Our People
Health and Medicine
Health & Medicine maintains a small staff with broad policy and organizational development expertise (including parttime consultants working on our long-term care projects) as well as a group of diverse, highly qualified graduate students and committed volunteers – allowing us to remain focused and on mission while successfully stewarding operational resources.
Board of Directors
Our organization’s uniqueness derives, in large part, from our strong board participation; the diversity of issues the board addresses; and the single-mindedness of its vision: an equitable health system that provides access to quality affordable health care for all.
The board’s professional diversity has been responsible for the broad range of issues on which Health & Medicine has taken a lead. The close collaboration between our staff and this remarkable board has allowed us to remain focused and on mission while successfully stewarding operational resources.
Staff
Margie Schaps, Executive Director
Margie has been Health & Medicine’s Executive Director since 1993. Prior to taking the position, she was a Health & Medicine board member and served as the organization’s vice president. While maintaining overall responsibility of all Health & Medicine’s activities, her specific policy expertise is in public health systems development, public health workforce, women’s health, and health care safety net. Prior to joining Health & Medicine, Margie, who holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the University of Illinois and a Bachelor’s Degree from Washington University in St. Louis, served for eight years as the Director of the Women’s Health Resource Center at Illinois Masonic Medical Center, the nation’s first hospital-based comprehensive primary care center for women. She is passionate about creating a just and equitable health system that will improve the health of the public; speaks nationally and locally on a variety of health systems and health advocacy issues; and has published articles on women’s health, health care safety net, health system reform, and public health policy. Margie is adjunct faculty at the Northwestern University Program in Public Health. She currently sits on several boards and committees, including the Advisory Committee to the Northwestern University Program in Public Health, the Community Advisory Committee to the UIC School of Public Health, President Preckwinkle’s Health Equity Fund Taskforce, the Advisory board to the All of Us Research Program at the Feinberg School of Medicine, and the Advisory Committee to the UIC Center for Healthy Work. In her free time, Margie can be found reading, cooking, walking, and visiting with friends and family—many of these at the same time.
Gita Krishnaswamy, Deputy Director
Gita joined Health & Medicine in January 2022 as Deputy Director. She is responsible for the oversight of day-to-day operations, working with program directors and staff to ensure alignment with our mission and vision. In addition, she will manage implementation of a new strategic plan and closely support the Executive Director. Gita began her professional career as a K-12 classroom teacher and later as a public health professional, she continued to work with school districts and nonprofit organizations interested in policy changes to support health equity and lifelong health for students. Just before joining Health & Medicine, Gita was the Acting Director of the Community-Oriented Public Health Practice program at the University of Washington in Seattle where she also taught courses on the social determinants of health, community health assessment, and participatory evaluation. She is passionate about building equitable community partnerships and views a strong anti-racist organizational culture as essential to this work. Originally from Illinois, Gita earned a B.A. in Cell and Molecular Biology from Northwestern University, a M.Ed. from DePaul University, and MPH from the University of Washington. Outside of work, you can find Gita in the kitchen, yoga studio, forest preserve, or vying for the attention of aloof cats everywhere.
Marcia Burgess, Workforce Logistics Coordinator
Marcia joined Health & Medicine in March 2024 and supports Good Jobs Challenge training pathways and Community Health Worker learning collaborative initiatives. Raised in an underserved area of Chicago, Marcia Burgess has always been driven by a desire to uplift her community— a commitment that has only deepened through her varied experiences. Her journey began at Lawrence Hall, where she was a Community Response Worker and continued as a vital contact tracer for the Chicago COVID-19 Corps team during the pandemic. These roles provided Marcia with invaluable insights into the city’s dynamics and the specific needs of communities like her own. Through her work, Marcia has cultivated a deep passion and understanding of health equity, public health, and social causes. Eager to expand her expertise, she pursued a Master of Science in Civic Analytics at the University of Illinois-Chicago, within the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs. With her master’s degree expected in spring 2025, Marcia aims to embark on a career that positions her to influence transformative policies for the communities most in need. In her spare time, Marcia enjoys exploring the restaurant and sports scene in Chicago. She is an avid basketball enthusiast and proudly supports the WNBA’s Chicago Sky.
Leandra Carlyle, Events and Operations Associate
Leandra joined Health & Medicine in June 2021 and works cross-programmatically to ensure smooth running of the office across all areas, working closely with the Director of Finance & Operations and Director of Development & Communications. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Policy from Northwestern University and has worked with a variety of nonprofits, including UNSILENCE, Taproot Foundation, and Rainbows for All Children. As a former barista, she is passionate about combining her customer service and administrative, development, and communications experiences to build community and promote social justice. Outside of Health & Medicine, she loves exploring Chicago’s vegetarian restaurants, coffee shops, and concert venues and can usually be found reading, spending time by the lake, and playing music.
Jessica Coffee, Interim Chicago Area Health Education Center Coordinator
Jessica Coffee earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology and a PharmD from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Health Information Management, also at UIC. She previously worked in the Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine Pharmacy at the University of Chicago, which allowed her to experience working with a patient population that is much like the people she grew up around, being born and raised in the Chicago area. Passionate about addressing healthcare disparities, Jessica is a staunch advocate for the Black community within the healthcare sector. As a testament to her commitment, she played a pivotal role as a founding member of the Black Pharmacy Student Association during her time at the UIC College of Pharmacy. With a unique blend of clinical expertise and a fervent dedication to advancing healthcare equity, Jessica aspires to become a Clinical Informaticist Specialist. Her trajectory aligns with a broader vision of leveraging information management to improve clinical outcomes and bridge gaps in healthcare delivery. In a rapidly evolving landscape, Jessica is poised to make lasting contributions at the intersection of healthcare, information technology, and community advocacy. In her free time, Jessica enjoys spending time at cafes and restaurants in downtown Chicago. She is also learning Korean to eventually travel to South Korea and better communicate with her significant other’s family.
Contact Jessica Coffee [need email address]
Karol Dean, Program Director, Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellowship
Karol joined Health & Medicine in June 2022, driven by a passion to nurture a community service orientation among evolving health and human service professionals. Her career journey thus far has been focused on higher education as an educator and academic administrator at mission-centered liberal arts institutions focused on preparing non-traditional students for their lives and careers. In these positions, she has focused on ensuring the quality of teaching and learning for students and for faculty, while contributing to organizational change and resiliency. Karol’s scholarly and professional focus is on reducing violence, supporting women, and building leadership. She is committed to the expansion of equity, inclusion, and social justice. She earned her Ph.D. and master’s degrees in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her bachelor’s degree from Boston University. As she gets to know Chicago, Karol is learning about philanthropy as a member of the West Suburban Giving Circle of the Chicago Foundation for Women, while she dreams of travelling, reads, and enjoys great meals with family and friends.
Mayra Diaz, Policy Analyst, Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative
Mayra joined Health & Medicine in February of 2022 as Policy Analyst for the Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative. As Policy Analyst, Mayra plays a critical role in supporting institutions across Illinois in integrating trauma-informed and healing-centered frameworks into their policies and practices. She holds master’s degrees in public health and social work from the University of Illinois at Chicago, with concentrations in Community Health Sciences and Mental Health, and a bachelor’s degree in Latina/Latino Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prior to beginning her position at Health & Medicine, Mayra worked on numerous public health projects in various settings, including Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Department of Public Health, and the UIC Collaboratory for Health Justice. Mayra has a strong passion for health justice work in BIPOC communities, with special expertise in the Latinx community, and advocating for the integration of anti-racist, health equity frameworks in public health policy. Aside from her role at Health & Medicine, Mayra supports the work of Telpochcalli Community Education Project (Tcep), a Latinxserving community-based organization in Little Village, Chicago, where she began as an intern and largely credits for sparking her interest in addressing health inequities through policy work. In addition to being a public health nerd, Mayra is a Latin dancer, gym goer, true crime documentary lover, and fur mom to her dog, Maddie.
Ann Duffy, Director of Finance and Operations
Ann, who joined Health & Medicine in December 2010, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from The University of Georgia. Prior to Health & Medicine, Ann worked for several years at a non-profit animal shelter in Colorado. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her daughters.
Angela Eastlund, Workforce Initiatives Manager
Angela joined Health & Medicine in 2020, and her work as Workforce Initiatives Manager supports Health & Medicine’s longstanding commitment to advancing the community health worker workforce in Illinois. In 2019, she earned a master’s degree in Anthropology and Community and Economic Development from Illinois State University and completed a professional practice fellowship focused on anti-hunger and workforce development policy advocacy. Additional prior experience includes coordinating former First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move! Outside” initiative in Omaha, Nebraska and conducting medical anthropology research studies on mosquito-borne illnesses in Mexico. Angela is motivated by the power of community engagement to identify the intersections of social, cultural, and economic well-being and to push the needle forward on health equity. In her free time, Angela enjoys exploring Chicago and learning its history, reading mystery/thriller novels, and spending time with friends and family.
Ronisha Edwards-Elliott, Director, Chicago AHEC and Workforce Programs
Ronisha joined Health & Medicine in January 2023. She has held many professional titles (including recent work as a mental health therapist) in a career journey that has been shaped by her personal journey as a patient. Living with sickle cell disease, a disease hallmarked by pain that primarily affects people of African and Latin descent and increases health disparities and discrimination while receiving care, her life goal is to find ways to advocate and reform health care, including building a more educated and equitable health workforce. Ronisha earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and sociology from the University of Illinois at Chicago, a Master of Social Work from Boise State University, and is currently a PhD candidate at Northern Illinois University. Living again in her hometown of Lansing, Illinois, Ronisha enjoys her church, singing, and traveling, and she encourages students considering a health care career to choose a career that speaks to their purpose.
Contact Ronisha Edwards-Elliott
Wesley Epplin, Policy Director
Wesley’s work focuses on advancing health equity and public health, health reform and health safety net, and aging equity across the life course. As Policy Director, he leads development of and tracking of Health & Medicine’s annual policy agenda. Wesley advocates for equitable policies across structural inequities, making a public health argument for justice in social determinants such as housing. Wesley contributes to public health and broader planning efforts, including the Healthy Chicago 2.0 and Healthy Chicago 2025 plans, the OnTo 2050 Regional Plan, and the We Will Chicago citywide plan. At Health & Medicine, Wesley helped develop and leads planning for the Chicago Forum for Justice in Health Policy. He is also on the steering committee for the Collaborative for Health Equity Cook County. Wesley earned a Master of Public Health degree in Community Health Sciences from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) School of Public Health (SPH) and a BA in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 2016, Wesley was selected for the inaugural cohort of the Culture of Health Leaders, a national leadership program supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to create collaborative solutions that address health inequities and move communities and organizations toward a Culture of Health. During the program, he co-developed and piloted the Organizing Health institute to train people in health organizing. Outside of his work at Health & Medicine, Wesley is a co-founder of Radical Public Health, a group at the UIC SPH that moves the public health field to focus on root causes of health inequities. In his spare time, Wesley enjoys gardening and cooking, reading, and travel.
Christina Esparza-Cassidy, Schweitzer Fellows Program Coordinator
Christina joined Health & Medicine as the Schweitzer Fellows Program Coordinator in early 2024. She brings a wealth of experience in medical and non-profit administration coupled with a strong dedication to mental health and psychology. Currently advancing her education as a nontraditional student at Northeastern Illinois University, she is deeply involved in community service, volunteering with I am ALS, a patient-led organization for people living with the fatal disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Driven by a desire to address the root causes of illness, suffering, and inequality in Illinois communities, Christina is keen on leveraging innovative research to pave the way for universal access to top-notch healthcare and well-being. Outside of her professional and academic pursuits, she enjoys enriching her knowledge, experiencing live music, and exploring the great outdoors with her loyal companion, Western.
Contact Christina Esparza-Cassidy
Emily Gallion, Grants and Communications Manager
Emily joined Health & Medicine in October 2023. As the Grants and Communications Manager, she supports the organization’s fundraising efforts and contributes to external communications to advance the mission of Health & Medicine. Emily graduated from the University of Missouri with a bachelor’s in political science and a minor in English.
Previously, she worked as a grant writing consultant for municipalities and medium-to-large businesses in various industries. Emily discovered her love for root cause work at The Foodbank, Inc. in her hometown of Dayton, OH, where she managed the organization’s grants, advocacy efforts, and written communications. She is eager to participate in meaningful work that furthers systemic change and health equity. Outside of work, Emily enjoys reading science fiction and fantasy and listening to NPR.
Mia Hayford, Career Pathways Analyst
Mia Hayford joined Health & Medicine in October 2022. Before her time at Health & Medicine, she worked for two years as a contract tracer for the Boston area. She also worked as a Policy Fellow at the Chicago Jobs Council. Mia is passionate about eliminating health disparities as a way to advance social justice through anti-oppression policy change that centers community advancement and focuses on improving social determinants of health. She earned her BS in Health: Science, Society, & Policy and Biology from Brandeis University. Outside of work, Mia enjoys reading, dancing, photography, and spending time with her friends and family.
Matt McClintock, Health Workforce Systems Manager
Matt McClintock joined Health & Medicine in November 2023 as the Health Workforce Systems Manager. Coming from a background in music, he has extensive youth development and community outreach experience, where he engaged young people in recruiting for after-school jazz programs, offered mentorship and guidance in college preparation, and helped design professional developments and networking events for publicly employed music educators. More recently, Matt entered the healthcare workforce as a front-line worker, gaining incredible insight into social determinants of health among patient populations and workforce issues among health employees. He hopes to synthesize what he’s learned in the health and art spaces to meaningfully engage Chicago’s youth through leading the Youth Pathways Committee. Additionally, Matt is involved in convening the Public Health Workforce Collaborative. In his free time, Matt plays the drums, runs, and reads, and reads. He is most happy when he is with his family.
Kate McCormack, LCSW, Director, IL ACES Responsive Collaborative
Kate joined Health & Medicine in February 2024 and is responsible for leading the Collaborative in its effort to address trauma and ACEs to build resilience, promote healing, and advance equity throughout the state. She is a licensed clinical social worker and a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Social Work, where she was a Community Initiatives Fellow. Kate has more than 15 years of experience working in social services, including working in the adult and juvenile justice systems, providing child and family therapy in community mental health programs, and providing mental health therapy and consultation in K-12 schools. Kate has five years of experience working in public health, including providing Spanish language communications support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kate has experience bringing together multi-sector coalitions to enact systems multi-sector coalitions to enact system change. Under Kate’s leadership, the Kane County System of Care, a 7-year, 2.1-million-dollar grant, was recognized as an innovator in engaging Latinx families and expanding peer support services in the local system of care for children’s behavioral health. Kate has a special interest in trauma-informed care, perinatal mood disorders, and postpartum mental health care, working with Spanishspeaking immigrant youth and families, improving language access and bilingual services, and empowering family and youth voices within institutions. Kate has lived and worked in both El Salvador and Mexico and is bilingual in Spanish.
Alizandra Medina, Health and Aging Organizer
Alizandra joined Health & Medicine in October of 2022. As the Health and Aging Organizer, her work focuses on engaging with community partners to identify key issues on aging for the strategic plan on aging in Illinois. Previously, she worked with community members and leaders to help bridge the gap of access to quality health care and resources for older adults. This work inspired her interest in the issues and brought her to Health & Medicine to continue her work in aging related issues. Outside of work, Alizandra enjoys reading, writing, traveling, and outings with her husband and two daughters.
Hannah Shevrin, Training and Capacity Building Manager, Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative
Hannah joined Health & Medicine in May 2023. As a facilitator for over ten years, Hannah is energized by creating and leading trainings that fuel people’s visions for a better world. Hannah most recently worked as the Chicago Program Manager for Repair the World, where she developed over a hundred political education programs to organize Jewish community members into local justice work amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to that, she was the Intake and Workshop Coordinator for Beyond Legal Aid, where she spearheaded the integration of trauma-informed practices into their legal services with grassroots partners. Hannah graduated from Tufts University with a BA in Sociology. She enjoys reading, cooking without recipes, improving her pottery skills, and visiting public parks.
Shannon Sweetnam, Director of Development and Communications
Shannon joined Health & Medicine in 2020, and supports the organization through her work developing and executing an annual fund development strategy that grows and maximizes revenue and incorporates external communications into all aspects of the fundraising plan. She also provides support for Health & Medicine’s many events, including the Annual HMPRG Awards Gala, Black Men in White Coats Summit, and the Health & Medicine Forum for Justice in Health Policy series. Shannon holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Randolph College, a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from
Hollins University, and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Washington University in St. Louis. She also earned a certificate in nonprofit resource development from The Kellogg Center for Nonprofit Management. Prior experience includes work as director of development at a Chicago nonprofit supporting refugees and asylum-seekers and work in higher education marketing and communications. In her spare time, she likes to spend time outdoors with her family.
Anna Yankelev, Director of Strategic Workforce Initiatives
Anna joined Health and Medicine in January 2023 and is responsible for overseeing efforts related to building a sustainable, equitable public health workforce, including managing the Good Jobs Chicago grant and various Community Health Worker initiatives. Anna works with local public health employers and training providers to assure that employers have access to the workers they need to best serve their communities, and that these positions provide the conditions and benefits workers need to thrive. Anna’s interests are at the intersection of health, work, and community, and how work can be used as a tool to build healthy communities and promote health equity. She began as a youth activist focusing on community engagement and organizing and furthered her passion for public health and social justice while earning her B.S. in Public Health from Brandeis University and her M.P.H. and M.B.A. from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). While earning her master’s degrees, Anna worked as a researcher for the UIC Center for Healthy Work and taught academic writing to other students. After graduating, Anna joined the Lake County Health Department (LCHD) where she oversaw the development, implementation, and evaluation of the agency’s internal strategic plan and Community Health Improvement Plan. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Anna also served as the Chief Community Mitigation Officer for Lake County’s Public Health Emergency Operations Center (PHEOC) and developed and launched LCHD’s first Community Health Worker program. In addition to her professional role, Anna also serves as a facilitator for Radical Public Health and helped create its flagship course, Epidemics of Injustice. In her spare time, Anna enjoys hiking, cooking, and exploring new neighborhoods in Chicago and beyond.
Julian Lance, MPP Student, Spring Intern
Julian joined Health & Medicine in February of 2024 as a Spring Intern and is currently a master’s in public policy student specializing in Health Policy at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, with anticipated graduation in June 2025. She completed her B.A. in Political Science at the University of California Santa Barbara in December of 2022, where she was an executive member of the student radio station and led a research project on the 2020 pandemic’s effects on labor relations. Julian has a passion for improving public health and safety and has worked on presidential campaigns and non-profit foundations that sought to improve the standards of American life. In her free time, Julian loves reading classic novels, watching horror films, cooking new dishes, and exploring Chicago’s vibrant neighborhoods with her Polaroid camera.
Mariana Martinez, MPH, MBA Dual Candidate, Spring Intern
Mariana M. Martinez was born and raised in Aurora. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in public health from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. She is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES®) and is currently pursuing a dual master’s degree in business administration and public health from Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois. Mariana serves on the Board of Directors for Compañeros en Salud/Partners in Health, NFP, a volunteer-led grassroots coalition, and on the Board of Directors for the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley and is the Chair of the Scholarship Committee. Outside of work, Mariana enjoys time with her husband and two daughters. Her favorite season is summer, and she looks forward to trips to Mexico to visit family and friends.
Meera Puthenmadom, MPH Candidate, Spring Intern
Meera joined Health & Medicine in June 2024 as a Summer Intern and is pursuing a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology at Tulane University in the combined degree program. She graduated from Tulane University in 2023 with a dual degree in public health and cell and molecular biology. Over the past year, she worked as a clinical research assistant at Tulane in partnership with women, infant, and children clinics, focusing on reducing maternal diabetes. Driven by a passion for health equity, she has a particular interest in global health. In 2022, she studied abroad in Buenos Aires, where she completed a clinical practicum and enhanced her medical Spanish skills. She also participated in the School for International Training’s International Honors Program (IHP), conducting research on the intersection of environment and health in urban and rural communities in India, South Africa, and Jordan. As an aspiring epidemiologist, she is determined to reduce health disparities and improve public health outcomes. She aims to identify at-risk populations and develop targeted interventions by analyzing disease patterns and their correlation with social determinants of health. Through rigorous data collection and analysis, she seeks to inform public health policies that address the root causes of health inequities and improve health outcomes for diverse communities. In her free time, Meera enjoys playing viola in community orchestras, spending time with her cat, and swimming laps.
Consultants
*Phyllis Mitzen, MSW; Long-Term Care
Board of Directors
Quentin D. Young, MD, Founding Chairman
Executive Committee
Steven K. Rothschild, MD, President
Claudia Fegan, MD, Immediate Past President
Suzanne Carlberg-Racich, PhD, MSPH, Vice President
Lon Berkeley, Treasurer
Jennifer McGowan-Tomke, MPH, Secretary
Karen Aguirre, MPH
Ray Mendez, MD, MA
Mildred Williamson, PhD, MSW
Tom WilsonÂ
Board Members
Misty Drake, MA
Joe Feinglass, PhD
Michael Gelder
Robyn L. Golden, MA, LCSW
Amy C. Lulich, MHA
Rene David Luna, MA
Yadira Montoya, MSPH
Linda Rae Murray, MD, MPH
Olyvia Phillips, MPH, MBA
Elena Quintana, PhD
Rachel Reichlin, MPH, MSN, RN, CTN-B
Gayle Riedmann, CNM
Melissa Simon, MD, MPH
Kai Tao, ND, MPH, CNM
Joseph Zanoni, PhD, MILR
Bios
Executive Committee Officers
Steven K. Rothschild, President
Professor and Chair, Department of Family Medicine, Rush University Medical Center
Steve has served on the Health & Medicine Board since 1998, and also serves as the Chair of the Chicago Schweitzer Fellowship Advisory Council. He is Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at Rush University Medical Center, where he holds faculty appointments as a Professor in the Departments of Family Medicine and Preventive Medicine. Across his 40-year career, his clinical, research, and teaching activities have focused on improving healthcare delivery for older adults, low-income populations, the Latinx community, and the medically underserved. He has led several NIH-funded studies examining the role of Community Health Workers in improving diabetes outcomes among Latinx and Black populations, and is currently working to develop an innovative Family Medicine residency program to train physicians to be community leaders in improving population health and eliminating health inequities. In response to the COVID19 pandemic, Steve founded and continues to convene the Chicago Homelessness and Health Response Group for Equity (CHHRGE), a multi-sector coalition including housing providers, clinicians, health systems, FQHCs, the Chicago Department of Public Health and other city agencies, and advocates for persons experiencing homelessness, working together to improve health outcomes.
Claudia Fegan, MD, Immediate Past President
Chief Medical Officer, Cook County Health & Hospitals System
Dr. Claudia Fegan was appointed Chief Medical Officer of Cook County Health in 2013. In this role, she provides executive oversight for the health system’s medical practices and helps inform health policy initiatives. Dr. Fegan joined Cook County Health with 15 years of practice as an internal medicine physician. She began her career at Cook County Health as the Medical Director of an Ambulatory Care Center and progressed through the health system, serving as the Medical Director of Fantus Health Center and the Chief Medical Officer of Southside and Southern Suburban ACHN Facilities.
Dr. Fegan was awarded the “Soul of Medicine” award by Physicians for Social Responsibility for her work inspiring medical students to commit to careers in social justice and is the 2017 recipient of the Paul Cornely Award for her work as a health care activist. She has testified before Congress and is known as an expert in health care reform in the U.S. and Canada. She is also certified in health care quality and management and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians. Dr. Fegan is also the National Coordinator of Physicians for a National Health Program. Dr. Fegan attended Fisk University in Nashville as an undergraduate and received her medical degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Suzanne Carlberg-Racich, PhD, MSPH, Vice President
Assistant Professor, DePaul University
Suzanne is an Associate Professor in the Master of Public Health Program at DePaul University, where she works to illuminate, contextualize, and advance social justice. Her research examines the lived experiences of individuals who are isolated by the intersection of stigma and policy that permeates health systems, social services, and broader society. A purposeful blend of scholar, practitioner, teacher, and activist, Dr. Carlberg-Racich works to improve health equity directly in communities, most notably through her work with the Chicago Recovery Alliance. In her scholarship, Dr. Carlberg-Racich is motivated by the use of community-based participatory research practices that maximize partnership, the strategic dissemination of findings to advocate for change, and the evaluation of public health interventions to establish best practices.
Jennifer McGowan-Tomke, MPH, Secretary
Associate Director, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Chicago
Jen is the Chief Operating Officer at NAMI Chicago. Jen leads NAMI Chicago’s operations, legislative advocacy and provides key support for the NAMI Chicago’s state grant programs. Jen’s policy expertise includes the relationship between mental health and insurance coverage, as well as the impact of individual mental health within the criminal court system. She served as co-chair of the statewide Illinois Mental Health Opportunities for Youth Diversion Task Force, which focused on youth diversion from the criminal court system and accessing early mental health intervention.
Prior to joining NAMI Chicago, Jen served as a Health Planning Coordinator at UIC MidAmerica Center for Public Health Practice. Jen previously worked as a policy analyst in former Governor Pat Quinn’s administration, where she served as a lead on implementing the Affordable Care Act in Illinois and specialized in health care reform. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Sociology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and a Master’s Degree in Health Policy and Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago’s School of Public Health.
Board Members
Karen Aguirre, MPH
Program Manager, West Side United, Rush University Medical Center
Karen Aguirre is a health administrator, policy advocate, and a youth civic engagement mentor interested in promoting health reparations within communities of color who have been marginalized by structural violence. She currently serves as a program manager for NowPow and previously oversaw the implementation of healthcare and educational programming at West Side United, a multi-hospital collaborative that focuses on decreasing the 16-year life expectancy gap between Chicago’s downtown area and Chicago’s West Side communities.
In 2018, Karen sought ways to empower and train highly motivated young leaders from ages 18-25 to create positive change in their own neighborhoods through the Obama Foundation. carries a breath of experience in health research and managed multiple research studies related to health disparities in Chicago.
Karen holds a Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) where she was a Schweitzer fellow. She received a Bachelor in Health Administration from Loyola University Chicago and is the recipient of various honors for her work including Loyola University’s Set the World on Fire Award, the UIC School of Public Health Rising Star award and the 35 under 35 award from the Chicago Scholars Foundation.
Misty Drake, MA
Chief Operating Officer, Piedmont Health Services, Inc.
Learning the value of safety-net providers first-hand as a child patient, Misty Drake has more than 20 years of experience in community health. She is the Vice President of Client Services and Growth at Medical Home Network (MHN) and is responsible for building and growing a nationally recognized care transformation model that helps integrated health delivery systems succeed under advanced alternative payment models. Before joining MHN, Misty was the Chief Operating Officer at Piedmont Health Services (PHS) in Chapel Hill, NC. She is dedicated to the safety net system because of its strong commitment to reducing health disparities and improving health care access for low-income and other vulnerable communities. She brings vast experience in program oversight and evaluation, strategic planning, new program implementation, system redesign, clinical and financial performance improvement, value-based arrangements, and health center finance and grant management.Â
Misty held senior leadership and management roles at various health care entities in Chicago, Illinois. She also taught urban studies at Wheaton College, is an advisory board member for the Chicago Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, a Board Member of Health & Medicine Policy Research Group, a Board Member of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, and a Board of Trustee for the University of North Carolina (UNC) Chatham Hospital.
Misty completed her Master of Arts at the University of Chicago in Social Service Administration & Health Administration and Policy and Bachelors of Science in Community Health from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She also studied Great Britain’s health care delivery system in England & Scotland.Â
Misty, her husband Steve, and their three children live in Chapel Hill, NC.
Joe Feinglass, PhD
Research Professor of Medicine, Northwestern University’s Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics
Joe is a Research Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Feinglass is a health services researcher with a degree in Public Policy Analysis. He has over 25 years of experience in health policy, quality improvement, health disparities, medical informatics, patient safety, and social epidemiology research with over 200 peer reviewed publications.
Michael Gelder
Consultant
Michael is recognized as a driver of change and manager of complex processes necessary for health system transformation oriented towards population health. He has worked for more than 40 years to improve access, quality and affordability of health care and community-based long-term care for underserved populations, including fifteen years at top-levels of state and local governments.
Mr. Gelder currently consults on projects leading to long-term care reform and development of integrated delivery systems linked to community-based services, population health, and other drivers to achieve improved health, higher quality, and more cost-effective care. He is an adjunct professor at Northwestern University College of Medicine and University of Illinois Chicago, teaching courses in the US health system and public health policy to undergraduate and graduate MD and MPH students.
Michael Gelder served as senior health policy advisor to Illinois Governor Pat Quinn from June 2009 to January 2015. He advised the governor on all policy matters pertaining to implementing the Affordable Care Act, state health system transformation, Medicaid managed care, nursing home safety, long-term care rebalancing, and the state’s health information exchange. Mr. Gelder was instrumental in negotiating consent decrees to bring Illinois into compliance with the Olmstead decree for older adults, people with serious mental illness and other disabilities.
Mr. Gelder previously served as Director and Deputy Director for the Illinois Department on Aging, managing approximately $1 billion for state and federal programs to help older adults receive the support and services needed to live safely in the community and avoid unnecessary and unwanted nursing home placement.
For 25 years prior to joining state government in 2003, Mr. Gelder led a national practice providing technical assistance, advocacy, and policy analysis to improve access, delivery, and quality of health care for under-served populations. From 1997 to 2009, Mr. Gelder served as an elected village trustee in Skokie, Illinois. Mr. Gelder holds a master’s degree in health administration from Washington University, St. Louis and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Michigan State University.
Robyn L. Golden, MA, LCSW
Director of Health and Aging, Rush University Medical Center
Robyn serves as the Associate Vice President of Population Health and Aging at Rush University Medical Center. For over 30 years, Ms. Golden has been actively involved in service provision, program development, interprofessional education, research and public policy aimed at developing innovative initiatives and systems integration to improve health and well-being. She is key to the development of interprofessional models of care for Rush’s population health programs. In 2017, she received the Gerontological Society of America’s Maxwell A. Pollack Award for Productive Aging, and she recently served as a member of the NASEM committee studying the integration of social needs care into the delivery of health care. She is a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, and is an NASW Social Work Pioneer.
Amy Lulich, MHA
Amy Lulich has over a decade of experience in healthcare policy, value-based care, strategic planning, and program management. She currently serves as the Director of Outreach and Business Development for La Rabida Children’s Hospital, where she leads government relations, manages relationships with referring providers, and engages external organizations around the mission of the hospital.
Most recently, Amy was the Senior Policy Advisor at the Illinois Department on Aging, where she provided analysis on the impact of state and federal policies on older adults and older adult service providers across Illinois. Ms. Lulich led the development and implementation of the Fiscal Years 2022-2024 State Plan on Aging; a comprehensive and strategic planning document that outlines the goals and objectives for the Department and Aging Network.
Ms. Lulich previously held positions at Advocate Aurora Health, University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System (UI Health) and in the administration of Governor Pat Quinn. She completed her Master of Healthcare Administration at the University of Illinois-Chicago, School of Public Health, and holds a B.A. in Political Science from Marquette University.
Rene D. Luna
Rene D. Luna joined Chicago Adapt in the successful grassroots campaign to make the CTA buses and trains wheelchair accessible during the 1980s. Subsequently, hired at Access Living as a disability rights activist’ 87, Luna worked in numerous roles at AL, including, Programs Director, research, and policy analyst until he retired in 2016.
Luna coalesced with LGBTQ activists and organized for the passage of the Chicago Human Rights Ordinance (1988) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990). Notably, he coordinated advocacy efforts and networked with the Service Employees International Union to increase wages for homecare workers. He worked with parent advocates to ensure school inclusion at Chicago Public Schools; they won a reversal of a discriminatory policy that denied children with disabilities to attend magnet schools. He led the Immigrants with Disabilities Rights and legal action to force the Immigration and Naturalization Services (now ICE) to comply with federal laws requiring sign language interpretation for immigrants who are deaf and hard of hearing. He is a strong proponent of single-payer and community-based Home Services Programs. Luna worked on research projects concerning Social Security, vocational rehabilitation, employment policy, and services for Latinos with disabilities. He has a BS in political theory from DePaul University and an MA in community development from North Park College.
Ray Mendez, MD, MA
Founder and President, Salud LatinX, LLC
Ray is a family physician from Chicago dedicated to serving the global Latinx community. Dr. Mendez is the founding physician of MiMedico, a primary care clinic located in Chicago’s predominantly Mexican neighborhood of Pilsen. Dr. Mendez also works at the Emergency Department Extension at Ingalls Memorial Hospital and serves as a Health System Clinician in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Mendez takes annual trips to work in Nicaragua with aspirations of creating a sustainable, community-run primary care clinic in the country.
Yadira Montoya, MSPH
Yadira Montoya has over fifteen years of experience across multiple sectors, including academia, non-profit, and philanthropy. As a Mexican immigrant raised in the Little Village neighborhood, Yadira’s paid and volunteer work lives at the intersections of public health, racial justice, aging, and immigrant rights. In 2019, she was recognized as a Culture of Health Leader by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.Â
She currently serves as the Programs Director of the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC). In this role, she oversees key organizational initiatives that focus on building health, wealth, and equity for the fifty-three million family caregivers living in the US. Prior to joining NAC, Yadira served as a Program Officer at the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation. In this role, she oversaw the Foundation’s health portfolio and worked to increase access to primary care among Chicago’s low-income residents. Prior to Fry, Yadira was a Research Scientist at NORC at the University of Chicago where she led and supported a broad range of research studies focused on aging, public health, and participatory methods for clients in the nonprofit, government, and philanthropic sectors.
Yadira is a founding member of La BROCHA an innovative community arts program for Latinx older adults, especially individuals living with dementia and Parkinson’s disease. She earned her Bachelor’s in Community Health and Master of Science in Public Health from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Linda Rae Murray, MD, MPH
Chief Medical Officer (Retired), Cook County Department of Public Health
Linda Murray Exec Port 101110
Dr. Linda Rae Murray has spent her career serving the medically underserved. She has worked in a variety of settings including Medical Director of the federally funded health center, Winfield Moody, which served Cabrini Green Public Housing Project in Chicago, Residency Director for Occupational Medicine at Meharry Medical College and Bureau Chief for the Chicago Department of Health under Mayor Harold Washington.
Dr. Murray is the recently retired Chief Medical Officer for the Cook County Department of Public Health. She also practiced as a general internist at Woodlawn Health Center, was an attending physician in the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Cook County Hospital and is an adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) School of Public Health (Occupational & Environmental Health and the Health Policy & Administration departments).Â
Dr. Murray plays a leadership role in many organizations including the National Association of City and County Health Officers Health Equity and Social Justice Team and the national executive board of American Public Health Association. In 2011, Dr. Murray served as President of the American Public Health Association. She is the Co-Chair for the Urban Health Program Community Advisory Committee at UIC.Â
Dr. Murray has been a voice for social justice and health care as a basic human right for over forty years. She remains passionate about increasing the number of Black and Latino health professionals.
Olyvia Phillips, MPH, MBA
Manager, Equity Initiatives, MATTER
Olyvia is the current head of health equity and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at the leading global healthcare technology incubator, MATTER. In this role, Olyvia provides strategic direction and support to advance health equity and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field of healthcare technology and innovation.
As a public health professional passionate about improving health outcomes and quality of life through addressing internal and external health impactors, Olyvia has worked with several organizations dedicated to the advancement of healthcare access, delivery and quality. Prior to joining MATTER, Olyvia worked on national, state and local level initiatives with the American Academy of Pediatrics and Illinois Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics, to improve maternal child health.
Beyond professional work, Olyvia brings extensive experience in the community and social justice field, having been a past Albert Schweitzer Fellowship recipient, cohort mentor and current Fellow for Life.
Olyvia holds a B.S. in Health Sciences with minors in Sociology and Communication Studies from DePaul University. Building on her undergraduate studies, she furthered her education at Benedictine University, earning dual Master’s degrees in Public Health and Business Administration (MPH/MBA).
Elena Quintana, PhD
Executive Director, Institute on Public Safety & Social Justice (IPSSJ), Adler School of Professional Psychology
Elena Quintana is the Executive Director of the Institute on Public Safety and Social Justice at Adler University in downtown Chicago. Elena focuses on work that promotes socially just solutions to public safety challenges. This work requires creating strategic partnerships with community members and community-based agencies, law enforcement, detention facility staff and inmates, universities, and governments. Her work focuses on legal system reform, violence prevention, reentry, therapeutic approaches to dealing with trauma, and methods to address racial equity.
Elena attended the University of California at Santa Cruz, and studied Clinical and Community Psychology at DePaul University, earning her Ph.D. there. She volunteers working with people who have been incarcerated to assure that they will land on their feet with what they need to be successful. For leisure she enjoys baking, art, and attending live musical events.Â
Rachel Reichlin, MPH, MSN, CTN-B
Program Officer, Michael Reese Health Trust
Gayle Riedmann, CNM
West Suburban Midwife Associates
Gayle Riedmann (she/her) graduated from University of California—San Francisco/University of California–San Diego Intercampus Graduate Studies with a Masters degree in 1986 and practiced at University of California San Diego prior to moving to Chicago in 1987. She started the first full-scope Nurse-Midwifery practice at Northwestern Memorial/Prentice Women’s Hospital and practiced there until 1993.
Gayle founded her private midwifery practice West Suburban Midwife Associates (WSMA) in 2000. WSMA continues to be one of the few CNM-owned midwifery practices in the state.
Gayle is past President of the Illinois Affiliate of the American College of Nurse Midwives and is co-chair of Health & Medicine’s Illinois Birth Center Task Force. Acting on her passion for birth options, she campaigned for over 25 years to pass a legislative bill to establish freestanding birth centers in Illinois. The legislation was signed into law in 2007, with legislative updates passing again in 2021.
Gayle is past recipient of the ACNM Foundation Leadership Award, the Joyce Roberts Award for Excellence in Midwifery, and the Marie Lindsey Spirit of Advanced Practice Nursing Award. She was appointed by the Governor and served on the Board of Nursing for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to represent Advanced Practice Nurses/ Certified Nurse-Midwives for the State of Illinois from 2009-2016.
She has published several professional articles, chapters for Nursing textbooks, and two chapters for the Global Library of Women’s Medicine: Education for Childbirth and Preparation for Parenthood. She currently serves on I PROMOTE-IL Maternal Health Task Force Project for Illinois Maternal Health Strategies.
Melissa Simon, MD, MPH
Vice Chair of Clinical Research, Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology, George H. Gardner Professor of Clinical Gynecology
Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Preventive Medicine and Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine
Melissa A. Simon, MD MPH is the George H. Gardner Professor of Clinical Gynecology, Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is also the Founder and Director of the Center for Health Equity Transformation and the Chicago Cancer Health Equity Collaborative. She serves as the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Associate Director for Community Outreach and Engagement. She is an expert in implementation science, women’s health across the lifespan, minority health, community engagement and health equity.
She has been recognized with numerous awards for her substantial contribution to excellence in health equity scholarship, women’s health and mentorship, including her recent election to the National Academy of Medicine and the Association of American Physicians. She has received the Presidential Award in Excellence in Science Mathematics and Engineering Mentorship and is a Presidential Leadership Scholar. She is a former member of the US Preventive Services Task Force and serves on the NIH Office of Research in Women’s Health Advisory Committee.
Kai Tao, ND, MPH, CNM
Deputy Commissioner – Chief Program Officer, Chicago Department of Public Health
Kai is a women’s health provider with experience in health policy, programs and clinical operations. Her clinical experience includes opening a birth center for underserved women in Arizona to starting affordable male reproductive health services, such as vasectomies. For the last 15 years, she has been practicing as a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) with a large FQHC and academic center providing full scope intra-partum care . Her experience includes overseeing 17 reproductive health centers statewide including the Quality Assurance Department and opening a high complexity in-house laboratory. In 2013, under Governor Quinn she served as a Senior Policy Advisor to the Director at the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. She co-created the Illinois Family Planning Action Plan- a multipronged approach to expanding contraceptive access via payment reform. She served on the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecologist’s (ACOG) Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Committee from 2010-2015 and continues to serve as an ACOG CNM surveyor for the Voluntary Review of Quality of Care (VRQC) program. Prior to embarking on a Statewide Illinois Contraceptive Access Initiative which evolved from her start up, Juno4Me, Kai was the Chief Program Officer for the Chicago Department of Public Health overseeing the Maternal, Infant, Child and Adolescent Health Bureau and STI/HIV Bureau. Kai participates in multiple perinatal health committees and is a voting member for the Illinois Medicaid Advisory Council. In her newfound covid-time, she helps with clinical protocols related to Covid-19 collection and mass testing. Kai received her Master of Science and Doctor of Nursing from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and her Master of Public Health from Harvard School of Public Health.Â
Mildred Williamson, PhD, MSW
Director, Research & Regulatory Affairs, Cook County Health & Hospitals System
Mildred has spent her career in public service with human rights/social justice as her passion. She has more than 30 years of experience in developing and leading public health safety net programs for vulnerable populations. She recently retired as Executive Director of HIV Services for Cook County Health and continues to serve as Adjunct Assistant Professor the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health (UIC-SPH).
She served as HIV/AIDS Section Chief for the Illinois Department of Public Health from 2008–2015 and began her public health career at Cook County (now John H. Stroger) Hospital in 1989 as the first administrator of the Women & Children HIV Program, which today, is part of the Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center—the largest provider of comprehensive HIV services in the Midwest.
Dr. Williamson obtained her Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Social Work at the School of Social Service Administration/University of Chicago.
Tom Wilson
Community Organizer, Access Living (Retired)
Tom was the Community Development Organizer for Health Care at Access Living, retiring in 2019 after nearly 29 years. He has a long history of community organizing on healthcare for people with disabilities and is active with a variety of community groups, including the Alliance for Community Services, ADAPT, and Community for All Coalition. Mr. Wilson has served on the Board of Directors of the Campaign for Better Health Care and the Crossroads Fund. He is on the Board of Directors of the Health and Medicine Policy Research Group. Mr. Wilson is deeply committed to issues of social justice and health care equity for under-served populations, especially persons with disabilities. Mr. Wilson used his community organizing skills to promote community out-reach and recruitment of participants for the Disability Community Health Leaders PCORI funded research project. He was appointed to the Governor’s Advisory Committee to assess the Managed Care pilot for Medicaid recipients with disabilities in Illinois.
At Access Living he advocated for, helped design, and supervised Access Living’s component of the IL transition program that has moved many thousands of nursing home residents into community living.
Joseph Zanoni
Research Assistant Professor
As a Research Assistant Professor in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, Mr. Zanoni works to support and strengthen the peer education capacities of immigrant, domestic, and homecare workers. His research interests include community engagement, action research, teaching, and learning.
Mr. Zanoni got his PhD in Curriculum Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Education in 2010; an MILR at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Department of Economics in 1986, and a BS in Education, Behavioral Disabilities, at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1980.
Mr. Zanoni is on the core faculty of the Undergraduate Program at the UIC School of Public Health. He team-teaches PUHB 370/397 using the Public Health Toolbox with Drs. Linda Rae Murray, Mildred Williamson, James Bloyd, and Griselle Torres regarding integration and synthesis for public health inquiry and practice. Mr. Zanoni began PUBH teaching in the Fall of 2013, mentored by Drs. Sylvia Furner and Karin Opacich, Program Director. Community-based action learning is the means for achieving the curricular goals and themes.
Mr. Zanoni is also the Director of Outreach and Continuing Education at the UIC School of Public Health, EOHS, NIOSH Education and Research Center (2011-2018), Program Manager and Associate Director at NIOSH ERC (1998-2011), and Senior Health and Safety Field Representative at SEIU, Chicago, IL (1991–1998).
Mr. Zanoni led training and research projects as the Director of Continuing Education and Outreach for the Illinois Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety Education and Research Center (ERC), University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health. He retired with 20 years of service in 2018.
His awards include the UIC Silver Circle Teaching Award, 2017, nominated by the program graduates, and Master Peacemaker, 1999, County Health. Mr. Zanoni served as Chair of the SPH Undergraduate Advisory Committee from 2015 through 2017; Chair of the Occupational Health Section, APHA, in 2017; completed a two-year term as APHA Governing Counselor for the OHS section in 2021; member of the board of directors of Health and Medicine Policy Research Group, a health equity practice organization; fellow, UIC Honors College, PAWS Ambassador and Level 2 Dog Walker and TLC Volunteer at PAWS Medical Center; Chicago Animal Care and Control, Yellow Dog Walker Volunteer; and formerly was a member of the Board of Directors of Latino Union of Chicago, 2015–2021.
Our Founder
Founding Chairman
Quentin D. Young, MD
Born on Chicago’s South Side, Quentin D. Young was drawn to politics and the struggle for justice at an early age after seeing the oppressive rise to power of Hitler and Moussolini and (closer to home) the 1937 Memorial Day Massacre where Chicago police killed unarmed demonstrators supporting striking steelworkers.
Always a doctor and activist, Quentin provided care for Freedom Summer volunteers in Mississippi as part of the Medical Committee for Human Rights. He did the same for those hurt during the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention protests and was called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee for his involvement. He was the local physician to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and marched at his side during the Marquette Park protest; he treated the Chicago Seven, the Beatles, Studs Terkel, Mayor Harold Washington, and many of Chicago’s most famous residents.
He trained, worked, and was eventually named Chairman of the Department of Medicine at his beloved Cook County Hospital while maintaining a private practice in Hyde Park. In addition to medicine, Quentin was a lifelong supporter of single-payer healthcare and a leader in public health policy. Appalled by the conditions for both patients and staff at segregated Chicago hospitals, he and his colleagues seized the opportunity presented by the tragic Laura Lingo case to prove using demographic data that racial discrimination existed in Chicago medical institutions and to implement policies encouraging change. Quentin served as President of the Chicago Board of Health and President of the American Public Health Association.
In 1981, Quentin co-founded Health & Medicine Policy Research Group where his legacy as an activist, teacher, mentor, and leader on behalf of health equity continues. He was unwavering and optimistic in his quest for change, and he leaves a giant footprint on the movement to address inequities and the hearts of all who knew him.