Illinois Medicine

MASI NAMED RESEARCHER OF THE YEAR Alfonse Masi, MD, who retired last November after 38 years as professor of medicine and epidemiology at the COM Peoria, has earned the Researcher of the Year Award from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Masi studied a diverse array of diseases and pioneered clinical-epidemiological research of rheumatic diseases. For example, his research on systemic sclerosis — an autoimmune disease also known as scleroderma — helped define and classify the disease compared with three other similar conditions. Masi's work also helped define fibromyalgia — a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain — from other painful disorders. In all, Masi has 34 articles that have been cited more than 100 times — and six have been cited more than 1,000 times. Masi has mentored medical students at the college — and now that he's retired, he isn't leaving research behind. He's been sorting dozens of binders of data so a new generation of researchers can continue his work. who constitute one of the fastest- growing minority populations in the U.S. but about whom there is relatively little research compared to other groups. A Pakistani immigrant who is associate head for faculty development and research in the family medicine department, Hasnain serves on the board of the South Asian Public Health Association and chairs its research committee. Hasnain and her co-editors call attention to the high rates of chronic conditions, intimate- partner violence and tobacco use in the South Asian- American community. The book discusses peer-reviewed, research-based recommendations to help improve the health and well-being of South Asian- Americans. TEKIAN RECEIVES DISTINGUISHED ELLIS ISLAND HONOR Professor Ara Tekian, PhD, MHPE, associate dean for international programs in the College of Medicine, has received the Distinguished Career Award for Division I of the American Education Research Association for his scholarly output, significant funding support, innovative thinking and tireless leadership. Separately, Tekian also is a 2017 recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, presented by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations, which recognizes individuals who share with those less fortunate their wealth of knowledge, courage, compassion and unique talents, all while maintaining their ethnic traditions. Tekian is a professor and director of international programs in the department of medical education, and he is an internationally recognized scholar and leader in health professions education. Tekian has given more than 400 invited and peer reviewed presentations, and he has organized and conducted more than 250 workshops in more than 45 countries. I L L I N O I S M E D I C I N E | 13 research is inspired by statistics like the 204 deaths reported out of 245 cases of lung cancer in Winnebago County in 2014, a high mortality rate that's likely due to late clinical diagnosis. Puri and her collaborators have conducted seminars and provided educational materials, and the additional funds could allow them to translate their findings to clinical applications. LIN RECEIVES UIC PUBLIC HEALTH ALUMNI AWARD Janet Lin, MD '99, MPH '04, an associate professor in the department of emergency medicine, has received the 2017 Health Equity Advocacy Award from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health Alumni Association. Lin, who has served as director of the International Emergency Medicine and Health Fellowship Program, and director of health systems development at the UIC Center for Global Health, received the honor during the annual alumni celebration for the School of Public Health. In addition to her clinical, educational and administrative responsibilities, Lin's leadership of the fellowship program has helped enable post-graduate physicians to practice and undertake research in myriad international settings, as well as providing humanitarian assistance after tragedies like the Haiti earthquake in 2010. HASNAIN EDITS BOOK ABOUT HEALTH OF SOUTH ASIANS IN THE U.S. Memoona Hasnain, MD, PhD, MHPE, a professor of family medicine at the COM, served as lead editor of the new book, "The Health of South Asians in the United States: An Evidence-based Guide for Policy and Program Development." The book focuses on people who came to the U.S. from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, RAY NAMED COM ACTING DEAN Charles E. "Chuck" Ray Jr., MD, PhD, MS, professor and head of the department of radiology at the College of Medicine Chicago, has been appointed Acting Dean for the University of Illinois College of Medicine. Ray will act with full authority and responsibility for the leadership of the College of Medicine during Dr. Azar's leave (see p. 1). An accomplished clinician and researcher with more than 17 years of administrative experience, Ray is a pioneer in translational research focusing on oncologic interventions and pain management, and is a national leader in the radiology community. For the last 11 years, Ray has served on the executive council for the Society of Interventional Radiology and was the society's president in 2016-2017. His impressive record of scholarship includes authoring 13 books and monographs, 29 book chapters and 95 articles in peer-reviewed journals. Ray is very active in the medical community as a reviewer of multiple national journals including the American Journal of Roentgenology, Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology and the Journal of the American College of Radiology, and serves as editor-in-chief of Seminars in Interventional Radiology. Charles E. "Chuck" Ray, Jr. Alfonse Masi Neelu Puri Memoona Hasnain Ara Tekian Janet Lin

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