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CONNECTIONSBuilding a community of future physician
innovators together

LETTER FROM
THE DEAN
Dear friends,
It’s hard to believe it is Spring already, which signifies newinternational and national medical schools to help

Of course, the growth and success of our amazing

beginnings and growth. This is certainly the case at Carlethem create or grow engineering-based medicalcollege of medicine would not be possible without

Illinois College of Medicine (CI MED), and we have many

schools and programs, including the top medical

the generous and continued support from ourthings to celebrate that we would like to share with you.

schools in Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam,

loyal and forward-thinking donors. Donors like you

South Africa, Ireland, Rome, Mexico, and Brazil.

accelerate everything we do – from our student

CI MED celebrated another incredibly successful Match Day
for the Class of 2023 on March 17th building even further

I personally have visited several of these medical

on last year’s success. Match results this year again wereschools and health systems, along with others fromtruly impressive, with many of our students matching

the college, and have already put new partnerships

into incredibly competitive specialties such as orthopedic

in place that will allow for new student exchange

surgery, general surgery, urology, neurosurgery, and others

externships, research collaborations, and brandingat top institutions across the country. Their success is aof CI MED as an international leader and pioneer intestament to their hard work and the excellence of theengineering-based medical education.

training they received at CI MED—and that our physician
innovators bring a unique and highly sought-after skillset toresidency programs and will be even more highly soughtafter each year by top health systems and institutions.

– making it possible for us to develop new
pathways of research and scholarly excellence.
Your ongoing support provides the critical andgrowing infrastructure that allows us to re-engineer
the future of medicine, from our communities
here in Urbana-Champaign to a truly global scale.
We are growing and the world is taking notice of

medical schools at the most highly recognized

the exciting and unique work and skillsets of ourhealth institutions in the US. I recently attended

physician innovators as they take on medicine’s

the Association of American Medical Colleges

tough challenges.

(AAMC) Council of Deans annual meeting where

graduation in just a few weeks, our Student Affairs teamseveral came up to me to tell me how impressedis busily recruiting the new Class of 2027, adding 64 more

and inspired they have been by our efforts andoutstanding future physician innovators to our Carle Illinois

accomplishments in Urbana-Champaign. It was alsofamily. Accepted applicants for the new class will bring their

publicly noted at the meeting that the integration

own sense of excitement and discovery as they visit campus

of technology, engineering, big data, and medicine

in late April before matriculating this summer.

with a patient-focused approach is the future of

expansion for our school as well as our health system

to new research opportunities and experiences

CI MED is also being recognized by deans ofAt the same time that our Class of 2023 prepares for2023 has already proven to be a time of growth and“Capstone Innovation” and data science projects

where health care, medical schools, and healthsystems need to be heading in the next few years.

At no time in history has this work been more
important. Your investment, both in terms offinancial support and commitment to our mission,
allows our students, faculty, and staff to succeed
and create meaningful impact. Physician innovators
thrive on pushing the envelope of ‘what’s next.’ Asdean, I’m profoundly humbled to lead this incredible
community of people who approach the coming
months and years with enthusiasm, expectancy, andpartner. As we grow together, Carle Illinois’ sphere of

As part of that national recognition CI MED has been

a desire to be a part of the future of medicine, where

influence and impact will continue to grow regionally,getting, we are excited to welcome Dr. Victor Dzau,

health, community, and innovation flourish. Thanknationally, and globally! Locally, we recently launched ourthe president of the National Academy of Medicine

you all for your support and vision and for helping us

new clinical site at Carle BroMenn in Bloomington-Normal.

to deliver CI MED’s 2023 convocation address. Dr.

continue to grow our important academic mission!

Simultaneously, the college continues to build relationships,

Dzau is an international leader in academic medicine

key research and educational initiatives, and partnerships

and an advocate for transforming medical educationthat will expand CI MED’s impact both domestically andthrough innovation. He has inspired countlessinternationally.

physicians in his career and is an ideal keynote

I am also excited to share the immense interest surrounding
our novel curriculum and the achievements of our students
on both the national and international stages. In just the

speaker to launch the careers of our physician

With gratitude,
MARK S. COHEN, MD, FSSO, FACS

Dean, Carle Illinois College of Medicine andSenior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer,
Carle Healthinnovators as they set out to change the practice of
medicine.

last six months, CI MED has been invited to ten leading

SPRING 202 3 NEWSLE T TER|

1

CI MED CLASS
OF 2023

Members Chosen for
Top-Ranked Residency
Programs, Competitive
Specialties

Members of Carle Illinois College of Medicine’s

be MD graduates offers for residency positions in

exciting and remarkable to see the expansion of our(CI MED) Class of 2023 are breaking new groundhighly competitive medical specialties, including

incredible physician-innovators across the country,

as residents in some of the top-ranked medical

orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology,

influencing great residency programs with theirprograms in the country starting in July. Theirradiation oncology, and diagnostic radiology. The

talents and unique skillsets,” CI MED Dean Mark

individual success during this year’s residency

college’s second group of graduates will serve as

Cohen said. “In just the last year, I have witnessed

match process positions them to bring a physician

residents at some of the top teaching hospitals in

impressive growth and recognition of Carle Illinois

innovator’s mindset to the hospitals and patients

the U.S., including Northwestern in Chicago, Mayo

College of Medicine both nationally and globally as

they serve, from Boston to San Francisco. It’s theClinic, Massachusetts General Hospital (Harvard), anda new and exciting paradigm for medical education

second consecutive year that CI MED’s graduates

Stanford.

that many universities are currently trying tohave been selected for coveted residency positions,poised to impact patient care and to begin changing

The placement of CI MED students in elite residencyclass, and these truly impressive Match results, I am

the face and practice of medicine.

programs and competitive and diverse specialties

convinced that physician innovators will be evenis a testament to the quality of CI MED’s training

more highly sought after each year by top healthprograms and the caliber of its students. “It is truly

systems and institutions around the world.”

Match Day 2023 brought Carle Illinois’ soon-to-2|

C ARLE ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

replicate. With the graduation of this wonderful

SPRING 202 3 NEWSLE T TER|

3

MATCH DAY 2023
edic
thop
to or
hed in Clinic.
c
t
a
o
m
y
cInnis at the Ma
y Ma
Baile surgery

Pavel Galchenkocelebrate
medicine at Case s his match in internal
Western Reserve.

letter forher matchshows off.
Prachi Kent diatrics at Stanfordpe

CI MED’s female physician innovators continue

Lindsey Ades shed happy tears when she learned

team to innovate a new anti-fatigue vest to help

to forge new paths as future leaders in medical

she matched into her chosen field of pediatrics

surgeons combat fatigue during long or physicallyspecialties in which women are under-represented.

at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston – andemanding procedures (see page 9). Saadah will

Bailey MacInnis becomes the college’s second

affiliate of Harvard. “For me, it’s always been peds, I

specialize psychiatry in the city he’s called homefemale graduate to match into orthopedic surgery,knew it from the start. I’m beyond excited to match

throughout his academic career, from elementary

following in the footsteps of Christina Mouwad

at one of the top programs in the country and toschool to medical school. “I love this city. I have a(class of 2022). MacInnis was selected to serve as abring all I’ve learned at Carle Illinois with me,”lot of faith in the hospital, I have a lot of faith in theresident at the prestigious Mayo Clinic, considered

Ades said.

community, and I want to continue to give back,”

one of the top orthopedic programs in the country.

Saadah said.

“It’s a huge accomplishment, and Christina was a

From early in his medical school career, Jacques

really good mentor for me,” MacInnis said. Three

Lowe developed a passion for emergency medicine.

Residency match is a competitive process in which

of her classmates -- Anton Christensen (Western

He’s excited to carry that commitment forward

fourth-year medical students across the U.S. vie forMichigan University), Linus Lee (Georgetown),

at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego. “I know thea limited number of openings in specialties andand Rahul Ramanathan (University of Pittsburgh

reputation is that you’re a ‘jack of all trades,’ but

hospitals offering advanced training under the

Medical Center) -- will also specialize in orthopedic

emergency medicine is really diversified, and I likesupervision of experienced clinicians. A ‘match’surgery. “We had a lot of great success. I think that’s

the procedures you have to know and use. Plus,occurs when there’s agreement between thea testament to some of the mentorship we were

working in emergency medicine also supports

medical student’s preferred program and theable to get here. The principles in ortho apply a lot

vulnerable communities, and that was something

residency program director’s list of top applicants.

of engineering, and that attracts a lot of like-mindedthat was very important to me,” Lowe said. He hopes

Results are kept confidential until students receive

people,” MacInnis said.

to follow up residency with a fellowship in wilderness

official ‘offer’ letters on Match Day.

Jac
San Dques Loweiego,
whereexcitedly p
laces
he m
at Ka atched in his matchiser Perma emergen photo on
nente
cy m
edicin.
e“We had a lot of great
success. I think that’s atestament to some of
the mentorship we wereable to get here. The
principles in ortho apply
a lot of engineering,and that attracts a lotof like-minded people,”
MacInnis said.

medicine.
CI MED’s 2023 Match Day also resulted in several
students who will serve their residencies in Illinois,
including several at Carle Foundation Hospital in
Urbana. Among them is Bara Saadah, who led a4|

C ARLE ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF MEDICINESPRING 202 3 NEWSLE T TER|

5

passionate about using mixed reality and virtual
reality to improve the student training experienceand many different facets of endocrine surgery,including thyroid surgery and the surgical care ofpatients with melanoma. He is also a member of theCancer Center at Illinois and the Beckman Institutefor Advanced Science and Technology.
“I have been very fortunate to be able to participate
in multidisciplinary research in bioengineeringand medicine over the last twenty years, as well as
opportunities to mentor and train incredibly talented
engineering and medical students in their researchand career development,” said Cohen.
“I look forward to the great work we will do together
in the future to advance both medicine andengineering.”

Rashidprese Bashir, Dents ameda an of The
G
l to D
r. Ma rainger C
Bioen rk Cohen ollege of
En
,F
ginee
ring. ounder P gineeringrofes
sor in ,CI MED ALUM AARON BROWN

Recognized with Excellence Award at Stanford Medicine

DEAN MARK COHEN

Becomes Founder Professor in Engineering

recipient of the prestigious Julian Wolfsohn Award,
recognizing residents who demonstrate outstanding
performance in clinical judgment, leadership,teaching, and kindness.

Mark Cohen, dean of the Carle Illinois College ofThis professorship, which was first made possible byMedicine and professor of bioengineering, has been

The Grainger Engineering Breakthroughs Initiative,

Out of 65 interns in Stanford’s Department ofrecognized as a Founder Professor in Engineering.

is designed to support multi- and interdisciplinary

Medicine, Brown is one of only two selected toThis distinction, which was awarded on February

study and promote innovative projects. Cohen’sreceive the Wolfsohn Award, an honor rarely granted

24th, is an acknowledgment of Cohen’s outstanding

impressive career made him a standout candidate

to an anesthesiology intern. At Stanford, each year

contributions to the field of engineering, particularly

for this professorship. He has been a leading

two residents per class are chosen as Wolfsohn

the partnership of engineering and health care.

surgeon, a clinical and translational scientist,

Award recipients for exemplifying key values

an entrepreneur, and an educator. His work has“This professorship will allow me the opportunity toincluded the development of novel therapeutics

further advance my research in tissue engineeringwith anolides for anticancer applications,and cancer drug development that will translate

nanoparticle drug delivery systems and more, allinto new therapies for patients in the future,” said

while contributing extensively to medical research.

Cohen. “It is also an important conduit to exemplify

wn
n Bro
Aaro

including humility, curiosity, empathy, honesty,
responsibility, and kindness.
Brown was honored for those same qualities while

Carle Illinois College of Medicine (CI MED)

completing his medical degree at CI MED. As aalumnus Dr. Aaron Brown has been honored formember of the college’s inaugural class, Brown was

the deep connection between The Grainger College

Cohen’s professional interests include improving

outstanding performance as a medical resident

the recipient of the James C. Leonard, MD, Gold-of Engineering and the Carle Illinois College ofclinical operations, telehealth, and ambulatory

at Stanford Medicine. Brown, a 2022 graduate of

Headed Cane Award, the highest honor presented

Medicine, the world’s first engineering-basedcare – in short, giving patients the best possible

CI MED, is a first-year resident in anesthesiology

to a CI MED graduate. He also received the CI MED

medical school.”care regardless of where they are. Cohen is alsoat Stanford. He was chosen by his peers as a 2022

Humanism in Medicine award and high academic
honors.

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CAPSTONE ARTICLE

CI MED Students’Anti-fatigue Vest
Keeps Surgeons
Operating at TheirBest

A novel invention by students at Carle Illinois College

Zhuang and project partner Bara

The team plans to expand on their currentof Medicine (CI MED) is positioned to help surgeons

Saadah were inspired to create an

prototype — developed in collaboration with

combat fatigue during long or physically demanding

ergonomic vest after spending time

Illinois Bioengineering students — to include more

procedures, ultimately helping them perform at theirin clinic as medical students. “Weinteractive user controls and an accompanying app

best.

identified this as a real problem

that allow surgeons to track their own posture overamong surgeons and wanted tothe course of a surgery and to customize the alert

innovate a solution,” Saadah said.

features to meet their individual preferences.

It’s a new vest that supports a surgeon’s neck, tracks

Now, their solution helps surgeons

posture electronically, and provides feedback. It’s
designed to provide relief from postural fatigue after

take control of their own health, combining both

The surgeon posture correction and measuring

standing in a rigid position for hours at a time during

monitoring functions and supportive features in one

device is one of the Capstone Innovations proposed

surgery.

product.

by the future physician innovators in Carle Illinois’
Class of 2023. M.B.A. candidate Vaishnavi Ganesh“With fewer work-related injuries,

The vest is made of soft, flexible fabric with a special

is assisting with the business plan for this project.

surgical professionals can hopefully

elastic strap that supports the surgeon’s neck —Bioengineering students Victoria Kindratenko, Claratake better care of themselves andone of the areas most affected by postural fatigue.

Lynk, and Noah Chiou, along with Drashti Sikligar

their patients,” Caywin Zhuang, CI

By electronically tracking the surgeon’s neck andand John Halaka (MEng) worked to develop a

MED student and co-lead on theshoulder positions, the vest can objectively measureprototype.

project said.

posture and prompt the surgeon to change position
when their posture becomes unhealthy. Periodic

In the final phase of Carle Illinois’ engineering-changes in position, called ‘micro-breaks,’ are among

based, innovation-oriented curriculum, fourth-year

and 85 percent of practicing surgeons regularly

the best methods of combating fatigue, so the newstudents research a problem identified duringexperience musculoskeletal pain or discomfort in thesystem includes a vibrating ‘reminder’ function that

their clinical rotations, propose a solution, andback, neck, and shoulders. The strain puts them atsignals the surgeon when it’s time to take a break andthen work with a cross-disciplinary team, including

increased risk for workplace injuries that can affectstretch out their muscles.

engineering students from The Grainger College

Studies indicate that between 50

of Engineering, to develop a new prototype or

the surgeon’s performance and, over time, lead toabbreviated careers. “It will be especially impactful

Surgical specialists who perform very long surgeries,

process that will potentially change the practice offor trainees in the OR to build good ergonomic

such as neurosurgery, may benefit from the new tool.

medicine and improve patient outcomes. Capstone

habits early on, so that they can enjoy greater career

The vest is not only tailored for the surgeon’s comfort

Innovations are supported by The Henry Dale andlongevity,” Zhuang explained.

but also for the unique operating room environment.

Betty Smith Family.

“For instance, it is easily worn on top of existing
scrubs/caps and within the surgical gown” Zhuang
said. The vest is also compatible with the sterile
environment required in an operating room.

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C ARLE ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF MEDICINESPRING 202 3 NEWSLE T TER|

9CAPSTONE ARTICLE“The current tables are difficult

Payne says the design will keep all necessary objects

to maneuver. The legs get caught

close at hand, with stability, safety, and convenience

underneath the beds, the wheelsin mind. “Patients and providers will benefit fromtrip over cords and bedside matshaving a bedside table that doesn’t get caught on

and are awkward to maneuver.

objects in the hospital room. It will be one less hassle

We wanted to create a new tablethat providers have to worry about when caring forthat would function better andtheir patients.”

create less maneuverability hassle
for patients and providers,” Greg Payne, a fourth-

The table prototype – produced by students in the

medical student at CI MED, said.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Departmentof Mechanical Science and Engineering – will

Payne and his partner on theundergo further improvement this spring to make it

project, fourth-year medical student

more attractive and to ensure its cost-effectiveness.

Bailey MacInnis credit Carle Health“We believe there is a market for this product andnurses and medical staff with

with revision and proper testing, our product could

inspiring the innovation. “Nurses

be brought to market successfully,” Payne said.

and patients have been frustrated
with the current designs on the

The redesigned overbed table is one of themarket,” Payne said.

Capstone Innovations proposed by the future
physician innovators in Carle Illinois’ Class of 2023.

PhysicianInnovators’ New
Bedside Table

Keeps Comfort,
Safety Close at Hand

A new design by Carle Illinois College of Medicine
students is set to make one of the most common
pieces of hospital equipment more stable, flexible,
and easier to use. It’s the bedside table that holds
everything from water cups to eyeglasses andlifesaving call buttons.
CI MED students have redesigned the common
bedside table to improve patient care andthe workspace for nurses and other medical
professionals. The innovation could be a
key component of the hospital room of the
future, incorporating engineering principles toensure greater stability, easier use, and better
maneuverability.

MacInnis and Payne collaborated with doctors,

M.B.A. candidates Sean Bain and Natali Henry arenurses, and patient-experience staff at Carle Healthassisting with the business plan for this project.

to develop features that work better in a real-world

Faculty advisors include Professors Mariana Kershsetting. The new design has no legs to becomeand Sameh Tawfick (Department of Mechanicalentangled with the patient bed or with other

Science and Engineering). Mechanical sciences andequipment. It also uses hydraulics to easily adjust

engineering students Thomas Chapman, Jacob

tabletop height upward and downward.

Harris, Julian Herrera, Neil Kotadia, Justin Miner,
Ishaan Murarka, and Mason Sotomayor worked to

While the new design represents a leap toward

develop a prototype for the bedside table.

the hospital room of the future, it also includes
features that improve function in older hospitalrooms that weren’t originally designed for optimal
maneuverability. The new table uses higherclearance wheels that keep the table stable whenrolling over cords and other small obstacles that arecommon in a hospital setting. The over-the-bed arm
folds down flat when it’s not in use to save space,and an integrated cup holder prevents spills when
the table is moved.

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11

CAPSTONE ARTICLE

Health in 3D:

New App Helps
Parents Visualize
Their Child’s Heart
DisorderA new digital learning app developed by students

said. “We wanted to create something that parents

Keni says while the primary goal is more effective

at Carle Illinois College of Medicine leverages

can interact with, painting a realistic and easily

parental education, the app may also save time.

3D images to help parents visualize their child’s

understandable picture of their child’s specific“Typically, a cardiologist spends time each visit

congenital heart condition, so they’re better

problem.”teaching parents about their child’s CHD. We believe
this app will allow parents to review and refer backequipped to make important treatment decisions.
It’s a visual approach to flatten the learning curve for

Ades and fellow physician innovator

to information about their child’s specific diagnosis,

parents of children born with heart defects.

Prachi Keni worked with Illinois

ultimately decreasing the frequency of repetitive in-bioengineering students tooffice explanations by the specialist,” Keni said.

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are structuraldesign the new app using a 3D

abnormalities in the heart and are the mostblock diagram of the heart and

The app is designed to be compatible with mostcommon type of birth defect in the US, affecting

realistic 3D images of the heart tomobile devices, including smart phones andnearly 40,000 births each year. One in every fourdemonstrate how common defects

tablets. The cardiac education app is one of theaffect the heart’s function. The initial

Capstone Innovations proposed by the futurecongenital heart defects is a critical health need,requiring parental consent for intervention, such as

development of the app includes 3D images of anphysician innovators in Carle Illinois’ Class ofsurgery to repair the problem. Preparing parents toatrial septal defect (ASD), a ventricular septal defect2023. M.B.A. candidates Zach Erbe and Chris

make those decisions often falls on a cardiologist or(VSD), and a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). The

Webb are assisting with the business plan for thisa patient educator, and current research indicatesimages will be customizable to represent defects

project. Faculty advisors include Professors Hollythat the information doesn’t always stay withof different sizes. Images of other defects could be

Golecki, Joe Bradley, Brad Sutton, and Javed Zaidi.

parents over time.

incorporated in future versions.

Bioengineering students Kevin Beck, Neha Hebbar,
Yunji Nam, Zach Cacini, and Alhindi Abdalmahmoud“The concept of having a holeIt’s common for children to be born with multiple

between the chambers of the

cardiac defects, so the app’s settings can beheart or an abnormality in cardiac

adjusted to reflect these defects in combination.

anatomy can be hard for parents

Future versions will include anatomical labels, defectto grasp and remember, especiallydescriptions, and arrows to demonstrate how thewhen they’re learning from paper

various defects affect blood flow.

worked to develop a prototype.

diagrams,” Carle Illinois College ofMedicine student Lindsey Ades

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CARLE ILLINOIS PROFESSORWAWRZYNIEC DOBRUCKI

Named as Inaugural Neil and Carol Ruzic Faculty Scholar
Along with funding, each recipient will also receive alook into research of the newest treatments andto promote medical research, and I got involved incopy of Neil Ruzic’s book, “Racing to a Cure, a Cancer

trials because the medical field is so fast traveling,”

helping create this engineering-based college of

Memoir,” detailing the search for new biotherapies

said David Ruzic. “He didn’t want to write the book to

medicine, and sort of in the spirit of the book myin cancer treatment while encouraging others tomake money from the book, so he said, ‘I will take all

dad wrote – you want to look at the innovation,

research, question, and become self-advocates forthe proceeds from this book and devote it to medical

you want to look at the new things. So having thetheir own treatments.

research.’ And funding this fellowship is what we

engineering-based College of Medicine and now

did with all the profits of the book. That’s where thesupporting somebody that’s working towards that, I

After being diagnosed with one of the mostmoney came from with the intent to help foster

think really fits the spirit of what my dad was trying

aggressive forms of cancer in Mantle Cell Lymphoma

more medical research, because that is essential forto do in his book and in the later parts of his life.”

and given only about six months to live, his doctors

curing all the things that may ail us in the future.”
The inaugural faculty scholar at CI MED, Professor

wanted to prescribe chemotherapy, but Neil resisted

ucki
Dobr
c
e
i
rzyn
Waw

The Carle Illinois College of Medicine (CI MED) has
named Wawrzyniec Dobrucki as the inaugural Neiland Carol Ruzic Faculty Scholar. Dobrucki is a HealthInnovation Professor at CI MED and is also the first
named professor for the medical school.
Professor Wawrzyniec Dobrucki, has expertise in
preclinical molecular imaging, and his professional

because while it might give him a few more months

After an illustrious career and impactful life, Neil

Dobrucki is an associate professor in The Graingerof life, it had no chance of a cure.

Ruzic passed away at the age of 73 in 2004.

College of Engineering, Bioengineering Department,“Being a scientific journalist, he figured there had“He was a really great man, very much an

in Bioengineering. In addition, he holds a fulltime

to be people working on this across the country or

entrepreneur, did all sorts of different things, but

faculty position at the Beckman Institute forworld,” said son David Ruzic. “So he threw himself

always had a passion for writing and telling theAdvanced Science and Technology, where he serves

into the research, being his own patient advocate

world about science,” David added.

as co-chair for the Integrative Imaging theme

and is the associate head of graduate programs

into trials and other things, and while I’d love to say

On his way to degrees in journalism and science

Laboratory (EMIL). He is also affiliated with the

he became cancer free, he was certainly able to do

from Northwestern University, Neil met his wife,

Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology andsome of these modern therapies and live another six

Carol, while she was also pursuing a journalism

the Cancer Center at Illinois at the University ofyears in really good quality of life.”

degree from Northwestern. The couple were married

Illinois Urbana-Champaign, as well as the Medical

interests include developing novel targeted
multimodal imaging strategies to noninvasively
assess tissue microenvironments and various
biological processes in vivo, including therapeutic
neovascularization, atherosclerosis, neoplastic
progression, and cancer response to experimental
therapies.

Medicine Fund was established by Carol Ruzic andof their husband and father. The fund will be used
to provide support to named faculty appointments
for the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, withappointees holding expertise and academic abilities
within the field of engineering medicine.

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C ARLE ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

for 54 years. An impressive person in her own right,

University of Gdansk in Poland. Professor Dobrucki

In his book, “Racing to a Cure,”

Carol later became a school teacher after the couple

will hold the named professorship at CI MED for five

Neil covers cancer research

moved to Beverly Shores, Indiana. Following theyears.

and curative techniques being

birth of their only son, David, Carol stopped teachingdeveloped in the laboratories

and moved to more civic efforts, including serving as

and Universities around thethe president of the town board, effectively acting as

world. He wrote it as a guide

town major for eight years.

to inform cancer patients

The Neil and Carol Ruzic Carle Illinois College ofher son, David Ruzic, to honor the vision and spirit

and directs the Experimental Molecular Imaging

and did discover people working on this and got

about vaccines and cancer

A professor at Illinois for 38 years, David is thecell targeting drugs being

director of the Illinois Plasma Institute and is also adeveloped as alternatives

named professor, the Abel Bliss Professor in nuclear,to therapies that harm not only cancer cells, but

plasma and radiological engineering within The

healthy cells as well. Neil established the Ruzic

Grainger College of Engineering.

Research Foundation to further develop suchactivities.

“I certainly know having that extra honor and funds
is very helpful to me and it seems like a way to have

“He wanted to write about this journey and how

your name remembered but do something useful toother people could be patient advocates and could

somebody or for a system,” said David. “We wanted

Carol
and

Neil Ruzic

SPRING 202 3 NEWSLE T TER|

15

TECH PLATFORM TO REVOLUTIONIZE
PSYCHIATRIC CARE

Developed by CI MED Student and Harvard TeamA Carle Illinois College of Medicine (CI MED) student
is the software architect behind an emergent
technology platform that expands modern
psychiatric care beyond the clinic or hospital. The
system has potential to augment traditional visitbased clinical care, not just in psychiatry, but inmany other medical specialties.
It was created by first-year medical
student Aditya Vaidyam and a teamat Harvard. It’s called the LAMP
Platform (Learn, Assess, Manage,
Prevent), and it’s designed to makepsychiatric care possible whenever
and wherever it’s needed most.
“This kind of clinical model can really change thedepth of care delivered to individual patients, butalso allow a psychiatric care team to work with many
more patients, too,” Vaidyam said. “It’s a health caredelivery and resource allocation puzzle that we’retrying to solve with this model, and the end goal isincreased access to quality care. Better care for more

be in used a clinical setting to monitor or reduce

providers use the data to dynamically reschedule

symptoms in patients who are at risk for developing

their patient load based on estimated patient healthschizophrenia. “The first visit would start with therisks.”

psychiatrist to discuss the treatment plan andobjectives, like any normal outpatient psych visit.

Vaidyam hopes to form collaborations with scientists

Then, the patient would spend some time with whatat the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Carle

our team calls the digital navigator, to educate the

Health, CI MED, and private industry to leveragepatient on using the mental health app, like ourtechnology to use the LAMP platform to inform

mindLAMP app,” Vaidyam said. The incoming patient

health decisions. “The doors are always open for any

data may be monitored daily or weekly to alert theindividuals and organizations to join!”concern. Between the initial visit and a follow-up

To learn more about Asynchronous Telemedicine

The LAMP Platform taps into patient data fromvisit, all the data are being captured and analyzed

and Digital Phenotyping, watch this presentationin real time. The psychiatrist can then use the data

by Aditya Vaidyam as part of Carle Illinois College ofto spark a follow-up discussion and to make more

Medicine’s RISE lecture series.

and cognitive games like those built into the LAMP
system itself. LAMP’s machine-learning algorithms
then analyze the data to detect changes in apatient’s mental health status. The system detects
patterns around emerging or recurring problems
that can inform both population research and direct
individual patient care.
LAMP was originally developed for neuropsychiatricresearch purposes under the direction of Dr. John
Torous at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/

C ARLE ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

to lessen the load on ERs, or maybe primary care

psychiatrist to any changes that signal reason for(smart devices), mental health and fitness apps,|

care physicians or telehealth physicians use the dataclinical care. For example, the LAMP system canpeople.”off-the-shelf mobile and wearable technology

16

Harvard, but its use has expanded to help augment

informed decisions about adjusting the patient’s
treatment plan.
Although LAMP was developed specifically formental health, Vaidyam foresees broad applicationof the system’s data analysis tools across othermedical specialties and care settings. “It has thepotential to help triage care needs; maybe urgent