Master Clinicians

Dr. Möller is a Professor of Surgery, Director of the Regional Therapies (HIPEC) Program, and Director of the Surgical Oncology Fellowship Program. Dr. Moller is a highly skilled and experienced surgical oncologist who specializes in performing surgery for cancerous tumors in the digestive tract (stomach, appendix, intestines), soft tissue sarcomas (cancer in fat, muscles, tendons and supporting tissue) and cutaneous cancer (malignant melanoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, squamous/basal cell cancers, desmoid tumors).

Dr. Möller is an expert in both traditional and minimally invasive cancer therapies, including complex cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for locally advanced and metastatic cancers of the abdomen. HIPEC delivers high-dose heated chemotherapy in the operating room after a surgical removal of visible cancer disease and is effective in a variety of cancers. She also has extensive experience in oncolytic therapies and clinical trials for unresectable and advanced melanomas. In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Möller is passionate about global surgery, surgical education research and using clinical and translational research to improve care for cancer patients. She has been inducted into the Academy of Master Surgeons Educators of the American College of Surgeons, one of the highest honors given to academic surgeons. Her work has published in multiple peer-reviewed articles in journals, including American Journal of Surgery, JAMA Surgery, Annals of Surgical Oncology, Journal of Surgical Education and Journal of Cancer. She has been a renowned speaker in multiple national and international conferences. This summer Dr. Möller arrived at the University of Chicago following fourteen year surgical career at the University of Miami.

Mary Rinella, MD, is a board-certified transplant hepatolgist with more than 20 years of experience treating patients with complex liver disease. Dr. Rinella is an expert in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the Director of the Metabolic and Fatty Liver Disease program, focused on comprehensive liver disease assessment and treatment, including nutritional intervention, the use of medications, endoscopy and clinical trials to deliver the most advanced treatment options. 

As part of her approach to care for liver disease patients, Dr. Rinella is passionate about using research to advance medicine. She has investigated a broad range of topics within NAFLD, including the use of non-invasive measures to minimize the use of liver biopsy, the management of NAFLD before and after liver transplantation and the study of new therapies to treat NAFLD, since there is still no FDA approved treatment. Dr. Rinella has published nearly 150 peer-review articles in prestigious journals, such as Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), The Lancet and more.

She is actively involved in the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), where she has held numerous leadership roles, including councilor-at-large of the AASLD governing board, chair of the AASLD NAFLD Special Interest Group and chair of the AASLD NASH Task Force, which is charged with fostering research collaboration and advancing best practices through collaboration with other medical societies, federal agencies, and patient advocacy organizations to improve outcomes in patients with NAFLD/NASH.  A current focus of the NASH Task Force is to structure and implement health policies to increase NAFLD awareness on a national and global level.
Along with her clinical expertise and research accolades, Dr. Rinella is also dedicated to teaching residents and fellows, providing guidance and mentorship throughout their medical careers.

Dr. Kunle Odunsi is the Director of the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCCCC), and Dean for Oncology, Biological Services Division at the University of Chicago. As the Director of UCCCC, he has strategic and broad oversight responsibility for all programmatic aspects of cancer at the University of Chicago including the three primary missions of research, patient care and education. Dr. Odunsi sets the strategic direction of UCCCC, which emphasizes basic, translational and clinical research efforts, collaborative cancer discovery and care, outreach to and engagement of the catchment area, and expansion of development opportunities for early career and promising cancer researchers. His transition to UCCCC brings his experience as Deputy Director of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center from 2015-2021 where he also served as the Chair of the Department of Gynecologic Oncology, and the Executive Director of the Center for Immunotherapy. As Deputy Director, Dr. Odunsi provided operational oversight for the scientific, clinical research and educational missions of Roswell Park, and monitored all research-related initiatives, steering development of strategies, programs and policies designed to transfer scientific discoveries to clinical settings His research activities in tumor immunology and immunotherapy have focused upon the mechanisms of immune recognition in human ovarian cancer and the pre- clinical and clinical development of tumor antigen targeted therapies. These research activities have been supported by multi-investigator and often multi-institutional awards from the Cancer Research Institute / Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and by the NIH. Dr. Odunsi was also Principal Investigator of the Roswell Park Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) in Ovarian Cancer (P50CA159981), and a New York State Stem Cell Science Program (NYSTEM) to pioneer a novel adoptive T cell therapy concept of reprograming human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (hHSC) for continuous generation of long lived and durable antigen-specific T cells for sustained anti-tumor response in ovarian cancer patients. As PI of a T32 training grant in surgical oncology at Roswell Park, he has considerable experience mentoring students, post- doctoral fellows, and junior faculty. As the Director of UCCCC, Dr. Odunsi is fully committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, and plans to build a culture of inclusive excellence, and facilitate the recruitment and mentorship of a pipeline of world-class cancer physicians and scientists from underrepresented populations.

Ritu Verma, MD, is a highly respected pediatric gastroenterologist who provides compassionate, comprehensive care to children suffering from complex gastroenterology conditions. Dr. Verma is a leading expert in celiac disease and works closely with her patients and their families to manage this condition. She is also committed to ensuring pediatric gastroenterology patients have a seamless continuum of care throughout their journey, which includes a coordinated transition from pediatric to adult gastroenterology programs.

In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Verma is also passionate about creating a holistic approach to research that merges adult and pediatric robust basic science research in celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and food allergies with clinical research so that all of gastroenterology is marching towards to the same goal, providing our patients with the latest therapies and access to innovative treatments.

Dr. Verma takes her responsibilities as educator seriously, and she has served as a course instructor, delivers lectures and participates in rounds to teach medical students, residents and fellows about current pediatric gastroenterology care. Dr. Verma has also been published in several peer-reviewed journals, such as the American Journal of Gastroenterology, Journal of Pediatrics, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Gastroenterology, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Pediatric Diabetes and Nature Genetics.

Selwyn Rogers, Jr., MD, MPH, FACS, has been named the new section chief of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery at the University of Chicago Medicine. Dr. Rogers is an acclaimed critical care surgeon and public health expert who has served in leadership capacities at health centers across the country, including most recently as vice president and chief medical officer for the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Dr. Rogers has also served as the chairman of surgery at Temple University School of Medicine and as the division chief of Trauma, Burn and Surgical Critical Care at Harvard Medical School. While at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), he helped launch the Center for Surgery and Public Health to understand the nature, quality and utilization of surgical care nationally and internationally.

Dr. Rogers is a prolific researcher, and his work seeks to improve quality and access to care for all patients. Among other topics, his published research has looked at the impact of race and ethnicity on surgical outcomes. He is committed to improving the understanding of disparities in surgical care to close the quality chasm for underserved populations and provide the most patient-centered care possible.

Beyond trauma and surgical critical care, Dr. Rogers has been an advocate for treating intentional violence as a public health problem. In partnership with the Center for Community Health and Health Equity at BWH, he developed a violence intervention and prevention program that worked to address the social factors that put patients at increased risk for trauma and mortality such as poverty, hopelessness, and lack of opportunity. The program partners with organizations in Boston to educate youth about community violence and connects victims with the resources they need to heal.

Dr. Rogers earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and completed both his surgery residency and an NIH research fellowship in surgical oncology at BWH in Boston. He completed a surgical critical care fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital and BWH. Additionally, Dr. Rogers has a master’s degree in public health from Vanderbilt University.

Kathryn Colby, MD, PhD was the Louis Block Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science and the Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Science.

Dr. Colby is an internationally renowned ophthalmologist with expertise in managing complex medical and surgical diseases of the cornea and ocular surface. Dr. Colby has a particular interest in Fuchs’ dystrophy, the most common cause for corneal transplantation in the United States, and is currently pioneering novel treatments for this condition. In addition, she has specific expertise in the management of ocular surface tumors, including conjunctival melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

Dr. Colby is an active researcher whose contributions have enhanced outcomes for patients who require keratoprosthesis (artificial cornea) surgery. She has an ongoing interest in corneal infections and has published extensively in this area. Dr. Colby was instrumental in determining the optimal surgical techniques for placement of the implantable miniature telescope, a vision-rehabilitative device for patients with macular degeneration.

Dr. Colby is a passionate educator who trained hundreds of medical students, ophthalmology residents and cornea fellows during the two decades she spent at Harvard Medical School prior to coming to the University of Chicago to lead the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science. She lectures around the world on numerous corneal and clinical research topics. She has leadership roles in various national and international societies, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Cornea Society.Dr. Colby is now the Elisabeth J. Cohen, M.D. Professor of Ophthalmology and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

In 2020, Dr. Colby was appointed chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at NYU Langone Health.

A renowned nephrologist, Arlene Chapman, MD, is dedicated to improving the lives of patients with renal disease. Dr. Chapman’s career has focused on hereditary renal diseases. Dr. Chapman also sees patients with chronic kidney disease of all causes, and those who are pregnant with underlying renal disease.

Dr. Chapman studies personalized or precision medicine and the role that genetic background plays in predicting antihypertensive responses to blood pressure medications used to treat hypertension. Dr. Chapman’s early investigations centered on the renal and systemic changes to blood circulation that occur during preeclampsia. She has received continuous funding for her work from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) over the past 18 years.

Dr. Chapman’s academic contributions include membership on several NIH committees as well as the Scientific Advisory Council for the Polycystic Kidney Disease Research Foundation and the Council for the American Kidney Societies. Dr. Chapman is the current director of the Clinical Resource Center for the Institute of Translational Medicine in the Biological Sciences Division at the University of Chicago. She has published nearly 170 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, and previously served on the editorial boards for American Journal of Kidney Diseases, Kidney International and the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

In addition, Dr. Chapman is a dedicated mentor and educator for medical students, interns and residents. She is actively involved in teaching fellows about various topics in nephrology and guides them in their research.

Dr. Hyman received his BA from the University of Pennsylvania in 1980 and his M.D. from the University of Vermont College of Medicine in 1984. He completed his surgical internship and residency at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, New York, and his colon and rectal fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio.

Dr. Hyman is currently Professor of Surgery, Chief of the Section of Colon and Rectal Surgery and Codirector of the Center for Digestive Diseases at the University of Chicago Medicine. He has authored more than 175 peer-reviewed original articles or textbook chapters.

Dr. Hyman serves on many regional and national committees, and is a member of numerous national organizations and societies. He has been President of the Vermont Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, Associate Editor of Diseases of the Colon and Rectum, Principle Investigator of the New England and Vermont Colorectal Cancer Quality Project, and Chairman of the Standards Committee of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. He is Treasurer of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and its Research Foundation, serves on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery, is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery and Chairs the ACS Advisory Council for Colon and Rectal Surgery.

He is the recipient of many teaching awards including Clinical Teacher of the Year, University of Vermont, College of Medicine 1993/94, 1994/95 and 1997/98. He has received the Jerome S. Abrams Teaching Award in 1992/93, 1993/94 and 1997/98, the Howe Outstanding Surgery Faculty Award 2000/2001, 2004/2005, 2010/2011 and the Humanism in Medicine Award, University of Vermont, College of Medicine 2001/02. He was designated as Teacher of the Year by the Chief Surgical Residents in 1991, 2007, 2009 and 2014 at UVM, and at the University of Chicago where he received the Robert Baker Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2015.

In 2005, he delivered the Commencement Address at the UVM College of Medicine graduation, was voted as Physician of the Year by the Vermont State Medical Society in 2011, and received the Distinguished Academic Achievement Award from the Alumni Association of the University of Vermont College of Medicine in 2014.

Dr. Nir Uriel was the Louis Block Professor of Medicine and the Director of the Heart Failure, Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support at the University of Chicago Medicine until 2019. Dr. Uriel is a leader in the field of heart failure, mechanical circulatory support and heart transplantation. He specializes in caring for patients who require mechanical circulatory support, including ventricular assist devices (VADs). Dr. Uriel’s research focuses on advanced heart failure physiology, heart transplant and mechanical circulatory support. He has a strong interest in high-risk transplant populations, including HIV-positive patients and patients who have received mediastinal radiation due to tumors or prior transplants. Through his research, Dr. Uriel has improved treatment protocols and patient care for these high-risk groups. Dr. Uriel has published more than 80 original, peer-reviewed articles.

In 2019, Dr. Uriel was named Director of Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

Douglas R. Dirschl, MD, is a highly accomplished surgeon and an expert in orthopaedics. He specializes in caring for patients with musculoskeletal trauma and fractures, as well as other injuries and diseases of the bones, joints and muscles.

Dr. Dirschl’s research focuses on the assessment of factors that influence reliability in classifying fractures. He has studied the quality of radiographs, as well as the use of decision-making strategies to enhance reliability. Dr. Dirschl also studies the biological basis of surgery, including the relationship between hemorrhage in pelvic fractures and pelvic bleeding. His research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

A leader in medical education and health policy, Dr. Dirschl teaches medical students, residents and physicians about orthopaedic trauma, musculoskeletal pathophysiology and fractures. He has authored three books, more than 30 book chapters, and more than 75 peer-reviewed scholarly articles. In addition, Dr. Dirschl sits on editorial and review boards for several notable scientific journals, including the Journal of Orthopaedic Research, Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma, and Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

Dr. Dirschl previously served as president of the American Orthopaedic Association.
As of 2023, Dr. Dirschl is the Chair of the Orthopaedic Surgery Department at Baylor College of Medicine.