Associate Junior Faculty Scholars

Gastroenterologist and hepatologist Andrew Aronsohn, MD, is a specialist in the diagnosis and management of liver diseases. Dr. Aronsohn has particular expertise in treating hepatitis C and in evaluating patients for liver transplantation. He is a member of the University of Chicago Center for Liver Diseases, a multidisciplinary center nationally known for its broad experience, research discoveries, and treatment innovations related to liver diseases and transplantation.

Dr. Aronsohn researches and evaluates new treatments for liver disease. He is currently studying different types of therapies for elderly patients with hepatitis C. Also a medical ethicist, Dr. Aronsohn is investigating the principles involved in the allocation of organs for transplantation.

Peter H. O’Donnell, MD, specializes in the treatment of genitourinary malignancies, including prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers — with particular expertise in bladder cancer.

Dr. O’Donnell is a well-published researcher with advanced training in pharmacology and pharmacogenomics (the study of genetic traits that cause differences between patients in drug responses and side-effects). He has an interest in the study of individualized care, which involves considering each patient’s genetic profile when determining chemotherapy and other therapeutic decisions. Dr. O’Donnell has several ongoing research projects. Currently, he is investigating how genetic factors affect chemotherapy drug outcomes — specifically for patients receiving the widely used chemotherapy drugs cisplatin and capecitabine, and for patients receiving chemotherapy as part of their treatment for bladder cancer.

Additionally, Dr. O’Donnell serves as principal investigator of the “1200 Patients Project,” a clinical study operated through the Center for Personalized Therapeutics at the University of Chicago. In this role, he leads an initiative exploring the possibility and benefit of incorporating broad pharmacogenomic testing into routine clinical practice for patients with any type of disease.

Dr. O’Donnell is also a member of the University of Chicago Committee on Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenomics. This committee aims to expand the educational mission of conducting research and training the next generation of scientists in clinical pharmacology, principles of therapeutics, molecular pharmacology, and pharmacogenomics.

2012 Pilot Grant Project: The 1200 Patients Project

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.

Dr. Poston is a critical care physician, pulmonologist, and medical educator. His clinical scholarship focuses on interdisciplinary care and communication to promote optimal outcomes from critical illness. Dr. Poston also dedicates himself to the education of medical students, and directs several innovative courses that teach the clinical skills of doctor-patient communication, physical examination, professional development, and critical medical thinking.

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.