Junior Faculty Scholars

Kaitlin Seibert is a neurologist who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of memory disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia. She joined the faculty at the University of Chicago after completing her training as a resident and the inaugural fellow in Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Prior to that, she received her Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science and Music Performance at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio and her Doctor of Medicine degree from University of Toledo Medical Center in Ohio. Her research interests include exploring the impact of creative arts therapies such as art and music in neurodegenerative disorders, exploring social cognition deficits across memory disorders and cultures and increasing access to care for patients with memory disorders and their caregivers.

Catherine Groden is a neonatologist with interests in ethics, trauma-informed care, and bereavement. Her work has been presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting and has been published in Journal of Perinatology and Pediatrics.

Dr. Groden graduated summa cum laude with a BS in biological sciences and a second major in English from the University of Notre Dame. She earned an MD from the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University and simultaneously completed an MA in medical humanities and bioethics at Northwestern University. She completed a pediatrics residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals, Milwaukee, and a neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship at Indiana University Indianapolis.

Amber E. Johnson, MD, MS, MBA, FACC is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine and Section of Cardiology at the University of Chicago. She joins us here at U of C from the University of Pittsburgh where she was also a Staff Cardiologist at the Veterans Administration Pittsburgh Health System and Faculty Affiliate at the Center for Race and Social Problems, University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work. She completed her undergraduate degree with honors at the University of Pittsburgh. She then completed her medical degree and masters of business administration at Jefferson Medical College/Widener University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In addition to a year of patient safety and quality improvement training at the Armstrong Institute of Johns Hopkins Hospital, she was an internal medicine resident at Johns Hopkins, Bayview in Baltimore, Maryland. She then returned to Pittsburgh for general cardiology fellowship, a research fellowship, and a masters degree in clinical research.

Dr Johnson’s research at the interface of health equity, social determinants of health, and mobile health technology has resulted in numerous publications and federal grant funding. She is the recipient of local and national clinical and research awards and was recently named one of the National Minority Quality Forum’s 40 Under 40 Leaders in Health and in 2022 was awarded the Women as One Escalator Award for clinical research. Dr. Johnson has served on the Black Equity Coalition-Health Equity Working Group which led equity efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through her work and community engagement, she is committed to addressing racial inequity in cardiovascular care. Her clinical practice here at U of C will include general and preventive cardiology with a focus on women’s health and gender affirming care. She enjoys cooking, running, and spending time with family. She is the mother of two daughters, Leilani and Nia.

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.

Heather Leeper is a neuro-oncologist, neurologist, and palliative medicine physician. Her focus is on providing person-centered care, which includes symptom management and support to enhance the quality of life and relieve suffering for people with serious neurologic illnesses, as well as support for caregivers, from time of diagnosis through end of life. She has expertise in serious illness communication and patient-reported outcomes in routine care and research settings. Her research interests include clinical education of communication skills, symptom science, and addressing health care disparities among people living with serious neurologic illness, as well as race and gender disparities among neurology clinicians.

Her work has been published in Neurology, Neuro-Oncology, Neuro-Oncology Advances, Neuro-Oncology Practice, The Lancet Oncology, Cancer, and Journal of Pain and Symptom Management.

Leeper earned a BA in women’s studies from Simmons College and an MS in applied physiology from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. She received her MD from Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. She completed a residency in neurology at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics and a fellowship in neuro-oncology at Mayo Clinic, where she also completed a postdoctoral diploma in clinical and translational science. She then completed a fellowship in hospice and palliative medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria.

Dr. Olórtegui was born in Poland. She grew up in the countryside outside of Chicago, and eventually moved to the big city.  She received her B.S. From the University of Chicago in 2009, followed by her M.D. from the UChicago Pritzker School of Medicine in 2012. She stayed at UChicago for residency and fellowship, and recently joined the Department of Surgery, Section of Colon and Rectal Surgery as an Assistant Professor. She completed the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics Fellowship in 2016, and now serves as faculty at the MacLean Center.

Dr. Olórtegui’s clinical interest is in the care of patients with diseases of the colon, rectum, and anus, especially inflammatory bowel disease. She is also passionate about improving the quality of surgical care. Dr. Olórtegui is launching the University of Chicago colorectal surgery clinical outcomes database, and is actively collaborating with researchers at other major academic centers in order to improve our understanding of the intricacies of colorectal diseases, surgeries and their outcomes.

In working with trainees, Dr. Olórtegui developed a special interest in teaching and mentorship. During her training, Dr. Olórtegui was honored with the Hans Frimpong Spirit in Surgery Award, as well as the Golden Apple Teaching Award. She was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society by the graduating Pritzker School of Medicine Class of 2019. In her first year as faculty, she was awarded an Excellence in Teaching Award from the Department of Surgery. Dr. Olórtegui is interested in developing a formal curriculum for teaching professionalism to budding surgeons.

Dr. Jennifer Tseng is a board-certified surgical oncologist and Assistant Professor of Surgery with the University of Chicago Medicine. She earned her medical degree from the University of California, Davis and completed her general surgery residency at Oregon Health and Science University. She received fellowship training in clinical immunotherapy at the National Cancer Institute and complex general surgical oncology at the University of Chicago Medicine. She is a senior fellow with the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics and previously was a theme issue editor for the American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics. Her research interests include ethical considerations in clinical trials, the use of surrogate decision makers and prophylactic surgery.

Dr. Tseng integrates the latest research in clinical trials in caring for patients with breast cancer, melanoma and sarcoma. She is a prior national resident representative for the Surgery Residency Review Committee of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and is an Associate Program Director for the general surgery residency and complex general surgical oncology fellowship. She is an Education Scholar with the American Society of Clinical Oncology and is pursuing a Masters in Health Professions Education with the University of Illinois at Chicago.

As of 2022, Dr. Tseng is a surgeon with City of Hope Cancer Treatment and Research Center in California.

Noa Krugliak Cleveland, MD, is a board-certified physician who specializes in gastroenterology. Dr. Krugliak Cleveland has advanced training in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and sees patient with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. She is interested in the use of novel therapies to treat IBD and use of new technologies for the detection and management of cancer and inflammation in IBD including bedside intestinal ultrasound. 

Along with her clinical expertise, Dr. Krugliak Cleveland is also a physician-scientist, whose research focuses on disease outcomes and prevention of IBD complications. She investigates the application of new technology for the detection and prevention of progression of IBD. Her work has been published in several peer-reviewed journals, including Gastroenterology, The American Journal of Gastroenterology, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Digestive Diseases and Sciences and more.

Sarah Shubeck, MD, MS, is a breast surgical oncologist who specializes in the care of patients with benign breast conditions and breast cancer. In addition to Dr. Shubeck’s commitment to her clinical practice, she is also passionate about using research to improve healthcare. Some of her research has included studying the value, variation and quality of surgical care. Dr. Shubeck’s research interests are focused on understanding current cancer care delivery and the development and implementation of evidence-based health care policy that can promote equitable outcomes experienced by individuals with breast cancer and beyond.

Yalini Vigneswaran, MD, MS, FACS, is an advanced minimally invasive gastrointestinal surgeon who specializes in esophageal and gastric disorders, including motility disorders, esophageal and gastroesophageal junction cancers, reflux disease and paraesophageal hernias. She has specific clinical expertise in esophageal surgery, including minimally invasive esophagectomy for both benign and malignant disease as well as bariatric surgery and performs various weight loss procedures. Dr. Vigneswaran uses both advanced laparoscopic and robotic-assisted techniques to approach complex gastrointestinal disorders and weight loss surgery. And leads the field in innovative techniques and procedures. Dr. Vigneswaran conducts clinical research and is committed to improving outcomes for patients with gastroesophageal disorders and patients undergoing weight loss surgery. She has been recognized nationally for her research and has received several awards. She continues to advance the field with specific research interests in reflux disease after weight loss surgery and revisional surgery, paraesophageal hernia surgery, esophageal malignancies and health disparities in obesity medicine.