Senior Faculty Scholars

Julie Chor, MD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Section of Family Planning and Contraceptive Research and an Assistant Director of the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago. Her academic and clinical work focuses on understanding and addressing barriers that adolescents and young adults face in seeking and obtaining reproductive health care. Her research is informed by her clinical work in Family Planning and Adolescent Gynecology and by her fellowship training in Clinical Medical Ethics. Dr. Chor has received both private foundation and NIH funding for her work, including for the development of lay health worker interventions to help individuals engage in sustained use of contraception and preventive reproductive health care. More recently, Dr. Chor has conducted research into individual’s experiences with pelvic examinations. This work has underscored the importance of improving patient-provider communication around pelvic examinations. A dedicated educator, Dr. Chor also serves as the co-Director for the Pritzker School of Medicine’s first year Doctor-Patient Relationship course and as the Assistant Director for the MS3 Obstetrics and Gynecology Clerkship.

Marina Chiara Garassino, MD, is an internationally recognized expert in the treatment of thoracic malignancies.

Dr. Garassino graduated from the Medical School of Università degli Studi of Milan, Italy, where she also completed her training in Medical Oncology. After a fellowship at the Christie’s Hospital in Manchester (UK), she served as a physician oncologist in prestigious Italian cancer centers. She has risen to lead the Thoracic Medical Oncology Unit at one the most renowned comprehensive cancer center in Italy, the Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori of Milan.

She leads the strategy for clinical and translational research in advanced and locally advanced NSCLC, mesothelioma, thymoma and thymic carcinoma due to her effort in the research of drugs development, precision medicine and in immuno-oncology. She gave her contribute as author or coauthor to over 200 peer-reviewed publications, including many publications as first or last author in the Lancet Oncology, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Annals of Oncology, and the New England Journal of Medicine. Some of her publications radically changed the treatment paradigm of and treatment guidelines for lung cancer around the world.

In response the COVID-19 emergency, Dr. Garassino established and brought together an international group of physicians and investigators to study the impact of COVID-19 on patients with lung cancer. This led to the initiation of the Thoracic Cancers International COVID‐19 Collaboration, or TERAVOLT, a global registry for patients with thoracic cancers and COVID‐ 19. Currently, 180 centers from 25 countries have joined the consortium. Data from this consortium have already been ascertained and published in Lancet Oncology and Cancer Cell.

Dr. Garassino has been the recipient of many international awards from prestigious organizations like the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and she is the founder and president of Women for Oncology Italy. She provides strong support in gender equalities believing in the importance and value of creating an environment with diversity.

Jon E. Grant, MD, JD, MPH is a Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Chicago where he directs a clinic and research lab on addictive, compulsive and impulsive disorders. Dr. Grant’s research has been funded by the NIMH, NIDA, and private foundations. Dr. Grant received his BSA from the University of Michigan, an MA from the University of Chicago, his JD from Cornell University, an MD from Brown University, and his MPH from Harvard University. Dr. Grant is the author of over 400 peer-reviewed scientific articles, 15 books, is on the editorial board of 8 journals, and is the editor in chief of the Journal of Gambling Studies.

Dr. Sherwin Ho is a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Chicago, The Frank and Tang Families Endowed Professor Sports Medicine, and Director of the Sports Medicine Fellowship. He has taught and lectured nationally and internationally, and has served as an official spokesman for the Americian Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), as well as course faculty and on many committees for the AAOS, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, and the Arthroscopy Association of North America. He is a member of the Herodicus Society, a principal reviewer for the American Journal of Sports Medicine, a founding member of the editorial board of the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, and Editor-In-Chief for Sports Medicine for Medscape Reference (WebMD, formerly eMedicine). He has served as a team physician for the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL, the Chicago Sky of the WNBA, and Concordia University Chicago where he was inducted into their Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012. As team physician for the USA Women’s Volleyball national team, he accompanied them to Beijing where they won a silver medal. More recently, as head team physician for the China Women’s national volleyball team, he accompanied them to gold medals at the 2015 World Cup in Japan, the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, and the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

Richard Larson, MD, is a Professor of Medicine in the Section of Hematology/Oncology and Director of the Hematologic Malignancies Clinical Research Program at the University of Chicago. Dr. Larson received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and completed a one year fellowship in nucleic acid chemistry at King’s College, University of Cambridge, UK. He received his medical degree from the Stanford University School of Medicine in 1977, and completed postdoctoral training in Internal Medicine, Hematology, and Medical Oncology at the University of Chicago. Dr. Larson was a Fellow of the Leukemia Society of America and was granted a Clinical Oncology Career Development Award from the American Cancer Society. He has been a member of the faculty in the Section of Hematology/Oncology and the Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Chicago since 1983. Dr. Larson was Director of the Leukemia Clinical Research Program at the University of Chicago from 1983 to 2000, during which time he established the adult allogeneic bone marrow transplant program at the University of Chicago Medical Center in 1986. He is Board certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology, and Medical Oncology, and has served as a member of the Hematology Subspecialty Board of the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Larson is a former Councilor on the Executive Committee of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and served as the Treasurer of ASH from 2011-2014. He was awarded the Henry M. Stratton Medal for Clinical Science by ASH in 2019, and was the co-chair of the Education Program at the 2004 ASH annual meeting. Dr. Larson has been a faculty member at ASH’s Clinical Research Training Institute, and an invited speaker at the Highlights of ASH in North America, Latin America, Asia, and the Mediterranean. He has represented ASH as a member of the National Cancer Policy Forum of the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine), and is a panel member of the ASH Consult a Colleague program.

During 1997-2011, Dr. Larson was the chair of the Leukemia Committee of the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB), funded by the National Cancer Institute, NIH, to conduct multicenter clinical trials in patients with cancer. He is currently a member of the National Cancer Institute’s Leukemia Steering Committee.

Dr. Larson is also a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and an emeritus member of the American Association for Cancer Research. He is a member of the European LeukemiaNet working groups on chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Dr. Larson has published more than 500 peer-reviewed articles, reviews, and book chapters on clinical and laboratory studies in human leukemias, and in addition, has served on the editorial boards of Blood, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, and Leukemia. He is a Section Editor for Leukemia and one of two Editors-in-Chief for Hematology for UpToDate, the most widely used point-of-care clinical decision resource for physicians.

Dr. Larson continues to maintain an active clinical practice at the University of Chicago Medical Center. He teaches medical students, nurses, medical residents, and trainees in Hematology and Medical Oncology in the Clinic and at the bedside. Dr. Larson is an attending physician on the inpatient Leukemia Service and the Transplant and Cellular Therapy Service. Throughout his career, his research interests have included clinical trials in acute and chronic leukemias and stem-cell transplantation, experimental therapeutics, the determinants of response to therapy in leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes, and the etiology of therapy-related leukemias.

Sean Pinney is a native of St. Louis, Missouri. He attended Georgetown University where he received both his undergraduate and medical degrees. He completed residency training at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and fellowships in cardiology, heart failure & transplantation at Columbia University. In 2004, he joined the faculty of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai where he directed the Advanced Heart Failure & Cardiac Transplant Program. In 2015, he was appointed Director of Heart Failure and Transplantation for the Mount Sinai Health System. In 2020, he moved to the University of Chicago where he was appointed Co-Director of the Heart & Vascular Center, Director of Heart Failure & Transplantation and Director of Clinical & Translational Research. Dr. Pinney is an active clinical researcher who has led both NIH and industry-sponsored trials in the areas of heart failure, cardiac transplantation and mechanical circulatory support. He serves on the editorial boards of JACC, JACC Heart Failure, the Journal of Heart & Lung Transplantation and the Journal of Cardiac Failure. He serves on the AST Board of Directors, is a member of the Georgetown Medical Alumni Board and is past President of the New York Cardiothoracic Transplant Consortium.

Dr. Polite is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago the Deputy Section Chief for Strategy and Network Development, Executive Medical Director for Cancer Accountable Care and a GI oncologist specializing in the treatment of patients with colorectal anal pancreatic and neuroendocrine cancers. He is a past board member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), is Past-Chair of the ASCO Health Disparities Committee and a two-time chair of the ASCO Government Relations Committee. He served 5 years on the American Cancer Society Cancer Control and Prevention: Health Policy and Health Services (CPHPS) Review Committee including the role of vice-chair and Chair of that committee. He is a graduate of ASCO’s Leadership Development Program, a recipient of an ASCO Career Development Award, and was named a Fellow of the Society in 2018. He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Oncology Practice and has received awards recognizing his clinical and teaching efforts and was recently chosen as a Bucksbaum Institute Senior Faculty Scholar. He is actively involved at the federal and local level in developing alternative payment models for cancer care. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications. He currently is the CO-PI of a 5-year NCI Moonshot grant, Accelerating Colorectal Cancer Screening and Follow-up through Implementation Science in Chicago (ACCSIS-Chicago) aimed at improving colorectal screening among Federally Qualified Health Centers in Chicago and Northwest Indiana. Dr. Polite earned his Bachelor and Master’s degree in Public Policy Studies from the University of Chicago, and went on to spend 4 years working on Health Care and Medicare reform policy in Washington DC with the Department of Health and Human Services and with the Office of Senator Bill Bradley. He received his MD from Indiana University and then did his training in Internal Medicine and Medical oncology at the University of Chicago.

Christopher Salerno, MD, is a global leader in cardiac surgery and an expert in performing complex surgeries for patients suffering from a wide range of heart conditions. Dr. Salerno’s practice primarily focuses on treating heart failure, mechanical circulatory support (ventricular assist devices) and heart transplantation.

Along with his devotion to his clinical practice, Dr. Salerno is also an avid researcher who investigates treatment and techniques to improve overall care for his patients. He has evaluated long-term outcomes of heart patients to assess which treatments deliver the best results, improve protocols and patient care. Dr. Salerno has also conducted intense research centered on caring for patients with heart conditions during COVID. His research has been published in a number of highly respected, peer-reviewed journals, including Journal of American College of Cardiology, Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery, American Journal of Transplantation, Annals of Thoracic Surgery and Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation.

Gaurav A. Upadhyay, MD, FACC, FHRS is an expert in cardiac rhythm devices and Associate Professor at the University of Chicago Medicine. He cares for patients with arrhythmia, syncope, and heart failure. Dr. Upadhyay focuses on innovative electrical therapies in heart disease, including cardiac resynchronization therapy, conduction system pacing strategies (including His bundle, left bundle branch area pacing, and endocardial LV pacing), autonomic modulation, and machine-based learning to improve heart failure (HF) management. Dr. Upadhyay strives to improve the quality of life for his patients. His goal is to implement pioneering technologies to treat symptoms of heart failure and improve overall health.

Paralleling his focus on patient care, Dr. Upadhyay is an active clinical investigator. An invited national and international speaker, he has authored or delivered over 150 manuscripts, invited talks, and book chapters. He is also deeply committed to teaching, and seeks out opportunities to collaborate and engage trainees in teaching at the bedside as well as in transforming models of care.

Dr. Upadhyay received his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, then completed his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School. He remained for an additional Cardiology Fellowship.

Dr. Upadhyay’s publications may be found here.

Dr. R Parker Ward is a Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) at the University of Chicago. He received his BA at Middlebury College and attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his residency in internal medicine also at the University of Pennsylvania, serving and served as Chief Medical Resident. He then completed his fellowship in cardiovascular disease at the University of Chicago, prior to joining the faculty in 2001. Dr Ward is an expert in cardiac imaging, working in the echocardiography laboratory and serves as Director of Nuclear Cardiology/Stress Testing and Director of the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program.

Dr. Ward has received been selected to receive multiple awards for outstanding teaching in the internal medicine residency program and cardiology fellowship program, and is a past recipient of the national American College of Cardiology W. Proctor Harvey Young Teacher Award. He has also been an annual faculty member/lecturer at the American College of Cardiology Board Review Course, and been named a “Top Cardiologist” by Chicago Magazine annually since 2018. Dr. Ward’s research interests focus on the application and utilization of cardiac imaging testing. He has published extensively on these topics and has co-authored multiple national guidelines aimed at improving the appropriateness and cost-effective use of cardiac imaging in clinical care.