UIC Department of Medicine

Great work by our own UIC DOM resident, currently University of Rochester Medical Center cardiology fellow Keshav Patel, MD, MS, answering an everyday clinical question: what is the difference in pain with administration of nicardipine vs. verapamil with procedures

We are delighted to host Jessi Gold, MD, MS, UIC Women In Medicine Visiting Scholar, for her seminar entitled “ How Do YOU Feel? Taking Care of Ourselves, While Taking Care of Others”.

This lecture will be held in person and via Zoom on Thursday September 12, 2024, 12:00pm-1:00pm at the CMWT 106.

Registration is required, regardless of whether you are planning to attend in person or via Zoom.
Please click on the link below to complete your registration.
https://go.uic.edu/DOMICWellness

The University of Illinois Cancer Center was featured on Fox32news during an interview with Rev. Jerome Wiser, a prostate cancer survivor and patient of Dr. Karine Tawagi, a medical oncologist in the Division of Hematology.

See full story here: https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/men-go-get-checked-overcoming-stigma-fear-doctors-visits

Remembering JOSE A. L. ARRUDA, MD, FACP, FASN
(May 8, 1943, to August 17, 2024)

Professor Emeritus, Department of Medicine
Chief, Division of Nephrology (1985-2019)
University Scholar

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Jose A. L. Arruda, MD. Dr. Arruda graduated from the Universidade Federal Fluminense Medical School Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1967, followed by a nephrology fellowship at Cook County Hospital and the University of Illinois Chicago. Dr. Arruda joined the Department of Medicine at UIC as a faculty member in 1974 and remained at UIC for the majority of his career. Dr. Arruda served as the chief of the Division of Nephrology from 1985 until his retirement in 2019, when he was bestowed the honor of professor emeritus.

Dr. Arruda represented the ultimate academic physician in the areas of teaching, research, patient care, and service. He was truly the ‘teacher’s teacher’ and the ‘doctor’s doctor.’ Many of his colleagues sought advice and astute insight on clinical quandaries, and his mentorship for both personal and career development.

Over the years, Dr. Arruda received numerous awards and honors, including Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA), Attending Physician of the Year, Excellence in Teaching Award, International Society of Nephrology Educational Ambassador Award, the University Scholar Award, among others. He was a master educator, possessing a unique ability to explain difficult concepts and provide deep insight into underlying pathophysiology; and a superb clinician always providing the highest level of care for his patients. A longstanding colleague fondly recalls reviewing a patient with Dr. Arruda who proceeded to “talk for 30 minutes about a normal creatinine.”

Dr. Arruda was a translational researcher with important research that has shaped our understanding of acid base homeostasis and renal tubular acidosis. Throughout his career, he made significant contributions to academic literature and received years of continuous federal funding.

Dr. Arruda had a strong dedication and devotion to the missions of the Division of Nephrology, the Department of Medicine, and the University. He embodied the mission of UIC through his integrity, honesty, and compassion, all a source of great admiration by his colleagues, students, and patients. Dr. Arruda's leadership inspired professionalism and great loyalty among the faculty, staff, and trainees. His friendship, dedication and leadership will be deeply missed.

Dr. Arruda is survived by his wife and two daughters. At his request, an intimate family ceremony was held for his final departure.

UICIM fun in the sun!!☀️🕶️

We had an awesome time meeting our core faculty mentors and enjoying a delicious barbecue in the gorgeous Chicago summer weather!!

On September 5, 2024, The 7th Annual Heart To Heart Cardiology Symposium will be held at UIC. The symposium will provide updates in cardiovascular disease for the primary care providers in a one-day symposium designed to provide case-based, practical approaches to the most common cardiac disorders seen in the outpatient setting.

Please use the QR Code to Register.

New clinic, training program aim to improve care for people with disabilities.

Dr. Erin Hickey is providing inclusive care for patients with disabilities in two ways and recently helped open UI Health’s Lifespan Disability Clinic on Chicago’s southwest side. There, patients with disabilities can access a wide range of practitioners from physicians to occupational therapists to physical therapists all under one roof. With the help of a $2 million, five-year grant, Dr. Hickey will bring medical students into the clinic for training, starting in August.

Read More: https://today.uic.edu/lifespan-clinic-training-doctors-disabilities/

Photo: Dr. Erin Hickey, center, talks with patient Isaiah Menchaca and his mom, Josephine Alvarez, during a visit to the UI Health Lifespan Disability Clinic. (Photo: Jenny Fontaine/UIC)

Apps and AI could help personalize depression diagnosis and treatment.

Two new grants awarding over $10 million to UIC will help Dr. Jun Ma and colleagues investigate the use of a smartphone app, an AI voice assistant and other technologies to diagnose and treat depression.

The researchers hope these tools will both broaden access to psychiatric care and help realize the promise of precision psychiatry, a paradigm of medicine where health care is more personalized, predictive and preventive.

“We want to use new digital assessment tools to better monitor and predict the disease trajectory and treatment response of people with depression,” said Ma, the Beth Fowler Vitoux and George Vitoux Distinguished Professor at UIC. “Then we can provide patients with the kind of precision treatment that can work for them now, instead of waiting for weeks, months or even a year to see how they respond, and also use new digital tools to deliver proven therapies at scale.”

Learn More: go.uic.edu/DepressionAI

The 2024 MSTP Family!

The Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) educates exceptional students for careers as physician-scientists. Dawood Darbar is a co director of the MSTP program and Ravinder Gill is an associate director.

FDA Approves Blood Test for Colon Cancer Detection

Dr. Shikha Jain, MD, FACP, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the University of Illinois Chicago, weighed in on a new blood test for colon cancer screening! "There’s a lot of people who have early stage cancers that are getting missed because they aren’t going for the colonoscopy. The hope is we can get early stage people by getting this test early on. If there is something abnormal, then they can go for the next step which would be a colonoscopy," said Dr. Jain. It's important to remember, this test will not detect precancerous polyps, and may miss earlier stage cancers that have not released enough circulating DNA in the blood to be detected.

The blood test is a good option for average risk patients who are apprehensive about traditional colonoscopies. The new blood test is a valuable addition to our screening tools. However, it should complement, not replace, colonoscopies, which remain the gold standard for comprehensive colon cancer screening and prevention.

For more information, view the full news coverage here: https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/1492640

COVID-19 rising again in Chicago, but experts urge precaution — not panic. Dr. Alfredo Mena Lora, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, weighed in on this important topic.

Read full story here: https://chicago.suntimes.com/coronavirus/2024/07/24/covid-19-coronavirus-chicago-rates-disease-pandemic-health-vaccine

Stay connected with the Department of Medicine via our social channels!
https://linkedin.com/company/uicdom
https://facebook.com/uicdom
https://instagram.com/uicdom

Heather L. Heiman, MD was appointed to the American Board of Internal Medicine's Board of Directors for a three-year term beginning July 1, 2024.

The Board of Directors sets the future direction, strategy and goals for the organization, and develops and maintains important partnerships in the healthcare community. Board members provide important insights into what constitutes excellence in patient care.

Dr. Heiman is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Medical Education at the University of Illinois College of Medicine.

Congratulations!
Read More: https://shorturl.at/HHpTy

Dr. Mladen Vidovich's chapter on Atherectomy, Rotablation, and Laser was published in the new released Interventional Cardiology Board Review book. Dr. Vidovich is a professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology. Congratulations!

A new center at the University of Illinois Chicago dedicated to maternal health research was announced at a July 17 roundtable attended by UIC Chancellor Marie Miranda, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, Dr. Rachel Caskey and UIC researchers, clinicians and patients.

Speakers emphasized the urgent need to address the ongoing maternal health crisis, under which overall mortality has nearly doubled and racial disparities have widened since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new center will try to reduce health inequities in maternal morbidity and mortality with an $11 million, six-year grant from the National Institutes of Health. The center will unite experts from across 14 health and science disciplines in pillars for research, training and community engagement. The center is led by Rachel Caskey, the Earl M. Bane professor and head of the department of medicine, and co-principal investigator Anne Elizabeth Glassgow, research assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics.

Read Full Article at UIC Today: https://today.uic.edu/new-maternal-health-research-center-addresses-national-crisis-in-pregnancy-outcomes/

Job Posting: Division Chief, Infectious Diseases

The Department of Medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) invites applications for Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases. The Division offers exceptional opportunities for clinical care, research and scholarly activity, education and training, community outreach, and outstanding faculty. Division faculty are involved in multidisciplinary collaborations, funded research, and close partnerships with community-based agencies. A strength of the Division is its active engagement with traditionally underserved populations designed to address diverse health disparities. Located near downtown Chicago, faculty have easy access to world-class cultural and scientific resources.

Apply here: https://uic.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/9943?c=uic

Always great to start the new academic year with pizza, drinks, and a Chicago rooftop on a beautiful summer afternoon! UIC Division of Infectious Diseases.

The National Institutes of Health awarded the University of Illinois Chicago a six-year U54 grant to expand its Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence. UIC was awarded $3.9 million in first year funding with the grant expected to last six years. Dr. Rachel Caskey, Earl M. Bane professor and head, Department of Medicine is the principal investigator on this newly funded award.
Congratulations!

Read more tinyurl.com/ycyrz24d

U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) applauded the announcement by the NIH that it has awarded two new grants to expand its Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence, including one at the UIC.
Read more

Durbin, Duckworth Applaud NIH’S Announcement of UIC as Newest Maternal Health Research Center of Excellence | Department of Medicine | University of Illinois College of Medicine Durbin, Duckworth Applaud NIH’S Announcement of UIC as Newest Maternal Health Research Center of Excellence Posted on July 03, 2024 Awarded by the National Institutes of Health, the Centers of Excellence develop and evaluate innovative approaches to reduce pregnancy-related complications & deaths ...

Dr. Victoria Johnson's perspective piece titled "To Forgive, Divine" was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Congratulations Dr. Johnson on your publication!

To read visit: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2402006

Welcome Internal Medicine Intern Class of 2027 to the UIC family!!

Join us on Thursday, June 27 for our quarterly Ideas on Tap Research Mixer featuring the COM’s Strategic Research Initiatives Pilot Awards!

We will have opening remarks from Dean Mark Rosenblatt and Bellur Prabhakar, Senior Associate Dean for Research!

Food, beer and wine will be provided.

Now accepting applications for our postdoctoral training program! Apply at go.uic.edu/premier

Congratulations Infectious Disease Fellows class of 2024! 🎓 Your careers span academic/university settings, private practice/teaching hospitals, addiction medicine, general ID, and HIV/LGBTQ health. We’re proud of your achievements!

Join the Department of Medicine Grand Rounds In-Person Lecture on Today June 18, 2024, 12:00pm-1:00pm!

"Association of Albuminuria With Chronic Kidney Disease Progression in Persons With Chronic Kidney Disease and Normoalbuminuria: A Cohort Study" by Anand Srivastava, MD, MPH, was published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M23-2814

Find a Doctor Browse by specialty to find a doctor, a nurse, a therapist, and health providers in the Chicago area.

The UIC Sickle Cell Center received Illinois Department of Public Health grant funding to support mental health care for patients with sickle cell disease. This is in collaboration with Drs. Santosh Saraf, Christopher Holden, Neil Pliskin, and Robert Molokie.

Dr. Zeenat Farooq was the recipient of the Outstanding Abstract Award by The Endocrine Society for her abstract titled "Understanding the role of the novel hexokinase HKDC1 in Alzheimer's disease". Congratulations Dr. Farooq!

Dr. Nadera Sweiss was selected for the University of Illinois College of Medicine Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA) Faculty Inductee Class of 2024.

The AΩA Faculty designation recognizes outstanding physicians at University of Illinois College of Medicine who have shown extraordinary/ exceptional achievement or contribution in one or more of the following areas: scholarship, teaching, leadership service, and clinical care.

Congratulations Dr. Sweiss on this well-deserved honor!