The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research on Women’s Health recently announced winners of its prize competition aimed at increasing gender diversity among faculty members at colleges and universities and removing barriers for transformative change. The NIH Prize for Enhancing Faculty Gender Diversity in Biomedical and Behavioral Science recognizes institutions that have acted to effect systemic change to address gender diversity and equity among faculty members within their biomedical and behavioral science departments. Ten winners were selected, and the Department of Medicine Women’s Committee was recognized as an honorable mention for its program, “Using 3 R’s to Elevate Women.” The … Read More

Originally reported in The Forefront, 10/19/2021 The University of Chicago and Rush University have received a $20M, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish a Center for Multiple Chronic Diseases Associated with Health Disparities. The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, a division of the NIH, awarded grants to establish 11 new Centers across the country to support clinical research to improve health in minority communities. UChicago and Rush will use the grant to launch the Chicago Chronic Condition Equity Network (C3EN), a project that will focus research efforts on addressing health disparities for … Read More

Keme Carter,MD  has been named as the recipient of the 2021 Department of Medicine Diversity Award. Dr. Carter currently serves as  Associate Professor of Medicine (Emergency Medicine) , Associate Dean for Admissions in the Pritzker School of Medicine (PSOM), and Director of Undergraduate Medical Education for the Section of Emergency Medicine and the Emergency Medicine Clerkship Director. Dr. Carter is an inspirational role model for trainees and students and is recognized as a transformative leader in the PSOM admission process where she is uncompromising on the values of both excellence and diversity and has created an environment where community and … Read More

Dr. Everett Vokes, Chair of the Department, recently named Philip Hoffman,MD and Julian Solway,MD as the 2021 recipients of the Department of Medicine Distinguished Service Award for their outstanding work and dedication to the Department’s tripartite mission. Dr. Hoffman, Professor of Medicine (Hematology/Oncology), has spent his entire academic career in the Department of Medicine, starting with his fellowship training in hematology/oncology in 1977.   In 1980 he joined the faculty as assistant professor of medicine and in 2003, he was promoted to the rank of professor, the position he currently holds.  In 2008 Dr. Hoffman was appointed as Associate Section Chief … Read More

Alexandra Dumistrescu,MD,PhD and Milda Saunders,MD,MPH have been named as the recipients of the 2021 Leif B. Sorensen,MD,PhD Faculty Research Award. Dr. Dumitrescu is a talented physician-scientist who studies patients with inherited thyroid disorders, and her work identifies the underlying mechanisms involved with such disorders. She obtained her PhD at the University of Chicago, working in the laboratory of Dr. Samuel Refetoff. There she led research efforts to identify mutations in MCT8, a thyroid hormone transporter. This was the first time a patient had been identified with a transmembrane thyroid hormone transporter defect. Dr. Dumitrescu next generated mice with Mct8 deficiency … Read More

Mark Siegler,MD ,the Lindy Bergman Distinguished Service Professor, Director, MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics and Director, Bucksbaum Institute for Clinical Excellence, has been named as the recipient of the 2021 Arthur Rubenstein Mentorship Award.   Dr. Siegler was presented with this award by Everett Vokes,MD, Chair of the Department of Medicine, on September 14, 2021 at the Department’s Annual Award Ceremony. Dr. Siegler has had a significant impact on the Department, Division and University during his distinguished 50 + year career.  He has dedicated a major portion his career to mentoring the next generation clinical ethicists, as well as countless … Read More

Originally published in The Forefront, 9/2/2021 As resources for people experiencing domestic violence in Chicago’s South Side dwindled during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic stay-at-home order, so did reporting of violence within the home, according to new research published in JAMA Network Open. While it’s likely that cases of intimate partner violence, along with other types of violence in the home, did not actually decrease, researchers found that Black communities reported fewer cases of violence to police. In contrast, there was no significant change in reporting among White majority neighborhoods on Chicago’s North Side. “Recently, nationwide awareness of police brutality against communities … Read More

Originally reported in The Forefront (9/7/2021) A study led by researchers at the University of Chicago and Indiana University has determined that a protein called elF5A is necessary for driving inflammation in macrophage cells in obesity. Blocking DHPS, the enzyme that modifies and activates elF5A, led to reduced inflammation and improved glucose control in mice. The study was published on September 7 in Cell Metabolism. DHPS is a conserved protein, meaning that it is found in many different animal species from bacteria to humans. It has mostly been studied in yeast and other cultured cells. While the lab of Raghu Mimira, … Read More