Associate Junior Faculty Scholars

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.

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.

Sarah Collins, MD, is a specialist in urogynecology. In the Center for Pelvic Health, Dr. Collins works with a multidisciplinary team of experts dedicated to helping patients overcome physical, social and emotional challenges associated with pelvic floor disorders.

Dr. Collins is skilled in open, robotic, laparoscopic, and vaginal surgical techniques. In her research studies, she has investigated ways in which treatment for pelvic floor disorders affect quality of life.

2013 Pilot Grant Project: Predictors of satisfaction with surgical decision-making in elderly women undergoing gynecologic surgery

As of 2016, Dr. Collins joined the faculty at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL.

Jennifer T. Cone, MD, MHS, FACS, earned her undergraduate degree at the Johns Hopkins University and her master’s degree at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. She graduated from medical school at Tulane University and completed general surgery residency at Tulane.

Dr. Cone has an expertise i33n trauma, acute care surgery and surgical critical care. She has been an integral part of the opening of University of Chicago’s Adult Level 1 trauma center, developing many of the protocols that are used to guide clinical practice. She has an active interest in resident education and is an Associate Program Director of the General Surgery Residency Program. She has won the Golden Apple award for excellence in teaching and serves as a mentor and advisor for both clinical and research residents. Dr. Cone leads surgical intern bootcamp and a monthly intern skills club. Her academic work has focused on trauma outcomes and violence prevention research. Additionally, she serves on several national committees related to surgery.

Dr. Megan Conti Mica, assistant professor of Orthopaedic Surgery in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Chicago Medicine, has extensive expertise in the surgical management of hand and upper extremity surgery including athletic injuries, trauma, arthritis, congenital deformities and complex reconstruction. With her special interest in hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder pathology, Dr. Conti Mica utilizes both minimally invasive (arthroscopic) and microvascular (microscopic) techniques. She is the dedicated hand surgeon for the sports service and works actively with high level athletes.

Dr. Conti Mica obtained her undergraduate bachelor’s degree at University of Washington in Seattle, Washington and graduated from the University of Arizona School of Medicine with Honors in Research. She completed her Orthopaedic Residency at Loyola University in Chicago and two post-graduate fellowships. She successfully completed the Fellowship in Hand and Microvascular Surgery at The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and was awarded the Schwartz Travelling Fellowship, an opportunity to expand her education in shoulder and elbow surgery with experts in Europe. Dr. Conti Mica joined the University of Chicago in 2015.

Dr. Conti Mica has a personal interest in international medicine having participated in several international medical missions. She has trained under the instruction of renowned Orthopaedic experts in the United States and abroad. As of 2023, Dr. Conti Mica has joined the staff of OrthoArizona.

Dr. Patrick Cunningham is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Section of Nephrology. His clinical interests are focused on kidney transplantation, including the selection of appropriate kidney transplant recipients and living donors, as well as managing the many complications of patients after they receive a kidney transplant. Additionally, he runs a subspecialty clinic caring for patients with glomerulonephritis and other inflammatory diseases of the kidney, including lupus nephritis. As part of this work, he performs many kidney biopsies and is working with collaborators on a project designed to improve the safety of this procedure. Relevant to both transplant and glomerulonephritis, Dr. Cunningham is conducting clinical research into the consequences of mutations in the APOL1 gene, which have been found to greatly increase the risk of various kidney diseases in African Americans. The availability of genetic testing for APOL1 mutations raises several ethical questions which he intends to explore. His past scientific research has studied the molecular mechanisms of acute kidney injury and immune mediated glomerular diseases and he continues an active role in peer review in these areas.

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. Adrianne Dade works at the University of Chicago as an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Generalist Section. She received her medical degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and completed her residency training at the University of Chicago. Currently, Dr. Dade also serves as the Associate Residency Program Director. She practices general Obstetrics and Gynecology with specific interest in preventative medicine, abnormal uterine bleeding, uterine fibroids, normal pregnancy, and DaVinci Robotics. Dr. Dade organizes and leads the DaVinci simulation program for the University of Chicago OB/GYN residents. Dr. Dade has a special interest in medical education with a current focus on resident education and interprofessional relations. She is a former APGO Scholars and Leaders Fellow. Dr. Dade is also a past University of Chicago MERITS Fellow, which is a program that focuses on medical education and research. Dr. Dade is an ABOG Oral Board Examiner and a SASGOG Board member. She serves on the APGO Diversity and Inclusion Task Force and the University of Chicago-Wide Student Disciplinary Committee.

Allison Dalton, MD attended medical school at the University of Illinois. She completed an anesthesiology residency at the University of Chicago where she was the chief resident. Following residency, she completed a fellowship in critical care before joining the faculty at University of Chicago.

Dr. Dalton specializes in the perioperative care of critically ill patients. In conjunction with her surgical and medicine colleagues she optimizes preoperative patients for surgery in the anesthesia preoperative clinic. She has expertise in the perioperative care of patients with pheochromocytoma, ALS, and the postoperative care of cardiothoracic surgical patients. In addition, Dr. Dalton has recently been named the director of anesthesia for urologic surgery.

Dr. Dalton is the co-director of Foundations in Clinical Medicine, an intensive course that specifically prepares second year medical students for their clinical curriculum. She is the associate director for Vignettes in Physiology, a course designed to interactively discuss advanced physiology for medical students during their fourth year. In addition to medical student teaching, Dr. Dalton is the associate director of the core anesthesia residency and the director of the anesthesia critical care fellowship.

Dr. Dalton is passionate about wellness and has developed and implemented a peer support program in the department of anesthesia to combat the second victim phenomenon in trauma.