The third annual Interprofessional Community Clinic (ICC) Benefit Gala, held April 2, raised funds to help pay for the clinic's operating expenses and medications.

Held at the Highland Park Country Club, Highland Park, IL, the gala, themed "A Night with Gatsby," drew more than 60 students, faculty, staff and other guests, some who dressed in 1920s era fashions. Attendees enjoyed a silent auction, bidding on more than 20 items including Chicago White Sox tickets, handmade art, jewelry, tickets to The Field Museum, and concert tickets to Ravinia, while others contributed to the Medical Services Auction purchase of items including bandages, lancets, gauze, glucometer strips, and vaccines.

Dayle Bondarov and Sara Putnam, Interprofessional Clinic Initiative outgoing and current executive officers of fundraising, respectively, co-organized the event, with the help of a committee that included Anne Sailer, Emily MacArthur, Patrick Kim, Jaqueline Hirschey, Velid Seferovic, Jing Wang and Rachel Medenwaldt. The gala, which raised nearly $5,000, was also supported by the Division of Student Affairs and Inclusion.

"It was such an amazing feeling to finally see everything that Sara and I have been working for over the past three months materialize," Dayle said. "It is especially heartwarming to know that 100 percent of the profits will go toward patient care at the ICC. I feel honored to be able to contribute to our patients in such a meaningful way."

• The annual Faculty Awards Ceremony was held on April 21. Awardees are:
  Adam Fleischer, DPM '01, MPH, associate professor, Department of Podiatric Medicine and Radiology, Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine (SCPM) — Lawrence Medoff Award
  Gulam Waris, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Chicago Medical School (CMS) — Board of Trustees Research Award
  Kuei Y. Tseng, MD, PhD, associate professor, Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, CMS — Morris L. Parker Research Award
  Ricardo Senno, MD, assistant professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, CMS — Rosalind Franklin Award for Excellence in Teaching
  Eric Walters, PhD, professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy — Rosalind Franklin Award for Excellence in Service
• Two RFU faculty members were inducted to the National Academies of Practice during a NAP gala membership banquet, held April 9 in Baltimore, MD. Sandra Larson, PhD, MS, CRNA, associate provost of clinical partnerships, was named a Distinguished Scholar and Fellow. April D. Newton, PT, DPT, assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, was named a Distinguished Practitioner and Fellow. NAP members have excelled in their professions and are dedicated to furthering practice, scholarship and policy in support of interprofessional care. Dr. Newton also serves as director of interprofessional education and clinical practice in the DeWitt C. Baldwin Institute for Interprofessional Education.
• Olsi Gjyshi, PhD '15, CMS '17, and Natalia Popenko, CMS '18, are the 2016 recipients of the Chicago Medical School Humanitarian Award. The award "recognizes efforts on behalf of others, especially the poor, that define a quality of character embodying selfless service to improve health."
• Pharmacy, podiatry and physical therapy students volunteered during the annual Chicago EXPO, sponsored by the American Diabetes Association and held April 9 at Chicago's McCormick Place. They offered blood pressure screenings and foot checks and managed the event's Family Fun Zone.
• The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS), the College of Pharmacy, as well as the departments of Neuroscience, Cell Biology and Anatomy, Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, and Physiology and Biophysics, helped sponsor the Chicago Chapter Society for Neuroscience 2016 Annual Meeting, held April 8. Many SGPS students, postdocs and faculty participated. The artwork of second-year neuroscience PhD student Conor Murray was featured on the program cover.
• Members of the Department of Physical Therapy attended the Illinois Physical Therapy Association's annual conference and expo, "Revitalize," held recently in St. Charles. IPTA award recipients for 2016 include Lauren Toner, CHP '16, Meghan Simonetti, DPT '14, and Dawn Stackowicz, DPT '14. Associate Professor Mary Rahlin, DPT, DHS, PCS, presented "A New Way to Assess Movement and Posture: Perception-Action Approach." Patrick Withrow, PT, DPT '08, GCS. clinical instructor, a member of the IPTA Ethics Committee, co-presented "Integrity in Practice: Our Profession's Campaign to Prevent Fraud and Abuse."
• RFU members of the American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists recently participated in a family night sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club at Oakdale Elementary school in Waukegan. College of Pharmacy students, under the guidance of faculty advisors Khyati Patel, PharmD, and Ann Livorsi, PharmD, offered blood pressure and blood glucose screenings for adults and health and wellness educational games for children. Students also gave a presentation on the pharmacy profession.
• The inaugural Interprofessional Grand Rounds, held April 19, featured a panel of diverse healthcare providers and RFU faculty who lend their expertise to the Interprofessional Community Clinic (ICC). Panel members, who discussed how they communicated and consulted with one another on a complex patient case, included: psychologist Kenneth Kessler, PhD; physician assistant, Ziemowit Mazur, EdM, MS, PA-C '10; podiatrist Karona Mason, DPM; nurse practitioner Marjorie Kozlowski, MSN, APN-BC; physical therapist April D. Newton, PT, DPT; pharmacist Khyati Patel, PharmD; and Melissa Chen, MD. Students Justin Krautbauer, CMS '19, president of the Interprofessional Clinic Initiative (ICI) and Jimena Resendiz, COP '18, ICI multicultural affairs officer, introduced the patient case, which was developed by Dr. Chen, assistant clinical professor and ICC internist, and Lori Thuente, PhD, assistant director of DePaul University's Master Entry to Nursing Practice program at RFU. Drs. Thuente and Chen also organized the event.
• RFU's Global Health Scholarship recipients were recently announced. The awards are made by the Global Health Scholarship Committee and the Chicago Medical School to student applicants who plan to participate in approved global health for-credit courses. The scholarships help decrease educational debt for students interested in global health and facilitate activities during global health electives that benefit the host institution or community.
• Jim Lemke and Alex Georgeson, seniors in the Nurse Anesthesia program, gave a presentation titled, "Low-Dose IV Ketamine and the Attenuation of Tourniquet-Induced Hypertension" at the Wisconsin Association of Nurse Anesthetists Spring 2016 Meeting, held April 11 in Madison, WI.
• Students for Organ Donation (SOD) presented "Organ and Marrow Donation: A Student Experience," on April 13. A discussion by Justin Foley, CMS '19, and Jeremy Massey, COP '19, was followed by a Q&A session.
• "Through Our Hands: A Visual Exploration of Anatomic Pathology, an exhibition of photography, paintings and sculpture by students in the Pathologists' Assistant program was on display April 8-27 in the Scholl Gallery. A poster session preceded this event.
• Sarah Garner, CHP '16, a student in the Pathologists' Assistant program, received the National Student Honor Award from the American Society for Clinical Pathology in recognition of her outstanding academic achievement and leadership activities in the medical laboratory sciences.
• The Department of Physical Therapy held its 18th Annual Poster Session on April 6. Class of 2017 PT students presented research case reports from their clerkships. The following posters earned special recognition: Outstanding Poster: Josh Stevenson, "Treatment of Body Mechanics Dysfunctions in a Pediatric Patient Following Multiple Patellar Subluxations"; Excellence in Visual Presentation: Brenden Frank, "Thoracic Manipulation Included in the Treatment of a Swimmer with Bilateral Shoulder Pain"; Most Clinically Important: Ryan Breen, "Importance of Early Mobilization in a Complex Spinal Injury Patient"; Katherine Foster, "Integration of Synergistic Interventions for Patients with Parkinson's Disease"; and Courtney Graber: "The Link Between Autoimmune Disease and Peripheral Nerve Injury and Conservative Treatment Options for a Brachial Plexopathy."

• "Osteoprotegerin rich tumor microenvironment: implications in breast cancer," a review by Neelam Sharma-Walia, PhD, and PhD student Sudeshna Goswami, was published April 8 by the journal Oncotarget. Dr. Sharma-Walia is assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.
• The following PhD students, all mentored by Dr. Sharma-Walia, are recent recipients of travel grants to present their research: Sudeshna Goswami, who presented her abstract, "Crosstalk between osteoprotegerin, fatty acid synthase, and cyclooxygenase-2 in breast cancer: implications in carcinogenesis," on April 20 at the American Association for Cancer Annual Meeting in New Orleans; Jayashree A. Chandrasekharan, who will present her work on the role of lipoxins in KSHV pathogenesis at the 19th International Workshop on KSHV and Related Agents at the University of Southern California, July 19-22; and Xiao M. Huang, CMS '18, who presented her abstract at the Central Society for Clinical and Translational Research/Midwestern Section American Federation for Medical Research Combined Annual Meeting, held April 21-22 in Chicago.
• Alexandru Marginean, CMS '16, is the recipient of the 2016 John Sheinin Research Award, given for outstanding achievement in research performed while a CMS medical student. Alex is pursuing an MD with Distinction in Research (MDDR) under the mentorship of Dr. Sharma-Walia.
• Sahithi Pamarthy, a PhD student in the laboratory of Kenneth Beaman, PhD, professor and vice chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, took first place in the Langman Graduate Student Platform Presentation competition conducted by American Association of Anatomists at the Experimental Biology meeting, April 2-6, in San Diego, CA. Sahithi earned a $500 cash prize and a $250 travel award.
• Students, faculty, alumni and postdocs from the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies participated in the annual Experimental Biology 2016 conference, held April 2-6 in San Diego, CA. Participants from the Department of Physiology and Biophysics included: PhD students Kalpit Shah, Isha Dey, Jiaju Wang, and DPM/PhD student Joseph Candela; from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, PhD student Sahithi Pamarthy; and from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology: PhD student Nicole Woitowich and Postdoctoral Research Associate Alayna George Thompson, PhD.

• The naming of Associate Professor Beth Jarrett, DPM '85, as the 2016 recipient of the Honor Medallion and Alumnus of the Year awards was announced in the Daily Herald and Chicago Tribune. The honors were first made public during the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine's annual Scholarship Benefit and Networking Reception, held April 1 during the Midwest Podiatry Conference at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

• Malcolm Dorman, MD '67, was appointed to the Florida Atlantic University Board of Trustees.
• John Grady, DPM '80, co-authored "Point-Counterpoint: Is It Time To Retire The Triple Arthrodesis" for podiatrytoday.com.
• Jerrold Leikin, MD '80, was appointed to the Illinois State Board of Health.
• Beth Jarrett, DPM '85, was named the 2016 recipient of the Honor Medallion and Alumnus of the Year of the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine.
• David A. Yeager, DPM '00, was named an honorary member of the American Society of Podiatric Medical Assistants.
• Alissa Zdancewicz, DPM '01, was elected president of the Manasota Podiatric Medical Association in Florida.
• Sayan Chakraborty, PhD '12, visited RFU on April 21 to present "Elucidating an Oncogenic Role of Agrin in Liver Cancer," as part of a seminar sponsored by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. He is a senior postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology at A-STAR in Singapore.

• The Great Give Back, RFU's second annual day of giving, held April 22, raised $30,764 from 181 donors, including students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends. Proceeds will be used to support student scholarships. RFU community members wore spirit wear and jeans and stopped by the Institutional Advancement office throughout the day to donate, purchase T-shirts, enjoy snacks, a photo booth and other activities. The event was sponsored by the Division of Institutional Advancement with support from the Office of Student Life, the Division of Marketing and Brand Management, and staff and students across the university.
• RFU hosted 92 girls ages, 9 to 14, from schools in Waukegan, North Chicago, Wadsworth and Zion, during the annual Empowerment Day for Girls Conference held April 15. Aimed at inspiring middle school girls to enter STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields, the event featured a keynote address by RFU doctoral student Nicole Woitowich, founder of Women in Scientific Discovery or Medicine (WISDOM), a mentoring group for undergraduate women who are interested in but underrepresented in STEM and healthcare-related fields. A team of pathologists’ assistant students that participated during the day included: Justin Sheedy, Anan Abuisba, Jessica Jones, Molly Deming, Kayla Olson, Ashley Zyll, Meredith Baumgartner, Shannon Stein, Christina Taylor, Christina Myer, Brittany Paustian and Erica Price. The day is organized through a partnership with the YWCA of Lake County and the Lake County Regional Office of Education.
• The College of Pharmacy's fifth annual Scholarship Benefit, held April 14 In the Rothstein Warden Centennial Learning Center, drew nearly 100 supporters. All proceeds benefit the Dean's Commitment to the Future of Pharmacy Fund.

Scholl Benefit & Networking Reception

Third Annual ICC Gala

PT Poster Session

Employee and Diversity Spring Coffee Hour

Through Our Hands

Diabetes Expo

Cultural Competency for Educators

COP Scholarship Benefit

Dog Therapy

Pathologists' Assistant Day

Empowerment Day for Girls

Holi: Unleash the Colors

IP Grand Rounds

Faculty Awards Ceremony

The Great Give Back

Illinois Physical Therapy Association's Conference and Expo