Alumni Scholars

Dr. Sargis is an Assistant Professor in the Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism. He completed his MD/PhD at Rush University before coming to the University of Chicago for his Internal Medicine and Endocrinology training. Rob’s clinical interests focus on diabetes, obesity, and lipid disorders, and in taking care of these patients, he places a strong emphasis on patient empowerment in effecting lifestyle change. In addition to seeing patients, Rob has an active research lab that studies the connections between environmental pollutants and metabolic diseases in hopes of generating sound scientific support for the development of public policy aimed at mitigating the deleterious effects of environmental contaminants on human health.

As of 2016, Dr. Sargis joined the faculty at the University of Illinois in Chicago.

Dara graduated summa cum laude and with election to Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Pennsylvania in 2009 with a BA in Biological Basis of Behavior and Hispanic Studies. Following graduation, Dara worked in consulting for three years at Bain & Company. As a medical student, Dara has conducted research with Vineet Aurora on the relationship between patient satisfaction and communication among their providers.

Dr. Adams completed an Otolaryngology Residency the University of Chicago and is currently a Fellow in Rhinology and Skull Base Surgery at Mass Eye and Ear in Boston, MA.

Alex Langerman is an Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Section of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery and is a specialist in the treatment of head and neck cancer and other diseases of the skull base, throat, and larynx as well as reconstruction of the head and neck.

Alex attended medical school at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine during which time he also served as a fellow of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He received his MD with Honors in 2005 and continued at the University of Chicago for his Otolaryngology residency training. He subsequently completed fellowship training in Head and Neck Surgery, Skull Base Surgery, and Microvascular Reconstruction at Vanderbilt University before returning to the University of Chicago as faculty in 2011.

Alex’s research centers on improving the care of head and neck cancer patients. He conducts comparative effectiveness, social science, and translational research on topics including patient decision-making, perioperative management, human tissue specimen workflow, and education in the operating room. As a Bucksbaum Scholar Alex is studying methods to augment the Primary Care Physician-patient relationship in the setting of multidisciplinary referral care for complex diseases. In addition to a busy clinical practice at the University of Chicago Medicine, Alex also participates in yearly humanitarian missions to the Dominican Republic as part of Medical Aid for Children of Latin America and he was recently appointed to the Humanitarian Efforts Committee of the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.

2013 Pilot Grant Project: Dynamic Operational Mapping – Annotation for Patient and Family Education

Dr. Langerman joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.

Dr. Danielle Anderson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience.

She completed her medical degree at University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine. She received training in psychiatry at the University of Chicago and fellowship training in geriatric psychiatry at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Her interests include psychiatric complications that arise in dementia, late life depression, and how medical education impacts the empathy of developing physicians. She believes that communication and conveying understanding to diverse populations are essential to clinical excellence.

Dr. Anderson joined the faculty at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL in 2015.

Dr. Caldarelli is a neonatologist specializing in the treatment of premature and critically ill infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. She completed her residency and fellowship at The University of Chicago and now serves on the faculty. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Caldarelli works on improving the quality of medical care, researching medical outcomes and improvements in clinical care.

Her publications include articles on the long-term outcomes of neonatal intensive care and the effectiveness of new teaching methods. She is a dedicated educator and is interested in developing curricula. She also works with education in simulation centers.

As of 2015, Dr. Caldarelli joined the faculty at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL.

An adult nephrologist, Dr. W. James Chon is a member of the University of Chicago Medicine’s highly regarded renal transplant team. He specializes in the evaluation of donors and recipients for kidney and kidney-pancreas transplantation. Dr. Chon has extensive experience in post-transplant treatment, particularly in the management of immunosuppressive therapy for these patients.

Dr. Chon has been actively involved in numerous clinical research projects that deal with complex medical issues in renal transplant candidates and recipients. He is also interested in protecting deceased donor kidneys from tissue injury that can occur during the procurement surgery and transport process.

Dr. Chon is now a member of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine Faculty.

Jessica Curley MD, PhD is a Clinical Associate in pediatric nephrology. She also is the director of the pediatric quality assurance committee. While she has always loved to teach and provide clinical care, she has eagerly helped develop and continuously improve efforts to increase patient satisfaction as well as the quality and safety of care provided at UCM.

2013 Pilot Grant Project: Quality Improvement vs. Research: Controversies and Confusion

In 2014, Dr. Curley joined the Rocky Mountain Kidney Center in Denver, CO.

Dr. Gina Dudley completed her Medicine-Pediatrics residency at the University of Cincinnati in 2004. She currently serves as the director of the Adult Sickle Cell Care Team at the University of Chicago, where she treats patients with sickle cell disease in the inpatient and outpatient settings. She is a faculty preceptor for internal medicine and internal medicine/pediatrics residents and a clinician in the primary care group. Her clinical experiences and interests include transitional care for young adults with chronic diseases and health care for the homeless and vulnerable populations.

2012 Pilot Grant Project: Development of a Patient Care Card for Individuals with Sickle Cell Disease

As of 2013, Dr. Dudley entered private practice in Memphis, TN.

Dr. Gustin is a faculty member of the University of Chicago Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care. He is boarded in both Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine. He was a candidate for the Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine boards in 2012. His background is centered on being a physician educator, which is evident from his multiple teaching awards. His research focuses on the use of high fidelity simulation in medical student, resident, and fellow education.

2013 Pilot Grant Project: An Acute Pain Patient with Advanced Stage Cancer AND A Hospice Patient with Respiratory Distress in the ER: Improving Resident Physician Communications with Patients at the End of Life Utilizing Simulation Training

2012 Pilot Grant Project: Improving Patient Perception During Disclosure Conversations if Unanticipated Outcomes

Dr. Gustin joined the faculty at Loyola University in Chicago, IL in 2015.

Jennifer Hofer is an anesthesiologist who specializes in critical care medicine. Jennifer’s affiliation with The University of Chicago has been since college in 1996, through to medical school, residency and fellowship, and now the present as a member of the faculty. She has specific interests in resident education, peri-operative care, and intra-operative coagulopathy including the effects of cell saver administration on bleeding, and outcomes of off-label Factor VII administration.

She has published in Anesthesiology Clinics on “Taking the septic patient to the operating room” and in book chapters on topics including common ICU procedures, electrolyte abnormalities, and pre-operative anesthesia assessments. Jennifer is a Bucksbaum Institute fellow and has an interest in developing the doctor-patient relationship to help physicians become first line responders to identify and stop human trafficking.

2012 Pilot Grant Project: Physicians as First Line Responders Against Human Trafficking