the world for nine clinical areas, according to a 2023 list published by Newsweek. In particular, the academic health system received high marks for its renowned gastroenterology and cardiology programs, ranking #19 and #25 respectively and taking top honors in the state of Illinois. “The UChicago Medicine Digestive Diseases Center boosts a long legacy of innovation and excellence in patient care and advancing the science of medicine,” said David T. Rubin, MD, Chief of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and Director of the Digestive Diseases Center. “We … Read More

How do you teach advancing health equity? Improv may be a (serious) answer


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Marshall Chin, MD, MPH, gained more than he expected when he enrolled in a local improv class. The general internist and health equity advocate at the University of Chicago Medicine not only learned storytelling and comedy techniques, he discovered an innovative way to teach medical students at the Pritzker School of Medicine about advancing health equity. “As I got more involved in improv, I began to realize that the emotional intelligence and listening skills we were learning really translated well to the day job and could be a potentially very powerful way of teaching about equity,” said Chin, Richard Parrillo Family Distinguished … Read More

Deep learning can diagnose lung cancers with high accuracy when accounting for uncertainty


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While artificial intelligence used to be confined to science fiction, it is now part of our reality, found technologies from facial recognition to digital transcription and music recommendation systems. But using artificial intelligence for lifesaving purposes can still be risky. Researchers at the University of Chicago Medicine are trying to mitigate this risk by developing algorithms that can use deep learning to determine whether images of cancerous tissue come from either of two lung cancers, with high certainty. This technology comes closer to being safe for use with patients because it also estimates how confident it is about its predictions. … Read More