Senior Faculty Scholars

Dr. Kress is a Professor of Medicine, Director of the Medical Intensive Care Unit and Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship. He has clinical expertise in the management of respiratory failure and shock. He is internationally recognized in patient outcomes research in critical care. He has published on strategies to improve the mental and physical function of patients who require mechanical ventilation in the ICU.

Dr. Kress is a distinguished teacher and clinician, and has received several Outstanding Teacher Awards from the University of Chicago Internal Medicine Residency Program.

Dr. Lengyel is a gynecologic oncologist who is board certified in general gynecology and gynecologic oncology. He attended medical school at the University of Munich and went to the University of Munich, UCSF, and Stanford for postgraduate training. In 2003, Dr. Lengyel joined the faculty of the University of Chicago. Since that time he has established a clinical practice specializing in radical debulking surgery for ovarian cancer and a translational research laboratory focused on understanding ovarian cancer biology. Recently, his group elucidated how adipocyte/cancer cell interactions promote ovarian cancer metastasis through the metabolic reprogramming of tumor cells. They have also shown that mesothelial cells play a critical role in ovarian cancer metastasis.

Dr. Lengyel has published over 90 peer-reviewed papers, including contributions to Nature, Nature Medicine, JCI, Oncogene, JBC, and Cancer Research. He is also the author of the chapter on ovarian cancer in the current edition of Principles and Practice of Gynecologic Oncology, the standard textbook of the specialty Dr. Lengyel holds 2 RO1 grants, a Burroughs Wellcome Award in translational research, and several other grants from private foundations, including a PPG planning grant from the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. He is an ad hoc member of NIH study sections.

Dr. Lengyel is the Arthur L. and Lee G. Herbst Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and is the Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Chicago.

Dr. Roggin is an Associate Professor of Surgery and Program Director for the General Surgery residency program. He is a nationally recognized surgical oncologist who specializes in pancreatic cancer, pancreatic cystic neoplasms, gastric cancer, and retroperitoneal sarcomas. He leads a comprehensive, multidisciplinary research program that focuses on clinical and genomic predictors of outcomes in older patients with pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Roggin is an award-winning surgical educator. He has been inducted into several prestigious societies, including the Gold Humanism Honors Society, Alpha Omega Alpha, and the Academy of Distinguished Medical Educators. In addition, he has received the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine award, the Robert Baker Golden Apple award, the Excellence in Teaching Award, and was twice named as “Outstanding Faculty Member” by the medical students. He is actively involved in educational scholarship and is considered a national leader in surgical education. He leads the Training Committee of the Society of Surgical Oncology and oversees the curriculum and ongoing accreditation of the SSO’s fellowships and educational programs. He was elected by the society’s international membership to serve a three-year term on the Executive Council as the Councilor-at-Large.

Dr. Spitz is the Residency Training Director and Education Mission Director for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience. She has been a national leader in psychiatric education, serving as President of the Association for Academic Psychiatry, and in educational leadership positions on the program committee of the American Psychiatric Association, and within AADPRT, the Psychiatry Training Directors’ Association. Her clinical interests include the treatment of refractory bipolar and unipolar affective disorders, management of psychiatric disorders in pregnancy, and in psychodynamic psychotherapy. She teaches courses on psychotherapy and on educational methodology for residents, and has received numerous teaching awards.

Dr. Spitz obtained her medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania and completed her residency training and fellowship in inpatient psychiatry at the University of Chicago. She was Residency Training Director and Director of the Inpatient Service at Tufts-New England Medical Center, and spent three years in Norwich, England as a Consultant Psychiatrist for the National Health Service, where she led the Psychiatry Service in Norwich and redesigned the delivery of psychiatric services for that city’s population of 170,000 adults. She is interested in the impediments to delivery of psychiatric services, and a supporter of a single payer system of care.

Dr. Scott Stern is Professor of Medicine and Assistant Dean for Technology at the University of Chicago.

Dr. Stern is Co-Director of the Clinical Pathophysiology and Therapeutics, one of the most highly regarded courses in the Pritzker curriculum. Dr. Stern served as Co-Director of the Junior Clerkship in Internal Medicine from 1995-2013. Drawing upon his experiences as clerkship director, Dr. Stern served as the lead author of the textbook, Symptom to Diagnosis: An Evidence Based Guide, now in its 3rd edition.

Dr. Stern’s teaching has been recognized with numerous honors, including twelve-time receipt of a “Favorite Faculty Award”, three time recipient of The Robert and Susan Doroghazi Clinical Teaching Award for outstanding clinical teaching and two-time recipient of the Larry Wood Award for “selfless, tireless, and excellent teaching of medical students.” Dr. Stern was named as one of the six inaugural members of the University of Chicago Academy of Distinguished Medical Educators.

Dr. Alison Tothy is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and the Associate Chief Medical Officer for the University of Chicago Medicine. Dr. Tothy serves as the physician leader responsible for working to improve the patient experience at the University of Chicago Medicine. Dr. Tothy provides physician leadership and oversight in development, implementation, and execution of the vision and strategy of the Patient Experience and Engagement Program. Dr. Tothy’s works seeks to promote a culture of patient centered care that emphasizes compassion and outstanding service.

Dr. Tothy’s clinical practice is in Emergency Medicine at the University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital where she is the Section Chief and Medical Director of Pediatric Emergency Medicine. Please join me in congratulating Alison Tothy on her appointment as a Bucksbaum Institute Senior Faculty Scholar.

Dr. Vokes is a Professor in the section of Endocrinology. She has a special interest in osteoporosis and metabolic bone disease and is the Director of Osteoporosis Clinic and Huron Clinic. She has an active research program in several areas including the importance of vertebral fractures in clinical care of osteoporosis, non-invasive assessment of bone structure, racial differences in fracture risk, and novel treatments of hypoparathyroidism. Dr. Vokes has a busy clinical practice and promotes an individual-centered approach to osteoporosis care utilizing the state-of the art diagnostic and therapeutic modalities as well as non-pharmacologic interventions geared to each patient’s specific needs.

Dr. Vokes is also a highly regarding teacher working with medical students, as well as residents in Internal Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology and fellows in Endocrinology, Rheumatology and Geriatrics. She has developed a new elective course for 4th year medical students entitled “Using Empathy as Clinical Tool”. The objective of this course is closely linked with the principles and goals of the Bucksbaum Institute.

Dr. Halina Brukner is Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean for Medical School Education. She led the planning and implementation of the Pritzker Initiative curriculum and oversees all aspects of curricular and academic issues for the Pritzker School of Medicine. Dr. Brukner is also the Director of the Academy of Distinguished Medical Educators. A graduate of Yale University and the New York University School of Medicine, Dr. Brukner did her internship and residency training in Internal Medicine at the University of Chicago. She joined the faculty in General Medicine in 1985, and has served as clerkship director in Internal Medicine (1986-1999); Director of the Primary Care Group (1995-99); Vice-Chairman of the Department of Medicine (1999-2004); and Associate Dean for Medical School Education (2004-present). Dr. Brukner was a general internist in the University of Chicago Primary Care Group and is currently enjoying retirement.

Dr. Scott Eggener specializes in the care of patients with kidney, prostate, and testicular cancer. He is an experienced robotic and open surgeon but also has a clinical and academic interest in active surveillance for select patients.

His clinical research focuses on prostate cancer screening and treatment. He is the principal investigator on numerous clinical trials for patients with kidney, prostate, and testicular cancer, and collaborates on laboratory research investigating a novel protein identified in kidney cancer.

Dr. Eggener’s research — which has resulted in 100 publications — has been presented at national and international meetings. He is the chairman of the University of Chicago Cancer Committee and has participated in volunteer educational and surgical missions to Congo, Cuba, Honduras, Morocco, Myanmar, Rwanda, and the Palestinian territories.

Dr. Fromme is an Associate Professor in the Section of Academic Pediatrics, where she specializes in the care of hospitalized children. Additionally, she is the Associate Program Director of the Pediatric Residency Training Program. She been honored by students and residents for her teaching and is a fellow of the Academy of Distinguished Medical Educators.

The majority of Dr. Fromme’s time away from patient care is dedicated to the development of faculty, residents and students as medical educators. She is the co-director of the Pritzker Scholarship & Discovery Track for Medical Education, a longitudinal program to train students in the skills needed to be medical educators and scholars. She also leads teaching skills courses for students and residents. She is the Director of the one year Medical Education Research Innovation Scholarship and Teaching (MERITS) fellowship for fellows and faculty, and teaches in the Faculty Advancing Medical Education faculty development series.