Associate Junior Faculty Scholars

Dr. Walid Hussain is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Section of Neonatology. Dr. Hussain received his medical degree from Creighton University School of Medicine and completed his pediatric residency training at Children’s Mercy Hospital. Following residency, he completed his fellowship in Neonatology here at the University of Chicago. Prior to returning to the University of Chicago in the summer of 2022, he was an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology at Loyola University. While in fellowship he developed an academic interest in quality improvement and patient safety, and has completed extensive formal training in QI.

Dr. Hussain’s academic interests are quality improvement in neonatology, specifically in areas of neonatal sepsis and antibiotic stewardship as well as minimally invasive surfactant administration. He also has a special interest in health-care economics. In addition to his academic work, clinical time spent in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Dr. Hussain is also actively involved in medical education. He serves as the Director of Neonatal Quality Improvement.

Dr. Rosenberg is currently an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago and his fellowship training in medical oncology and hematology at Northwestern University. He is a medical oncologist and clinical investigator focusing on head and neck cancer. Dr. Rosenberg develops and conducts clinical trials that incorporate novel tissue and blood-based biomarkers, and he has a particular focus on novel therapies and immunotherapeutic strategies, as well as developing multimodality treatment paradigms to reduce treatment-related toxicity.

Dr. Laura Dickens earned her medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia.  She then completed her Internal Medicine residency and Endocrinology fellowship at the University of Chicago. 

Her clinical interests include diabetes and osteoporosis.  She is the co-founder of the University of Chicago Diabetes in Pregnancy Clinic (DIPP), a centralized

specialty care program for patients with pregestational type 1 or type 2 diabetes and complex gestational diabetes in pregnancy.  The DIPP program incorporates patient care, education, and research initiatives aimed at improving diabetes care in pregnancy.     At the University of Chicago, in addition to her clinical endeavors, Dr. Dickens is the Associate Program Director for the Endocrinology Fellowship.  She is actively involved in research related to monogenic diabetes and quality improvement for diabetes in pregnancy.

Dr. Pathik Amin is an optometrist and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at the University of Chicago, where he serves as the Director of Optometry.  He earned his optometric degree from the University of Houston and completed a residency in ocular disease at the Albuquerque VA Medical Center. Dr. Amin’s clinical practice focuses on the medical management of glaucoma patients. He is interested in exploring ways to improve glaucoma adherence and outcomes, and was the recipient of the 2022 Bucksbaum Institute National Research Grant. Dr. Amin has a strong interest in education and founded the first optometric residency at the University of Chicago in 2021, for which he serves as the program director. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, serves on the executive committee for the Academy’s Glaucoma Section, and is a member of the Optometric Glaucoma Society.

Zainab Obaidi is a clinical academic nephrologist and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago. She earned her medical degree from the University of Sharjah in 2011 then completed her internal medicine residency at Southern Illinois University in 2018. She then pursued an academic hospitalist fellowship at Johns Hopkins followed by a 2-year fellowship in nephrology yat the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Her academic work has been focused on clinical excellence and bedside teaching and clinical interest in thrombotic microangiopathies and glomerular diseases.

She enjoys teaching and has been recognized for her teaching skills among residents and fellows by winning several teaching awards. Her other interests include advocating for awareness of kidney disease and is the leader of the UChicago Kidney Club.

Dr. Courtney Cripps is a plastic surgeon and Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago in the Section of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. She earned her medical degree at the Medical College of Georgia before completing a residency in General Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. She then completed her Plastic Surgery training at New York University where she obtained comprehensive training in gender affirming surgery. Her clinical expertise lies in gender affirming facial, chest, body, and genitourinary reconstruction. Serving as the Director of the Resident Cosmetic Clinic at the University of Chicago has allowed her to exercise her interests in both aesthetic surgery and resident education. Her research centers on the intersection of surgical innovation and patient experience, particularly in the realm of gender affirming care.

Dr. Elisheva Coleman is a board-certified Vascular Neurologist with a robust background in stroke research and clinical trials. She completed her medical education at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, followed by a neurology residency at Northwestern University and a stroke fellowship at the University of Cincinnati.

At the University of Cincinnati, Dr. Coleman was actively involved in the NIH StrokeNET stroke trials consortium, contributing to clinical trials across all phases of stroke, including prevention, acute treatment, and recovery. In April 2020, she joined the faculty at the University of Chicago, where she serves as the site Principal Investigator for the DISCOVERY study, a multi-center observational study focused on stroke recovery.

Dr. Coleman’s primary research interests lie in stroke recovery and rehabilitation, with a particular focus on aphasia. A native of Chicago and a Hyde Park local, she is delighted to return to her hometown to advance stroke care and research at the University of Chicago Medicine.

Dr. Elizabeth Kertowidjojo is a distinguished faculty member in the Department of Pathology at the University of Chicago Medical Center, recognized for her expertise in gynecologic pathology. She completed an oncologic surgical pathology fellowship followed by a gynecologic pathology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Since joining the University of Chicago, Dr. Kertowidjojo has become integral to the management of complex gynecologic diseases, earning high regard from the obstetrics, gynecology, and gynecologic oncology teams.

Dr. Kertowidjojo is celebrated for her educational contributions, particularly her highly rated lectures for the Clinical Pathophysiology and Therapeutics Course and her exemplary teaching of pathology residents. She was honored with the Wendy Recant, MD Faculty Award for Teaching by the residents. Additionally, she mentors residents and fellows, guiding them to present at significant conferences like the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology annual meeting.

Her research involvement is notable, as she collaborates extensively with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology on clinician-driven initiatives, contributing significantly to their feasibility and success. Dr. Kertowidjojo received the Dr. Jacob Churg Award for Academic Development of Junior Pathologists, recognizing her potential to advance research initiatives related to disease mechanisms and patient care.

Dr. Michelle Lemelman is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and a renowned expert in pediatric endocrinology. She serves as the Medical Director of the TransCARE (Clinic for Affirmation and Reproductive Equity) program at the University of Chicago. Dr. Lemelman played a pivotal role in the development of TransCARE at its inception in 2021 and continues to lead the program with a focus on pediatric and adolescent transgender endocrinology.

TransCARE’s mission is to provide inclusive, high-quality, affirmative hormonal and reproductive healthcare for transgender and gender non-conforming patients. In her role, Dr. Lemelman offers gender-affirming hormone treatments to pediatric and adolescent patients, continually working to expand the clinic and establish partnerships within the University of Chicago and the greater Chicagoland area. Her goal is to bring comprehensive and state-of-the-art transgender care to the South Side of Chicago.

As an outstanding pediatric endocrinologist, Dr. Lemelman emphasizes the importance of the doctor-patient relationship in providing optimal care for transgender patients. Her nomination as a Bucksbaum Institute Junior Faculty Scholar reflects her dedication to advancing the TransCARE program and studying the impact of effective physician-patient communication on transgender care. Dr. Lemelman’s leadership and expertise make her a deserving candidate for this prestigious recognition.

Ali Mansour, MD, is a highly skilled neurologist specializing in neurocritical care, excelling at quickly diagnosing and treating life-threatening brain conditions. Dr. Mansour delivers comprehensive care to patients with traumatic brain injury (blunt and penetrating), ischemic (low blood flow) and hemorrhagic (blood vessel rupture) stroke, brain aneurysms and vascular malformations, cerebral edema, status epilepticus and neuroprognostication following cardiac arrest.

As a physician-scientist, Dr. Mansour uses research to improve care for patients with neurological disorders. His work has been published in several widely respected, peer-reviewed journals, including Neurocritical Care, Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Nature Scientific Reports, PLoS One and Brain.

Currently, Dr. Mansour’s research emphasizes the management and prognosis following penetrating brain injury (gunshot wounds to the head). He is also evaluating the role of neuroimaging in prognosis following neurocritical illness and cardiac arrest. Dr. Mansour is also interested in neuroinformatics; he and a multidisciplinary team of experts aim to optimize data capture and analysis in neurological and neurocritical illness to improve patient outcomes.