Fall 2019 Class Acts

  • Edwin H. Chen, PhD, Professor Emeritus

    Edwin received the 2019 Champion of Public Health Award for his generous philanthropy to the UIC School of Public Health. He was recruited to teach in the biometry program in 1972 and made his first gift to SPH in 1973, contributing more than 100 gifts to the school over the past 46 years.

  • Dr. Steven J. Jacobsen, PhD '90

    Steven, the senior director of research for Kaiser Permanente Southern California, has been elected by his peers to the office of president-elect of the American College of Epidemiology for the 2020 membership year. He will assume the College’s presidency in 2021.

  • Serap Erdal and Laura Berman

    Serap Erdal, PhD, associate professor, and Laural Berman (PhD ‘06), (MS ‘02), adjunct assistant professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, published research in the Journal of Environmental Health on a five-step model for land reuse to protect people from the health effects of polluted land.

  • Wayne H. Giles, MD, MS, Dean

    Wayne was appointed to the Boards of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health and the American Heart Association.

  • Janielle Paez Hill, MPH/MBA student

    Janielle was named to the Chicago mayor’s Office Fellowship Program where she will explore ways to combat littering across the city.

  • Ted Hogan, PhD '82, MS '80, Associate Professor

    The College of Engineering and Engineering Technology of Northern Illinois University presented Ted with the 2019 Faculty of the Year award.

  • Ose Ituah, MHA student

    Ose was awarded the 2019 Albert W. Dent scholarship by the The American College of Healthcare Executives.

  • Janet R. Douglas, MPH '78

    Janet authored a memoir titled “A Wonderful Stroke of Luck: From Occupational Therapist to Patient and Beyond.”

  • Christine Bozlak, PhD '10

    Christine earned tenure as a professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Albany.

  • Basmattee Boodram, PhD '09

    Basmattee Boodram, (PhD ‘09), associate professor of community health sciences, has been named a research Rising Star by the UIC Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.

  • Dr. Dheeraj Mahajan, MPH '19

    Dheeraj has joined long-term care software company MatrixCare as Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President. He will continue to serve as President and CEO of Chicago Internal Medicine Practice and Research.

  • Kryztal Pena, BA in Public Health student

    Kryztal won first place at the Medical Organization for Latino Advancement Health Symposium for her presentation entitle “How Does the Social Environment Affect Cultural Misconceptions about Breast Cancer Among Latinas?”

  • Dr. Jay Bhatt, MPH '02

    Jay was featured in an on-stage discussion on challenges in veterans’ health care with Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, at a Presidential Leadership Scholars event.

  • Boyede Sobitan, MHA '07

    Boyede has launched OjaExpress, a same day grocery delivery platform specifically for African and Caribbean grocery stores that allows small grocers to sell culturally specific groceries.

  • Jared Maeda, PhD '10

    Jared earned the Director’s Award for his work with the U.S. Congressional Budget Office, for his work in health, retirement and long-term analysis.

  • J. Rebecca Mills, DrPH '18

    J. Rebecca Mills published new research in the journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology providing guidelines for the use of opioids during uncomplicated labor, delivery and birth.

  • Lindsay Menard, MPH '12

    Lindsay  accepted the role of Legislative Management System Specialist/Policy Analyst for Dane County in their Board of Supervisors Office.

  • Jessica Roach, MPH '18

    Jessica was featured in The Guardian on her efforts to address the health and wellbeing of Black women in the U.S. before, during and after childbirth.

  • Margaret Sietsema, PhD '15, MS '11

    At the American Industrial Hygiene Conference & Expo, Margaret Sietsema (PhD ‘15), (MS ‘11), research assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences, earned the John M. White Award from the AIHA Respiratory Protection Committee for her research “Are Quantitative Fit Factors Predictive of Respirator Fit During Simulated Healthcare Activities?”

  • Dr. Stephen Trzeciak, MPH '06

    Stephen was appointed chief of medicine for Cooper University Health Care and chair of the Department of Medicine for Cooper Medical School of Rowan University.  He also recently authored a book titled “Compassionomics:  The Revolutionary Scientific Evidence that Caring Makes a Difference.”

  • Lalli Akurati and Martin Finnegan

    SPH’s Institute for Healthcare Improvement team, including Lalli Akurati, MHA student, and Martin Finnegan, MPH in Health Policy and Administration student, placed first at the Clarion National Interprofessional Case Competition, with an analysis of plans to address housing insecurity and health challenges for homeless populations.

  • Bethany Dominik, Arden Handler and Kristine Zimmerman

    Bethany Dominik, MPH candidate in in Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology, and Kristine Zimmerman (MPH ‘03), PhD candidate in Community Health Sciences, published new research with professor Arden Handler in the Maternal and Child Health Journal on universal early post-partum home visiting.

  • Nicholas Tilipman, PhD, assistant professor of health policy and administration

    Nicholas co-authored a new study that examines the state of California’s options for increasing health care access in light of actions by the federal government to weaken coverage though the Affordable Care Act.

  • Morgan Lawson, MS in Enviro.and Occup. Health Sciences

    Morgan earned an American Industrial Hygiene Association Local Section Student Scholarship.

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