The Midwest Roybal Center Advisory Committee

Wayne Giles, MD, MS
Dean – University of Illinois School of Public Health

Wayne H. Giles, MD, MS, became the Dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) in September 2017. Prior to joining UIC, he spent 25 years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) where he led the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, the Division of Population Health and the Division of Adult and Community Health. All within the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. His portfolio at the CDC included running one of the organization’s most diverse divisions with programmatic and research activities in community health promotion, arthritis, aging, health care utilization, school health and racial and ethnic disparities in health.

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Puja Agarwal, PhD
Rush University Medical Center – Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center
Department of Clinical Nutrition

Puja Agarwal is a nutritionist, and nutritional epidemiologist at the RUSH Alzheimer’s Disease Center, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Community Epidemiologic Research, at RUSH University Medical Center. She did her undergrad and MS at the University of Delhi, India, PhD at University of Illinois, Chicago, and a post-doctoral fellowship at Rush Institute of Healthy Aging under Dr. Martha Clare Morris. Her research focuses on how lifestyle factors, specifically diet, and nutrition, including dietary patterns, specific nutrients, and related metabolism may prevent or delay neurodegenerative diseases among diverse older adults. She also serves as a program chair for the Nutrition, Metabolism, and Dementia-Professional Interest Area -at ISTAART Alzheimer’s Association. She has published in several high-impact journals including Neurology, Alzheimer’s and Dementia, Molecular Psychiatry, and Journals of Gerontology: Medical Science. Her past and current research work is funded by National Institute on Aging (NIH) grants, the RUSH-ADRC Developmental Award, Micheal J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and Alzheimer’s Association grants.

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Jeanne Ang
Advocate Sherman Hospital – Director of Community Health
Northern Illinois Region

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Peg Bauman, MD
Chief of Geriatric Medicine – Jesse Brown VA Medical Center
United States Department of Veteran Affairs

A Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) physician who helps veterans overcome the effects of long-term hospitalization and was recently named one of five national recipients of AMVETS’ “Silver Helmet” award. Dr. Margaret M. Baumann, associate chief of staff for geriatrics and extended care at the Hines VA Medical Center near Chicago, was recognized by the veterans service organization for her efforts in developing new treatment and rehabilitation programs that help veterans return to productive lives.

Kathy Cameron, BSPharm, MPH
National Council on Aging
Senior Director – Center for Healthy Aging

Kathleen Cameron has more than 25 years of experience in the health care field as a pharmacist, researcher, and program director focusing on falls prevention, geriatric pharmacotherapy, mental health, long-term services and supports, and caregiving. Cameron is Senior Director of the NCOA
Center for Healthy Aging, where she provides subject matter expertise on health care programmatic and policy related issues and oversees the Modernizing Senior Center Resource Center.

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Carlos Crespo, DrPH
UIC College of Applied Health Sciences – Dean
Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition – Professor

Dr. Carlos Crespo’s main area of research involves the epidemiology of physical activity in the prevention of chronic diseases, and research on minority health issues. He lists more than 100 publications and has been a contributing author to five textbooks on minority health and sports medicine, and more than 30 government reports, including the Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health. He received the 1997 U.S. Secretary of Health Award for Distinguished Service as part of the Salud para su Corazon campaign, and in 2003 became a Health Disparities and Minority Health Scholar from the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities at NIH. He has served in the Board of Trustees for the American College of Sports Medicine, Oregon Health Policy Board, and the Executive Leadership Team of the NIH Diversity Program Consortium. He currently serves in a CDC Advisory Committee for the Community Guide for Physical Activity, and the Physical Activity Alliance Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee. He is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal Cities and Health..

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Yolanda Curry
City of Chicago Department of Family and Support Services – Deputy Commissioner

Margaret Danilovich, PT, DPT, PhD
NU Feinberg School of Medicine – Lecturer, Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences

Dr. Danilovich’s research interests focus on gerontological public health, including prevention and postponement of disability, modifiable lifestyle behaviors, caregiver health, and long term care policy. She is also interested in the translation, dissemination, and evaluation of community-based interventions for older adults. Her current research seeks to understand mechanisms for promoting physical activity participation among frail, homebound older adults..

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Amy Eisenstein, PhD
RRF Foundation for Aging – Program Officer

Dr. Eisenstein is a Program Officer at RRF Foundation for Aging. Amy has worked in the field of aging for nearly 20 years. She is an Ambassador for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, a Fellow of The Gerontological Society of America, and serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Amy’s background in research, public health, aging, and evaluation of community-based interventions.

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Paul Estabrooks, PhD
University of Utah College of Health
Associate Dean for Community Engagement

Dr. Estabrooks has received one of the highest honors in the profession of kinesiology: he’s been inducted as a fellow into the National Academy of Kinesiology. A prolific scholar with more than 280 publications, Estabrooks’ research has been recognized and supported by a broad range of federal agencies, including the National Institute on Aging, National Cancer Institute, and National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. He’s accrued more than $15 million from these agencies in support of his studies. Estabrooks holds a Ph.D. in kinesiology from the University of Western Ontario and a MSc in kinesiology from the University of Calgary. He joined the College of Health in January 2022 after previously serving as the Harold M. Maurer Distinguished Chair and professor in Health Promotion at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

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Alaine Kvedaras
Age Guide Northeastern Illinois

Alaine Kvedaras oversees the evidence-based health promotion programs for Age Guide of Northeastern Illinois.  She is a Health Promotion Specialist and Community Liaison for Kankakee & Grundy Counties.  Her service specialties include Health Promotion Programs, Community Connections Collaboratives, Tech and Education, and Counseling.

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Margie Lachman, PhD
Brandeis University – Minnie and Harold Fierman Professor of Psychology

Professor Lachman’s research is in the area of lifespan development with a focus on midlife and later life. Her current work is aimed at identifying psychosocial (e.g., sense of control, social support) and behavioral (e.g., physical exercise) factors that can protect against, minimize, or compensate for declines in cognition (e.g., memory) and health. She is conducting studies to examine long-term predictors of psychological and physical health, laboratory-based experiments to identify psychological and physiological processes involved in aging-related changes, and intervention studies to enhance performance and promote adaptive functioning.

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Brittney Lange-Maia, PhD, MPH
Rush University Medical Center – Assistant Professor
Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center
Department of Family and Preventive Medicine

Brittney Lange-Maia, PhD, MPH, is an epidemiologist with specific research interests in the epidemiology of aging. She is an Assistant Professor at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center and in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine. She earned her PhD in epidemiology and Masters in Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh before joining Rush as a postdoctoral researcher. Her research primarily focuses on characterizing longitudinal changes in physical and motor function as well as the development of disability in late-life. Lange-Maia is interested in identifying risk factors for early decline and disparities in both physical and motor function and other age-related outcomes, including cognitive decline. She is an active member of the Gerontological Society of America and is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine.

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Sarah Lenz Lock, JD
AARP – Senior Vice President for Policy
Global Council on Brain Health – Executive Director

Sarah Lenz Lock is Senior Vice President for Policy and Brain Health in AARP’s Policy, Research and International Affairs (PRI). Ms. Lock leads AARP’s policy initiatives on brain health and care for people living with dementia, including serving as the Executive Director of the Global Council on Brain Health, an independent collaborative of scientists, doctors, and policy experts. Ms. Lock coordinates AARP’s role in the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations.

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Jessica Link, MSW, LCSW
Illinois Department of Public Health – Dementia Coordinator

Jessica Link, MSW, LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with years of direct clinical experience and macro-level systems change work.  Her past clinical work has included intensive case management, clinical assessment, individual counseling & group therapy in outpatient mental health settings; geriatric medical social work; integrated behavioral health care, and inpatient psychiatric care.  Subsequent to her clinical work, Jessica began a career in state government. Recent work has included program planning and administration in human services and public health.

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Kate Lorig, DrPH
Stanford University Medical Center Division of Immunology and Rheumatology
Professor Emerita Department of Medicine
Past Director – Patient Education Research Center

Dr. Lorig is a professor emerita (acting) at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the past director of the Stanford Patient Education Research Center. She has a master’s degree in nursing and a doctorate in public health with a specialty in health education. For more than four decades, using a public health approach, she has developed and evaluated community-based patient education programs in English and Spanish for people with chronic conditions including arthritis, heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, and AIDS. In recent years, this work has been extended to similar programs offered via the Internet. Her present research includes the development and evaluation of programs for cancer survivors as well as for caregivers of people with posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and other cognitive impairments. These programs are offered largely over the Internet. Most recently, she has been involved in studying how to translate programs from the academic setting to the larger community.

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Michele Mariscalco, MD
University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System
Associate Vice Chancellor Health Sciences Academic Affairs

Michele Mariscalco is an award-winning pediatric critical care physician whose expertise in clinical care, research and education positioned her to lead academic affairs in complex system-based practices. Her work with the health sciences colleges, health care delivery systems and clinical and community partners focuses on innovations that increase effectiveness and efficiency and improve experiences for patients, learners, staff and faculty and engage our communities across Illinois.

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Vincent Mor, PhD
Brown University – Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice

Dr. Vincent Mor is Professor of Health Services, Policy & Practice and the Florence Pirce Grant University Professor in the Brown University School of Public Health. Dr. Mor was on the faculty of the Department of Community Health since 1981 until it became the Department of Health Services, Policy and Practice. He was tenured in 1987 and promoted to Professor in 1990. Dr. Mor was one of the founders of the Department’s graduate program in 1986 and directed the Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research for 10 years. He served as Chair of the Department of Community Health from 1996 until 2010.

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Laura Pedelty, MD, PhD
UIC COM Department of Psychiatry – Assistant Professor of Neurology
Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry Fellowship – Co-Director

Dr. Laura Pedelty is Chief of the UI Health Neurobehavioral Section of the Department of Neurology, and a member of the Stroke section. She takes care of inpatient stroke patients and does outpatient assessment and care of patients who have had strokes and patients with mental disorders. Dr. Pedelty’s interests include Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, cognitive and behavioral changes after stroke, stroke prevention, and recovery from ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.

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Norm Ryan, MD
Spectrum 7 Healthcare Consulting, LLC
Principal

Norm Ryan, MD is a primary care physician who has held senior medical executive roles with Alere Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Humana.

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Rachel Seymour, PhD
Arrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute – Vice Chair of Research

Rachel Seymour, PhD, is the vice chair of research at Atrium Health’s Musculoskeletal Institute and professor and research director for the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Seymour has over 20 years of experience in clinical research, including multi-center trials and consortium development and management. Dr. Seymour has received funding from NIH, CDC, and DoD to conduct efficacy and effectiveness studies and projects focused on the development, testing and translation of evidence-based interventions. She is also responsible for the management of the top enrolling site for the Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium at Carolinas Medical Center and serves as co-investigator on several of the METRC projects.

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Diane Slezak
Age Options – Vice President and CEO

Diane Slezak joined AgeOptions in 1976 and became president and CEO in November 2018. Prior to that, she was chief operating officer, with responsibility for the daily operations of AgeOptions, including budget, infrastructure, human resources, technology and other operational components. Since joining the agency in 1976, she has advocated for and facilitated the establishment of several new programs to serve older adults. In 1999 Diane worked to design and establish the Health Care Choices Program that helps older people understand and make informed choices about their health care coverage, including Medicare. She also conducted intensive community-based planning to establish the Family Caregiver Program, including working with 13 community agencies that provide caregiver specialists. In addition, she worked to merge two local nonprofit human service agencies in order to maximize funding spent for services.

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Renae Smith-Ray, PhD, MA, CCRA
Mather Institute on Aging – Senior Researcher

Dr. Smith-Ray is a health outcomes research professional with expertise in health promotion and disease prevention, cognitive aging, and management of common chronic conditions among older adults. Dr. Smith-Ray is currently a Senior Researcher with Mather Institute on Aging. Dr. Smith-Ray is a Fellow with the Gerontological Society of America and has held notable employment experiences with the Walgreens Center for Health and Wellbeing Research, the Institute for Health Research and Policy and School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Virginia Tech Center for Translational Obesity Research, the LGBT Centre for Health and Wellness in Edinburgh, Scotland, the National Health Services Scotland, the University of Edinburgh Department of Psychology, and Kaiser Permanente Colorado. Dr. Smith-Ray’s research studies have been funded by highly competitive sources including the National Institute on Aging, the Midwest Roybal Center for Translational Research, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), biopharmaceutical organizations, and the University of Edinburgh.

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John Vozenilek, MD
UIC COM – Duane and Mary Cullinan Endowed Professor for Simulation Outcomes
UIC Innovation Center – OSF Lab Advisor
Jump Trading Simulation and Education Center – Vice President and Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Vozenilek is the Chief Medical Officer of the Jump Trading Simulation and Education Center and the Duane and Mary Cullinan Endowed Professor for Simulation Outcomes at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. “Dr. Voz” is the leader of the Jump center, which focuses on improved quality and safety in healthcare while reducing healthcare costs through simulation. Under his direction, OSF Healthcare System and the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria have created tremendous organizational capabilities and infrastructure, building resources for engineers and educators who wish to use innovative technologies for the improvement of clinical performance. He has been in this field since 1999 and has led programs in simulation for Northwestern University from that time until 2012. In 2012 he had served for four years as the Director of the Northwestern Simulation program before joining OSF and UI’ Colleges of Medicine and College of Engineering.

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Tianhao Wang, PhD
Rush University Department of Neurological Sciences – Assistant Professor
Rush University Alzheimer’s Disease Center – Biostatistician

Tianhao Wang, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Neurological Sciences and a faculty statistician in the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center. He earned his PhD in Statistics from the National University of Singapore in 2013. Before joining RADC, he was a postdoctoral researcher in biostatistics in the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine from 2014 to 2018, where he had rich experiences in chronic kidney disease studies, vaginal birth after C-section studies, and bioethics studies on participants retention in cancer clinical trials. He has a broad background in statistics, with specific expertise in longitudinal and time-to-event data analysis. His research interests are primarily collaborative and include assisting the RADC investigators with statistical plans and data analysis. His professional interests in statistics include nonlinear/semi-parametric modeling, functional pattern analysis, and dimension reduction.​

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Michael Wolf, PhD, MA, MPH
Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine – Director, CAHRA
Associate Vice Chair for Research – Department of Medicine
James R. Webster, Jr. Professor of Medicine and Medical Social Sciences

Dr. Wolf’s work focuses on 1) the study of cognitive, psychosocial, and health system factors that affect a person’s ability to successfully manage health, and 2) the design of practical, scalable interventions to help individuals and families access, understand, and use health information to make appropriate health decisions and adopt recommended behaviors. The HeLP lab has particular interests in aging, multi-morbidity, medication regimen safety and adherence. Most of our work is interventional and leverages health and consumer technologies as appropriate to ‘hardwire’ patient education, counseling, and monitoring activities in primary care settings to improve chronic disease self-management.

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