KL2 & Affiliate Scholars
2025 CATS Affiliate Scholars

Barbara I. Adaikpoh, PhD
Bridge to Faculty Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy
Mentor Team:
Alessandra S. Eustaquio, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy
Brian T. Murphy, PhD, Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy
Dr. Adaikpoh is investigating how microbes interact with plants to advance the discovery of new antibiotics from nature. She applies multidisciplinary approaches, standing at the intersection of chemical biology, molecular biology, drug discovery, and development to access evolutionarily optimized and hard-to-reach antibiotics. Her CATS Affiliate project, Leveraging Plant Defenses for Human Antifungal Discovery, aims to develop novel strategies for studying soil bacteria found within plant microbial communities, with the goal of understanding the ecological benefits of these bacteria through the production of therapeutically valuable natural products. Her long-term goal is to establish a research group dedicated to leveraging plant-bacterial interactions in order to discover new bioactive natural products with pertinence to human pathogens.
affiliates, cont.

David Camacho PhD, MSW, MSG
Assistant Professor, Department of Disability and Human Development
Mentor Team:
Tamar Heller PhD, Distinguished Professor, Department of Disability and Human Development, UIC College of Applied Health Sciences
Cary Reid MD, PhD, Irving Sherwood Wright Professor of Geriatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine
Karl Pillemer, PhD, Hazel E. Reed Professor of Human Development, Cornell University
Dimitris Kiosses, PhD, Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Institute of Geriatric Psychiatry
Elaine Wethington, PhD, Professor, Human Development and Sociology, Co-Director, Cornell Edward R. Roybal Center for Translation of the Behavioral and Social Sciences on Aging
Maria P. Aranda PhD, MSW, MPA, LCSW, Professor of Social Work and Gerontology, USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
Dr. Camacho’s long-term goal is to become a leader in minority aging research. His work focuses on developing and testing strategies to prevent and manage common and serious health conditions that affect older adults—such as chronic pain, loneliness, and cognitive decline—especially among Hispanic/Latinx and other underrepresented populations. Psychosocial interventions have shown promise in addressing mental health issues like depression and loneliness in older adults, including those in Latino communities. However, a major challenge is the shortage of Spanish-speaking professionals trained in chronic pain management, mental health care, and gerontology. One way to address this gap is by training community health workers (CHWs) to deliver these interventions. This project- Hispanic Community Health Workers: Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices Related to Chronic Pain, Mental Health, and Aging- will use both quantitative and qualitative methods to inform future CHW training programs.
affiliates, cont2

Zalaya K. Ivy, MD, MS
Assistant Professor, Clinical Medicine, Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Medicine, UIC College of Medicine
Mentor Team:
Santosh L. Saraf MD, MS, Associate Professor, Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Medicine, UIC College of Medicine, Director, Clinical Research Center, UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science
Michael R. DeBaun, MD, MPH, Professor of Pediatrics, and Medicine, Vice Chair for Clinical and Translational Research, JC Peterson Endowed Chair VanderbiltUniversity Medi:cal Center
Dr. Zalaya Ivy aims to receive advanced training in genomic analysis and cohort study methods with guidance from experts in sickle cell disease (SCD). She is working to build a strong foundation for a research career focused on improving the lives of people with SCD by connecting clinical care with scientific discovery. Her research explores how the immune system—specifically the complement system—plays a role in complications experienced by people with SCD. Although SCD is caused by a single gene mutation, patients often have very different symptoms and health outcomes. In her project, Complement Activation in Sickle Cell Disease, Dr. Ivy will use advanced algorithms and genetic tools to identify patients who may be at higher risk for complement-related complications. She hopes to find out whether certain genetic differences lead to worse outcomes. By identifying these risks, her work could help clinicians choose more personalized treatments, including when to use disease-modifying or curative therapies.
affiliates, cont3

Ravneet Kaur, DrPH, MBA
Research Assistant Professor, Division of Health Research and Evaluation, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford
Mentor Team:
Manorama Khare, PhD, MS, Research Associate Professor, Director, Division of Health Research and Evaluation, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford
Yamila Molina, MS, MPH, PhD, Associate Professor, Community Health Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health
Dr. Kaur is a public health researcher who seeks to inform policy and practice through impactful, community-engaged research at the intersection of nutrition and chronic health disparities. Her project, Diet adherence among rural cancer survivors in Northwest Illinois, will assess dietary support provided to rural cancer patients through cancer care plans, understand existing gaps, and develop a pilot intervention to promote diet adherence in rural cancer survivors. Dr. Kaur aims to improve the nutrition-associated cancer outcomes by translating her knowledge of access to nutrition in rural areas, leveraging existing community resources, and creating evidence-based strategies for effective, sustainable, community-based interventions.
Affiliates, cont4

Kristen Kenan, MD, MPH, FAAP
Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, University of Illinois College of Medicine Chicago
Mentor Team:
Molly Martin, MD, PhD, Savithri and Sanuel Raj Endowed Professor in Pediatrics, Associate Head of Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Illinois College of Medicine Chicago
Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, George R. Honig, MD, PhD, Endowed Professor in Pediatrics and Head, Department of Pediatrics, University of Illinois College of Medicine Chicago
Camille R. Quinn, PhD, AM, LCSW, LISW-S, LMSW, Associate Professor, Community Engagement Research, University of Michigan School of Social Work
Henrika McCoy, MSW, MJ, PhD, Morris Endowed Dean and Professor, Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver
Sage Kim, PhD, Professor, Health Policy and Administration, University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health
Dr. Kenan’s project, Y.O.U. Matter: Disrupted Pathways, explores how adverse social experiences—like bullying, community violence, and discrimination—affect teen mental health and how well youth engage with digital tools designed to prevent depression. Through both interviews and surveys, Dr. Kenan will adapt and test tools that reflect the lived experiences of diverse adolescents, examine how these challenges relate to depressive symptoms, and assess whether they interfere with the effectiveness of digital mental health programs. With support from experienced mentors, she will also receive training in working directly with youth and using mixed research methods. The long-term goal is to strengthen and adapt mental health prevention strategies, so they are more effective, culturally relevant, and equitable for racially and ethnically diverse youth.
2024 CATS Scholars
Julia Bauer, PhD

Assistant Professor, Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, UIC School of Public Health
Mentor Team:
Mary Turyk, PhD, Professor, Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, UIC School of Public Health
Orly Lazarov, PhD, Professor of Neuroscience, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, UIC College of Medicine
David Bennett, MD, Professor of Neurology, Director, Rush University Alzheimer’s Disease Center
Robert Sargis, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, UIC College of Medicine
Marc Weisskopf, PhD, ScD, Professor of Environmental Health, TH Chan Harvard School of Public Health
Dr. Bauer is an environmental neuroepidemiologist who hopes to significantly impact aging research by studying the interface between exposures in the environment and the brain across life stages. Given the lack of preventative measures or effective treatments, there is a critical need to uncover environmental influences of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) at early stages of development. Exposure to neurotoxicants occurs across the course of an individual’s life. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), like pesticides and industrial chemicals, are stored in the body for long periods of time. Measuring these stored chemicals in the body can unlock decades of past exposure before AD symptoms occur. Dr. Bauer’s KL2 project, Persistent organic pollutants and early signs of Alzheimer’s disease in U.S. Latinos, will use POP and AD blood biomarkers as well as measured brain volumes from a longitudinal health study of U.S. Latinxs to investigate more AD specific outcomes in this population.
David Tofovic, MD

Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, UIC College of Medicine
Mentor Team:
Dawood Darbar, MBChB, MD, Professor and Chief, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Director, Center for Cardiovascular Research, UIC College of Medicine
Santosh Saraf, MD, MS, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, Director, Sickle Cell Center, UIC College of Medicine
Edwin K. Jackson, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburg School of Medicine
Dr. Tofovic is a clinician-scientist with a background in advanced cardiovascular imaging, heart failure, precision medicine, informatics, and translational research methodology. His research aims to merge the power of informatics and data science with translational mechanistic studies to advance the understanding of rare or difficult to analyze diseases. Dr. Tofovic’s KL2 project, Atrial Fibrillation in Sickle Cell Disease, seeks to identify factors that may cause atrial fibrillation in sickle cell disease and if the presence of atrial fibrillation causes early death in these patients. It will also examine how the breakdown of red blood cells affects the cardiac and vascular systems in sickle cell disease.
Perry Tsai, MD, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow and Clinical Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, UIC College of Medicine
Mentor Team:
Olusola Ajilore, MD, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, Director, Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, UIC College of Medicine
Alex Leow, MD, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Bioengineering, Departments of Psychiatry and Bioengineering, UIC Colleges of Medicine & Engineering
Neil Pliskin, PhD, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Neurology, Department of Psychiatry, UIC College of Medicine
Jerry Krishnan, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Medicine, UIC College of Medicine, Associate Vice Chancellor for Population Health Sciences, UIC
Dr. Tsai is pursuing a career as a physician-scientist studying the role of inflammation in mental illness. He seeks to better understand PASC (AKA “Long COVID”), specifically Post-COVID Cognitive Dysfunction (PCCD), leading to better diagnosis and treatment. Nearly half of patients with PASC report cognitive difficulties, including “brain fog”, memory problems, word-finding difficulty, etc. While blood and imaging biomarkers for PCCD are under investigation, a gap exists for the use of digital biomarkers for this condition. Dr. Tsai’s KL2 project, Investigating Digital Biomarkers for Post-COVID Cognitive Dysfunction, will use digital mental health technologies pioneered at UIC to evaluate the feasibility and validity of mobile cognitive tests and keystroke dynamics in PASC subjects with or without PCCD.
Charles Gaber, PhD MPH

Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacy Systems Outcomes & Policy, UIC College of Pharmacy
Mentor Team:
Todd Lee, PhD PharmD, Professor, Department of Pharmacy Systems Outcomes & Policy, UIC College of Pharmacy
Natalie Reizine, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, UIC College of Medicine
Lisa Sharp, PhD, Professor and Associate Dean for Research, Department of Biobehavioral Nursing Science, UIC College of Nursing
Trevor Royce, MD, Clinical Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, Wake Forest University, Senior Medical Director, Artera AI
Dr. Gaber is a pharmacoepidemiologist and cancer outcomes researcher. His research focuses on evaluating the use, safety, and comparative effectiveness of cancer treatments in older adults diagnosed with advanced malignancies. His work largely draws upon epidemiologic methods and real-world databases, such as administrative claims data and population-based cancer registries, to produce robust observational evidence. As a CATS Affiliate Scholar, his project, Leveraging Data Science Methods to Deliver Individualized Treatment Effects in Advanced Prostate Cancer, will estimate predicted individualized treatment effects of androgen receptor antagonists amongst men diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer. The project will leverage existing randomized clinical trial data, machine learning algorithms, and a causal inference framework to predict person-to-person variability in the benefit of adding androgen receptor antagonists as treatment intensification to androgen deprivation therapy.
Mayra Guerrero, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Mentor Team:
Robin Mermelstein, PhD, Professor of Psychology, LAS Distinguished Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago
Yamile Molina, MPH, PhD, Associate Professor, Division of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago
Dr. Guerrero’s scholarship aims to advance equitable health and wellbeing outcomes for marginalized populations by examining the social, contextual, and systemic factors that impact their wellbeing. Her work includes evaluating interventions targeting social determinants of health and identifying ways to address systemic challenges that perpetuate health disparities. As a community-engaged researcher, Dr. Guerrero employs a diverse array of methodologies, including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches. Her CATS Affiliate Project, A Multilevel and Mixed Methods Examination of Pathways to Recovery, will assess the feasibility and utility of a multilevel and mixed-method approach using social network analysis, geographic information systems, photovoice, and grounded theory to study Recovery Capital (RC) among racial and ethnic minoritized populations with substance use disorders. This project will work closely with a community advisory board to inform every stage of the research process to leverage the expertise of community members, increase cultural validity, and aid the translation of findings.
Jessica Rothstein, PhD, MSPH

Assistant Professor, Division of Community Health Sciences, UIC School of Public Health
Mentor Team:
Reshma Shah, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, UIC College of Medicine
David DuBois, PhD, Professor, Division of Community Health Sciences, Associate Dean for Research, UIC School of Public Health
Kate Zinsser, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Community and Applied Developmental Psychology, UIC College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Dr. Rothstein is a social and behavioral scientist who uses mixed methods with the goal of reducing health inequities that emerge from experiences in early childhood. She is particularly interested in leveraging formative research to develop feasible and acceptable interventions to improve responsive parenting, including the use of mobile health and digital health technologies to promote behavior change. Interventions that target responsive parenting practices and the home learning environment have great potential to improve long-term outcomes, but implementation in pediatric primary care settings often fails due to reliance on child development specialists or volunteers. Dr. Rothstein’s CATS Affiliate project, Implementation and Evaluation of a Responsive Parenting Intervention for Latine Families in Chicago, will assess the feasibility of training pediatric medical assistants at Esperanza Health Centers to deliver a responsive parenting intervention called Sit Down & Play (SDP). Grounded in a community-research partnership, this study will assess the integration of SDP into routine care from both parent and staff perspectives.
Ariel Smith, PhD, RN

Assistant Professor, Department of Population Health Nursing Sciences, UIC College of Nursing
Mentor Team:
Rohan Jeremiah, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Illinois Chicago, College of Nursing, Human Development and Nursing Sciences Department
Phoenix Matthews, PhD, Professor of Behavioral Sciences, Columbia University School of Nursing
Wendy Bostwick, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Population Health Nursing Science, UIC College of Nursing
Spyros Kitsiou, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Health Information Sciences, Director, mHealth Innovation Lab, UIC College of Applied Health Sciences
Dr. Smith’s overarching research and career goal is to become an expert in developing, implementing, and evaluating digital tools aimed at reducing violence and adverse mental health outcomes among minority youth. Over the course of her career, she has consistently sought training on strategies to enhance health outcomes among minority adolescent populations through the creation and execution of evidence-based interventions. The study associated with her CATS Affiliate award aims to pilot a prototype of the serious learning game, Reducing Adverse Dating Outcomes” (RADOS!). RADOS! is a social media simulation game designed to equip LGBTQ+ young adults with skills to maintain healthy relationships, reduce dating violence, and improve mental health. The intervention content is guided by the Behavioral Theory of Dating Violence, which includes risk and protective factors that contribute to dating violence victimization and perpetration.
2023 CATS Scholars
Stephanie LaBedz, MD

Instructor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, UIC College of Medicine
Mentor Team: Lisa Sharp, BSN, MA, PhD, Professor, Department of Biobehavioral Nursing Science, UIC College of Nursing
Dr. LaBedz is a physician-scientist in pulmonary and critical care medicine. She investigates racial differences in medication adherence among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), ascertains barriers and facilitators to COPD medication adherence, and identifies targets for behavioral interventions to improve adherence in disadvantaged persons with the disease.
Sara Kelly, PhD, MPH

Research Assistant Professor, Department of Research Services, University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria
Mentor Team: Niranjan Karnik, MD, PhD, Visiting Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, UIC College of Medicine
Dr. Kelly is a psychiatric epidemiologist by training and Research Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria. She joined the program to obtain mentorship in a mixed methods approach to obtain a deeper understanding of polysubstance use and treatment among adolescents.
Hema Krishna, MD

Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, Department of Medicine, UIC College of Medicine
Mentor Team: Dawood Darbar, MBChB, MD, FACC, FAHA, FHRS, Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology Chief, Division of Cardiology, UIC College of Medicine
Dr. Krishna is a cardiology imaging faculty at the UIC College of Medicine and has developed her clinical and research focus in echocardiography, artificial intelligence (AI), and valvular heart disease. While in the program, she hopes to create and validate an AI model which accurately defines AS severity, first trained to expert cardiologist assessment, and subsequently trained to relevant clinical outcomes.
Elizabeth Papautsky, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical and Health Information Sciences, UIC College of Applied Health Sciences
Mentor Team: Lisa Sharp, BSN, MA, PhD, Professor, Department of Biobehavioral Nursing Science, UIC College of Nursing
Dr. Papautsky transitioned as a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the Department of Biomedical and Health Information Sciences in the UIC College of Applied Health in 2020. Her career goal is to become an established independent researcher in low socioeconomic status breast cancer patient populations. While in the program, she aims to characterize both patient-caregiver and surgeon work of infection surveillance and co-design a culturally appropriate education and support tool prototype.