Faculty
Vineet Arora, MD, MAPP (she/her/hers)
Associate Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Learning Environment
Dr. Vineet Arora is a tenured Herbert T Abelson Professor of Medicine, academic hospitalist, and Associate Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Learning Environment at University of Chicago Medicine.
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An accomplished scholar, she is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Society of Clinical Investigation. She has served as PI of numerous federal and foundation grants to evaluate novel interventions that combine systems change with learning theory to improve care that have resulted in practice-changing research and widespread media attention. She has also had significant impact training future generations of physician scholars as Assistant Dean for Scholarship & Discovery at the Pritzker School of Medicine with implementing programs that increased satisfaction, scholarly output, and intention to enter research careers. She currently serves as a Board member for the American Board of Internal Medicine and the Joint Commission. As an advocate for women in medicine, she was featured in the New York Times for calling to end the gender pay gap in medicine and is a founding member of Women of Impact, dedicated to advancing women leaders in healthcare and is an Advisor for the Women in Medicine Summit.
Fun Fact: Prior to her research career, Dr. Arora worked for Jenny Craig, Inc!
Nicola Orlov, MD, MPH (she/her/hers)
Assistant Professor, Associate Program Director, Co-Clerkship Director
Nicola Orlov is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Associate Program Director for the Pediatric Residency Training Program and Co-Clerkship Director for Pediatrics at the Pritzker School of Medicine. She currently serves as the Chapter Advisor at the PSOM for the Gold Humanism Honor Society.
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Dr. Orlov is board-certified in Pediatric Hospital Medicine. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and subsequently stayed at the institution where completed her Residency Training and Chief Resident year. She completed an MPH at Columbia University and graduated from The Medical Education Research Innovation Teaching and Scholarship (MERITS) fellowship from the University of Chicago. She is an exemplar educator and mentor who is recognized repeatedly for her teaching and mentorship. Her recent academic work has been focused on identifying barriers to sleep for children admitted to the hospital with subsequent work directed at eliminating those disruptors. She has a strong interest in mentorship and teaching communication skills. Dr. Orlov was recently awarded funding from the Bucksbaum Institute to support the development of an innovative curriculum that uses improvisational theatre to hone the communication skills of students. Her work will be the first to objectively measure the impact of improv on student communication, adaptability and confidence. Whether at the bedside, in the classroom or through her research, Dr. Orlov’s passion is focused on developing innovative ways of improving the way medicine is taught and practiced with the goal of ultimately improving patient experience.
Jeanne Farnan, MD (she/her/hers)
Associate Dean for Evaluation and Continuous Quality Improvement
As an Associate Dean and experienced qualitative researcher at the University of Chicago, Dr. Farnan has focused her career on research and scholarship in health professions education. She has used qualitative research methods to examine patient safety issues (handoffs, supervision), and also study the relationship between social media and professionalism. Her work has resulted in more than 50 publications—including several book chapters—and numerous invited speaking presentations.
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With her Masters in Health Professions Education, she has received formal training in adult learning theory and designing and evaluating educational interventions. As the Director of Clinical Skills Education at the Pritzker School of Medicine, she has extensive experience in the implementation of educational technology and simulation as well as in the shepherding of students in their learning of history and physical examination skills. Clinically, Dr. Farnan practices as an academic hospitalist and works with Internal Medicine housestaff.
Maylyn Martinez, MD (she/her/hers)
Clinical Associate of Medicine
Dr. Martinez is a clinical-researcher and TL1 post-doctoral fellow with the section of Hospital Medicine at the University of Chicago. She completed her medical training at Northwestern University, The Feinberg School of Medicine and a residency and chief resident year at The University of California, Irvine. Her research focuses on functional decline in hospitalized patients and clinical guidelines. She is also the creator of the website IM Top of the Line, and aims to secure a K award for research in HAD.
Fun Fact: Maylyn was in a rock band called Le Boom for 10 years after high school before starting college!
Rachel Wolfson, MD (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Co-Director of Scholarship and Discovery
Dr. Wolfson is an Associate Professor and Director of Scholarship and Discovery of the Pritzker School of Medicine. She is working to identify variables that impact changes in students’ intention to pursue academic careers over the course of their medical school training, with a particular interest in the impact of mentor-mentee relationships. Dr. Wolfson serves on the Summer Research Program Steering Committee, and as the leader of the national Scholarly Concentrations Collaborative.
Swati Goyal, MPH (she/her/hers)
Clinical Research Coordinator II
Swati Goyal is a Clinical Research Coordinator II for Dr. Valerie Press and Dr. Vineet Arora. Swati started with University of Chicago in March 2020. Swati’s role for the team are to oversee the SISETA Rehab study and various COPD studies.
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Prior to working for University of Chicago, Swati worked as a Program Associate with the Illinois Public Health Institute and as a Data and Research Specialist for Below Your Belt/Renalis. Swati received her Master of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health and her Bachelor’s in Molecular & Cellular Biology and Community Health at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. In the future, Swati foresees herself continuing to work with the University of Chicago in addressing social determinants of health and improving public health outcomes.
Fun Fact: Swati caught two waves during her travels to Hawaii in Summer 2019!
Aviva Klein, BA (she/her/hers)
Clinical Research Coordinator I
Aviva Klein is a Clinical Research Coordinator I for Dr. Vineet Arora and Dr. Funmilayo Olopade. Her projects include Boosting MENTORS, SOAR, and IGNITE. She joined the team directly after graduating from the College in July of 2019. She has dual BAs in Neuroscience and Biology.
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Aviva’s previous experiences center on health disparities, the interplay of mental health and surgical outcomes, and global mental health. In the near future, she hopes to obtain an MD/MBA and continue in the field of QI research and innovation.
Fun Fact: Aviva is passionate about blood donation, she started her own non-profit!
Maxx Byron, BA (he/him/his)
Clinical Research Coordinator I
Maxx Byron has a Bachelor’s of Arts in Neuroscience and a Minor in Theater from Bowdoin College, having graduated in 2019. He’s a Clinical Research Coordinator I for Dr. Arora’s sleep-centered studies, primarily ISLEEP and SIESTA-Rehab. Professionally he is considering a career as a Physician’s Assistant, licensed therapist, or a career in public health.
Fun Fact: In his free time, you’d normally be able to find him performing in improv shows, but since quarantine you can find him cooking something great in the kitchen!
Lisa Mordell, MS (she/her/hers)
Clinical Research Coordinator
Lisa Mordell is a Clinical Research Coordinator on both Dr. Vineet Arora and Dr. Valerie Press’s teams. She joined the team in April 2020 and works on the SIESTA project. Lisa previously earned her Master’s of Science in Neuroscience and Bachelor’s of Science in Neuroscience and Economics from Tulane University.
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During her time at Tulane, she was a four-year letterwinner on the varsity volleyball team and also served as a two-term Vice President for Tulane’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Lisa is currently applying to medical school for a Fall 2021 enrollment.
Fun Fact: Lisa is an adamant concert goer and has attended 13 Lollapaloozas!
Adrianna Vera, BA (she/her/hers)
Research Assistant
Adrianna is a recent graduate from the University of Chicago, where she got her B.A. in Biology, specializing in Endocrinology. She is currently a Temporary Research Assistant for Dr. Arora, and hopes to complete Medical School or get an M.A. in Psychology.
Fun Fact: Adrianna played soccer her whole life and played all 4 years in college — her team reached the Final 4 round in 2016 and the National Championship final in 2017!
Serena Dhaon, BA (she/her/hers)
Research Assistant
Serena is a recent graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she majored in Molecular and Cellular Biology and triple minored in Statistics, Leadership Studies, and Psychology. She currently works as a clinical research assistant under Dr. Vineet Arora at the University of Chicago and works as a medical scribe in a hematology and oncology clinic in her hometown. Serena is currently applying to medical school and hopes to enroll for Fall 2021.
Fun Fact: Serena was President of her Bollywood/Hip-Hop dance team and Vice President of Leadership for UIUC’s only service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega!
Amanda Calipo, UG3 (she/her/hers)
Research Assistant
Amanda is a current undergraduate student at the University of Chicago in her third year of a Bachelor of Arts in Biology with a minor in Health and Society. Amanda has been working with the team since 2019 and is currently a Student Research Assistant for the Inpatient Sleep Loss: Educating and Empowering Patients (ISLEEP) project. She hopes to attend medical school and practice medicine, working to combat health disparities, particularly in immigrant and minority communities.
Fun Fact: Amanda plays rugby in her free time and enjoys competing together with her team in local college tournaments.
Shé Edwards, UG2 (any/all)
Web Designer
Shé is a second-year undergraduate student at the University of Chicago in pursuit of a B.S. in Computer Science with a minor in Media Arts and Design. They are currently a Web Designer for Dr. Vineet Arora and a Digital Media Consultant for a career development program in the Biological Sciences Division. They hope to continue working in the area of graphic and web design after they graduate.
Fun Fact: Shé is also an RDA for their residence hall, and enjoys planning fun ways for the residents to safely connect.
Students
Christianah Ogunleye, BS (MS4) (she/her/hers)
Christianah Ogunleye is a fourth–year medical student who worked on TEACH STRIVES, an initiative to boost recruitment of minority teens into the scientific research pipeline program. She was also involved in Boosting MENTORS, a project focused on training research mentors to effectively work with diverse students. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BS in Biochemistry. She is currently applying to pediatric residency programs.
Fun Fact: Christianah enjoys singing and performing with the medical school’s acapella group.
Jhonatan Marte, BS (MS4) (he/him/his)
Jhon Marte is a fourth-year medical student who worked on TEACH Research to see how its program structure impacted participant engagement. He graduated from the University of Chicago (’16) with a BS in neuroscience. He is pursuing a career in child and adolescent psychiatry.
Fun Fact: Jhon owns over 40 Rubik’s cubes.
Noah Mason, BA (MS3) (he/him/his)
Noah Mason is a third-year medical student who worked on ISLEEP pilot to see if an educational intervention can improve sleep and be well received in the hospital. He graduated from Carleton College in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology. Following undergraduate, Noah worked for a few years at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) in Washington, D.C. where he helped manage portfolios of comparative effectiveness research.
Fun Fact: In his free time, when he’s not studying or cooking up some new recipes in the kitchen, Noah spends his time chasing his wild puppy Ollie around Grant Park!
Christine Mozer, BA (MS2) (she/her/hers)
Christine Mozer is a second-year medical student who worked on SIESTA to see how oral medication schedules can improve pediatric sleep. She graduated from Dartmouth College with a BA (Hons.) in History and is looking forward to exploring different clinical specialties during her third year. She’s interested in pursuing a career involving medical education and healthcare delivery science.
Fun Fact: Christine was previously a competitive figure skater!
Joseph Riehm, BS (MS1) (he/him/his)
Joseph Riehm is a first-year medical student who worked on SIESTA to see how COVID-19 and social distancing guidelines affected pediatric sleep. He graduated from the university of Notre Dame with a BS in Chemical Engineering and is currently planning on exploring different career options in pediatrics and clinical research.
Fun Fact: Joseph enjoys musical theater, singing, and playing both trombone and guitar!
Swetha Tatineni, BA (MS1) (she/her/hers)
Swetha Tatineni is a first-year medical student who worked on SIESTA to see how COVID-19 and social distancing guidelines affected adult inpatient sleep. She graduated from Rice University (’19) with a BA in biological sciences. Professionally, she hopes to go into pediatrics but has not decided on her sub-specialty.
Fun Fact: Swetha loves to paint and do calligraphy!