Senior Faculty Scholars

Dr. Sandra Valaitis is dedicated to patient care, medical education and administration. Dr. Valaitis has received a number of honorary educational awards (AOA and Golden Apple, Academy of Distinguished Medical Educators –all awards for excellent teaching) and has held leadership positions in medical education at the University of Chicago including student clerkship director, core faculty for the U of C MERITS program (Medical Education Research Innovation and Teaching Scholarship), and is a member of the University of Chicago Residents as Teachers and FAME Steering Committee. She has given workshops locally and nationally on clinical teaching and urogynecology, and has been an Oral Boards Examiner for ObGyn since 2001. Dr. Valaitis also holds the title of Director of Ambulatory Operations for Ob/Gyn and serves on the Ambulatory Operations Committee for the University of Chicago Hospital. She has been recognized as a Top Doctor in Urogynecology in Chicago annually since 2010. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Sandra Valaitis as a Senior Faculty Scholar of the Bucksbaum Institute.

Monica Vela, MD is an Associate Professor of Medicine and the Associate Dean for Multicultural Affairs at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Since joining the University of Chicago faculty in the Department of Medicine in 1997, Dr. Vela has established herself as a leader in scholarship and education related to health care disparities and diversity in medicine.

Dr. Vela is actively involved in teaching of both medical students and medical house staff. She serves as the Course Director of the Clinical Skills Teaching module for the Pritzker School of Medicine. And in 2006, Dr. Vela piloted and implemented an innovative new curriculum in health care disparities, which has become an important feature of the curriculum at the Pritzker School of Medicine. Her work has been presented nationally and published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine and has gained broad attention as it is one of the few required courses on health care disparities among American medical schools.

Dr. Vela serves as Chair of the national Society of General Internal Medicine’s Disparities Education Task Force. Her other interests include issues of medical professionalism and the doctor-patient relationship. At the University of Chicago, Dr. Vela plays an active role in the recruitment and support of students underrepresented in medicine. She is also meaningfully engaged in a similar role as the Vice Chair for Diversity in the Department of Medicine.

In 2021, Dr. Vela joined the faculty at the University of Illinois College of Medicine.

Dr. Lisa Vinci is an Associate Professor in the Section of General Internal Medicine. She has a longstanding interest in quality improvement and medical education. She received her medical degree from Washington University and completed her residency in internal medicine at Northwestern Medical Center. She is currently the Director of the Primary Care Group, the primary practice site for Internal Medicine resident and general internal medicine faculty at the University of Chicago. In addition, she is the Associate Vic-Chair for Ambulatory Operations for the Department of Medicine. Dr. Vinci is actively involved in medical education and has co-directed the Quality Assessment and Improvement Curriculum (QAIC), a required 2 year longitudinal course in quality improvement for Internal Medicine residents for the last 6 years. She is also Co-Director of the Pritzker Scholarship and Discovery Track in Quality and Safety, a longitudinal 4 year program to develop medical students to become future leaders in quality improvement and patient safety.

In addition she serves as a quality advisor to a collaborative of four community health centers and 2 academic practices focused on improving diabetes care on the South Side of Chicago. Her primary clinical focus is on developing care coordination and care management programs for complex patients across settings of care. She recently completed the Master’s Degree in Healthcare Quality and Safety at Northwestern University.

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. Anna Volerman is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at University of Chicago Medicine. She is a primary care physician for both children and adults as well as a health services researcher focused on improving organizational systems and reducing inequities. She received her Bachelors from Northwestern University and graduated summa cum laude from Boston University School of Medicine. She completed her Internal Medicine / Pediatrics residency training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital / Boston Children’s Hospital. At University of Chicago, she leads clinical, community, education, research, and advocacy initiatives focused on health, education, and workforce disparities.

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.

Lakshmi Warrior, MD, MPH, a board-certified neurologist, specializes in diagnosing and treating a wide range of neurology conditions, such as migraines, concussions, stroke, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, dementia, neuropathies and demyelinating disease such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Dr. Warrior is known for her compassionate bedside manner and dedication to providing personalized care to is focused on relieving symptoms and offering long-term condition management. Her clinical practice emphasizes the importance of preventive care and lifestyle interventions in managing neurological disorders, and is committed to providing comprehensive care to her patients.

In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Warrior is actively involved in research, staying up-to-date on the latest advancements in neurology. Her work has been published in several, respected journals, including Neurology, Stroke, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and more.

Dr. Stephen G. Weber is the Chief Medical Officer and Vice President for Clinical Effectiveness at the University of Chicago Medicine. He is an Associate Professor in the Section of Infectious Diseases and Global Health.

Dr. Weber received his MD from the New York University School of Medicine and performed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Chicago, where he also served as Chief Medical Resident. He completed his subspecialty fellowship in Infectious Diseases at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, where he also received a Master’s Degree in Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Since returning to the University of Chicago in 2002, Dr. Weber has served in a number of leadership roles focused on clinical quality and patient safety. He was the Chief Healthcare Epidemiologist and Medical Director of Infection Control from 2002-2011, and also served as the Medical Director of the Center for Quality from 2006-2011. He was later elected by the clinical faculty to serve as President of the Medical Staff in 2009. He assumed the position of Chief Medical Officer and Vice President for Clinical Effectiveness in May of 2011.

Dr. Weber has been recognized for his outstanding teaching by the University of Chicago Medicine Residency Program and is a two-time recipient of the Department of Medicine’s Outstanding Clinical Service Award. He has been recognized for his achievement in clinical research by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. His primary focus of investigation is the prevention of infection with multi-drug resistant organisms among hospitalized patients.

Dr. Shellie Williams is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Section of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine. She practices and teaches housestaff both Geriatric and Palliative Medicine in the hospital, clinic, longitudinal care and home settings. She has a commitment to optimizing the care management of complex elderly patients and improving health literacy and decision making of those with acute and chronic serious illness.

Dr. Williams is a respected educator in her roles as Director of Geriatric Medicine and Palliative Medicine Education at Pritzker School of Medicine, Coleman Palliative Education Faculty, SHARE network community educator and University of Hawai’i Micronesian community educator. Dr. Williams Co-Developed a geriatric skills curriculum, which has trained over 700 Pritzker students and over 170,000 educators & students nationwide. She has also developed a palliative care communication curriculum, which is offered as a patient simulation experiential for medical students entering internship.

Dr. Williams’ current clinical research focuses on cultural influences on dementia awareness, knowledge, and care decision-making. She is a member of the University of Chicago Academy of Distinguished Medical Educators.

Dr. Brian H. Williams earned a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy. After six years of military service, he enrolled at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine.

Dr. William completed his general surgery residency at Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a fellowship in trauma surgery and surgical critical care at Emory University/Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. Dr. Williams served as a trauma and acute care surgeon at UT Southwestern Medical Center/Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas where he also taught and mentored students, residents, and fellows.

Dr. Williams is known for his role in treating victims of the July 2016, Dallas police shooting. He was the surgeon working the night seven injured officers were transported to Parkland Memorial Hospital. At a press conference following the tragedy, his heartfelt comments about racism, gun violence, and policing touched thousands.

Dr. Williams’s interests focus on racial inequities in healthcare, diversity in medical education, and addressing the root causes of gun violence. In addition to his work as an academic surgeon, Dr. Williams travels the country speaking and sharing his unique insight on resilience, racial equity, and social justice.