Member Group: Admin Core Leadership
ChicagoCHEC Role: Principal Investigator
Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago
Dr. Stewart is an Associate Director for Clinical Research in the Department of Surgery. His research is focused on tumor immunology and the delivery of immunotherapeutic agents. He has the expertise, leadership, training, expertise, and motivation necessary to provide significant contributions to the efforts in support of NCI designation. Dr. Stewart’s training has included fellowships in clinical immunotherapy and surgical oncology at the National Cancer Institute. While working there with Dr. Steven Rosenberg, he gained extensive knowledge of tumor immunology and the delivery of novel immunotherapeutic agents, including anti-tumor peptide vaccines and interleukin-2. The National Cancer Institute recognized Dr. Stewart’s national reputation for multidisciplinary research by a Cancer Clinical Team Leadership Award in 2013. His ability to serve as an advisor evidenced by the fact that he served as the founding PI/PD for the Wake Forest NIGMS T32 training program titled “Integrative Training in Trauma and Regenerative Medicine.” He currently serve as the Associate Director for Clinical Research for the UIC Cancer Center and the Physician Executive for Oncology Services. His expertise facilitates the institution’s move to value-based health care with a focus on clinical research as a lever to provide outstanding cancer care to all patients.
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ChicagoCHEC Role: Principal Investigator
Organization: Northwestern University
Joe Feinglass, PhD is a Research Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics at Northwestern University. Dr. Feinglass is a health services researcher with a degree in Public Policy Analysis. He has over 25 years of experience in health policy, quality improvement, health disparities, medical informatics, patient safety, and social epidemiology research with over 190 peer reviewed publications.
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ChicagoCHEC Role: Principal Investigator
Organization: University of Illinois Chicago
Marian Fitzgibbon is a Professor in the Department of Medicine and the School of Public Health at UIC. Marian’s research focuses primarily on health risk reduction in minority and underserved populations. She has an outstanding record of leadership, mentorship and scientific endeavors, with funding from the National Institute on Aging, National Cancer Institute, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Marian is also Deputy Director of the Institute for Health Research and Policy (IHRP); Director, Section of Health Promotion Research, Department of Medicine; Associate Director, UIC Cancer Center’s Population Health, Behavior and Outcomes Program; and Director, Health Promotion Research Program, IHRP. She is Principal Investigator of the Cancer Education and Career Development Program that has supported cancer research training at UIC for 20 years.
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ChicagoCHEC Role: Community Engagement Core Co-Leader
Organization: Northeastern Illinois University
Moira Stuart is Associate Professor in the Department of Health, Physical Education and Exercise Science at NEIU.She has been a leader in expanding the research efforts among NEIU students and faculty to address insufficient research enrichment opportunities for scientists in underserved communities engaged in cancer research. Educated as an exercise scientist, shehas examined the psychosocial predictors and consequences of children’s physical activity participation. She has served as an Exercise Science program director and department Chairperson for the Health, Physical Education and Exercise Science Programs at NEIU. Moira has championed the curriculum development and innovation through the introduction of a first of its kind health disparities course at NEIU within the community health curriculum. She has also coordinated and facilitated several campus wide cancer health disparities workshops.
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ChicagoCHEC Role: Principal Investigator, Planning & Evaluation Core Co-Leader, Research Project PI
Organization: Northeastern Illinois University
Christina Ciecierski is a Professor of Economics at NEIU. Her research focuses on the impacts of price and policy variables on consumer lifestyles, particularly in the area of young adult substance use. The course of her career has centered on promoting health equity among young adults, immigrants, populations of low socio-economic status (SES) in the state of Illinois as well as populations native to less and mid-developed countries in the world. Christina’s expertise, leadership, and motivation stem from a productive university teaching career, a strong record of research in the areas of economics and public health and collaborations with local, state and international health organizations and agencies of policy planning. In 2013, she was elected President of the Illinois Economics Association. Since joining NEIU in 2007, she served as Academic Department Head (Coordinator, 2008-2011) for the Economics Department and received two Faculty Excellence Awards for Research (2009) and Service (2014). Christina received her PhD in economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
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ChicagoCHEC Role: Principal Investigator
Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago
Rob Winn is Professor of Medicine at UIC, Director of the UI Cancer Center and Associate Vice-President for Community-Based Practice within the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System (UI Health). Rob is a nationally renowned translational research clinician-scientist. As Director of the UI Cancer Center, he has developed a focus on going beyond the “bench to bedside” model, which has existed for over fifty years to create a “bench to community” model. Dr. Winn is a seasoned collaborative partner to execute the ChicagoCHEC mission. He also has helped mentor dozens of junior faculty and postdoctoral fellows who currently have independent research careers. Prior to joining UIC, he has increased the scientific workforce of underserved populations in his role as Associate and Assistant Dean of Admissions and the Vice Chair of Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Colorado Denver (UCD) School of Medicine. Rob completed his medical degree at the University of Michigan Medical School, internal medicine residency at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago, and fellowship in pulmonary critical care medicine at University of Colorado Denver.
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ChicagoCHEC Role: Principal Investigator
Organization: Northwestern University
Melissa Simon is the George H. Gardner Professor of Clinical Gynecology, Vice Chair of Clinical Research in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, a Northwestern Medicine physician, and co-program leader for cancer control and survivorship at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. She leads a diverse portfolio of research and directly impacts local, state, and national level thought and policy regarding inclusion and health equity. Her research creates transdisciplinary partnerships focused on improving vulnerable populations’ health and their interface with the health care system. She extends beyond academic institution collaborations and includes immigrant and racially/ethnically diverse communities, minority serving public institutions, local community clinics and hospitals, national academic institutions, and state and national level policy-making bodies. Melissa supports a large group of mentees that span from high school-aged students through junior faculty. She has been recognized with numerous leadership and mentoring awards, including the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Mentor of the Year Award and the Institute of Medicine of Chicago 100th Anniversary Centennial Scholar Award. Raised in Detroit, Michigan, she completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of Chicago, her medical degree at Rush Medical College, her residency at Yale University, and her fellowship in family planning at Northwestern University.
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