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Associate Junior Faculty Scholars

Each year, the nomination process for Junior Faculty Scholars consistently generates many exceptional candidate recommendations from all clinical departments. In an effort to retain involvement from these superb faculty, the position of Associate Junior Faculty Scholar was created in 2012. Associate Junior Faculty Scholars are eligible to participate in all Bucksbaum Institute programs and each spring they may apply for funding through the Bucksbaum Institute Pilot Grant Program.

Sarah Collins, MD

Sarah Collins, MD

2013–2014 ASSOCIATE JUNIOR FACULTY SCHOLAR – ALUMNI

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Bio

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 Cone, MD, MHS

Jennifer Cone, MD, MHS

2020–2021 ASSOCIATE JUNIOR FACULTY SCHOLAR

Department of Surgery
Bio

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.

Megan Conti Mica, MD

Megan Conti Mica, MD

2016–2017 ASSOCIATE JUNIOR FACULTY SCHOLAR

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitative Medicine
Bio

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.

Courtney Cripps, MD

Courtney Cripps, MD

2023-2024 ASSOCIATE JUNIOR FACULTY

Department of Surgery
Bio

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.

Patrick Cunningham, MD

Patrick Cunningham, MD

2016–2017 ASSOCIATE JUNIOR FACULTY SCHOLAR

Department of Medicine
Bio

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

Jessica Curley, MD, PhD

2011–2012 ASSOCIATE JUNIOR FACULTY SCHOLAR – ALUMNI

Department of Pediatrics
Bio

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.

Adrianne Dade, MD

Adrianne Dade, MD

2016–2017 ASSOCIATE JUNIOR FACULTY SCHOLAR

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Bio

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

Allison Dalton, MD

2019–2020 ASSOCIATE JUNIOR FACULTY SCHOLAR

Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care
Bio

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.

Wendy S. Darlington, MD, MAPP

Wendy S. Darlington, MD, MAPP

2016–2017 ASSOCIATE JUNIOR FACULTY SCHOLAR

Department of Pediatrics
Bio

Wendy S. Darlington, MD, MAPP, is a Clinical Instructor in the Section of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology who specializes in benign hematology and the malignant diseases of childhood. During her time as a fellow Dr. Darlington completed a Master’s at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. She has developed, in conjunction with others, the Chicago Sickle Cell Disease Research Group. This is a multifaceted group of clinicians and researchers dedicated to all avenues of research surrounding sickle cell disease. She currently focuses her research in understanding the interplay of public policies with the social determinants of health and health outcomes among patients with sickle cell disease, especially in the transition from pediatric to adult care.

Paramita Das, MD, MS

Paramita Das, MD, MS

2019–2020 ASSOCIATE JUNIOR FACULTY SCHOLAR

Department of Surgery
Bio

Paramita Das, MD, MS is a neurosurgeon who specializes in skull base and trauma neurosurgery. She completed her residency at the University of Minnesota and her skull base training at Cleveland Clinic. As the Director of Surgical Neurotrauma she is an integral part of the team caring for traumatic brain injury patients at the University of Chicago. Her academic work is related to outcomes after traumatic brain injury. She has an interest in biomarkers in traumatic brain injury. She is also involved in resident and medical student education serving as faculty advisor for the medical student interest group.