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Each month, the Dean’s Office recognizes and celebrates the achievements of our students, faculty, and staff with this summary.


Kara Bass

Crystal GutierrezCongratulations to Kara Bass, Senior Administrative Assistant in the Department of Foundational Sciences and Humanities, and Crystal Gutierrez, Lead Administrative Coordinator for Medical Education, who received awards at the university’s annual Staff Recognition and Awards Ceremony! Kara received the Rising Star Award, and Crystal received the Unsung Champion Award.


Dr. Archana Chatterjee

Archana Chatterjee, MD, PhD, Dean of Chicago Medical School and Vice President for Medical Affairs, RFU, co-authored a chapter in the book Women in Pediatrics: The Past, Present and Future (Springer, 2022). Dr. Chatterjee’s chapter is titled “Leadership in Pediatrics.”


Eliza Hofman

Congratulations to Eliza Hofman, MFA, CMS Class of 2025, who was chosen for the American Psychiatric Association Foundation’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Summer Medical Student Program. The award provided all expenses to attend the APA conference in New Orleans at the end of May, and Eliza then participated in a month-long educational program to help develop her interest in psychiatry.

The SAMHSA Summer Medical Student Program provides medical students who are interested in serving underserved communities the experiential learning, training, and professional development they need to be leaders in the field of psychiatry. This month-long program gives participants the opportunity to learn from world-renowned psychiatrists, receive invaluable academic resources, explore content in the award-winning APA Learning Center, and partake in the organization’s annual meeting.


Dr. Kuhn Hong

Kuhn Hong, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, had a solo exhibition of his paintings at the Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts in downtown Chicago from April 15-25. The exhibit, titled “Ethiopia and Chicago” displayed artworks inspired by Dr. Hong’s time working as a volunteer physician in Ethiopia.


Dr. EunJung Hwang

EunJung Hwang, PhD, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Stanson Toshok Center for Brain Function and Repair, was awarded a Sloan Research Fellowship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. This year marks the first time an RFU faculty member has received a Sloan Research Fellowship. Dr. Hwang was one of 16 scholars honored for their work in neuroscience and one of 118 total researchers from U.S. and Canadian institutions selected for the 2022 fellowship cohort. This fellowship is one of the most competitive awards available to early-career researchers and is often seen as a marker of the quality of an institution’s science faculty.


Dr. Bharathi Swaminathan

Bharathi Swaminathan, MD, Discipline Chair and Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, has been invited to present at the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) Annual Meeting on September 22 in Nashville, TN. Dr. Swaminathan will present on the topic “Neuromuscular Medicine Education in the Veterans Healthcare Administration.” Her presentation will be part of the AANEM’s first-ever session on Neuromuscular Medicine in the Federal Healthcare System.


Dr. Janice UrbanJanice Urban, PhD, Director of the Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders and Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, was inducted as a Fellow of the American Physiological Society (FAPS). Fellow status is reserved to honor distinguished leaders who have demonstrated excellence in science, have made significant contributions to physiological sciences and related disciplines, and have a record of service to FAPS.