The University of Chicago Human Resources

Black Men Engaged (BME) seeks to build community and camaraderie among Black Men at the University of Chicago. The resource group also serves to promote the importance of service, mentorship, and professional networking on and off campus.

For more information, or if you are interested in being part of our email listserv, please contact Tobias Spears at tspears1@bsd.uchicago.edu

Leadership

• David Hampton, Assistant Professor, Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
• Vince Morgan, MD Candidate, Pritzker School of Medicine
• Selwyn Rogers, Professor and Chief of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Director, Trauma Center Executive Vice President, Community Health Engagement
• Tobias Spears, Director of Diversity Initiatives, Biological Sciences Division
• Kenneth Wilson, Associate Professor, Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Deputy Director, Trauma Center

Executive Champion

Selwyn Rogers, Professor, Surgery; Chief, Section for Trauma and Acute Care Surgery; Founding Director, Trauma Center; Executive Vice President for Community Health Engagement

The purpose of HLRG is to unify LatinX members of the University of Chicago by creating a sense of community, building a network, and celebrating cultural traditions. HLRG aims to further the University’s commitment to diversity and inclusion by creating a welcoming environment that promotes professional and personal development, and career advancement.

Please contact Mel to coordinate collaboration or for additional information: hlrg@uchicago.edu

Leadership

• Co-Chair - Alex Laguna, BSD, Training Program Manager (on leave until August 2023)
• Co-Chair - Mel Leadingham, PSD, Grants and Contracts Administrator 
• Engagement and Communications Director - Maggi Steib, Crown School, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations & Development
• Programming Specialist - Cristina Corrigan

Executive Champion

Belinda Cortez Vazquez, Associate Dean of Students in the University for Student Affairs; Director, UChicago HELP

The LGBT+ Resource Group is comprised of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender members of the University of Chicago, UChicago Medicine, and our allies. We are a group contributing to the support, education, advocacy, professional development, networking, and outreach for LGBT+ employees, students, patients, and their families. We are also an advisory group supporting University and hospital initiatives that create a welcoming and inclusive environment.

If you have any questions regarding the LGBT+ Resource Group, please contact Ryan Mack, Ryan.Mack@uchicagomedicine.org.

Leadership

Ryan Mack (he, him, his)

Chair

Ryan Mack is a Training Specialist with the Urban Health Initiative’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, where he co-facilitates the Cultural Competence Course and other DEI skill-building sessions. Before coming to UCMC, Ryan studied gender and sexuality in graduate school at Northwestern. Originally from Aroostook County in Maine, he worked for the ACLU of Maine before attending grad school. He lives Edgewater with his boyfriend of 8 years and 100 plants.

Lisa Sandos (she, her, hers)

Coordinator

Lisa Sandos is the Manager of Health Literacy at UChicago Medicine. She manages the development of health literacy projects across the organization. She assists in the development and manages the implementation of quality improvement initiatives related to cultural competence, health literacy, inclusion, and health equity. Ms. Sandos was instrumental with helping UChicago Medicine gain a leader designation from the Human Rights Campaign, Healthcare Equality Index (HEI).

Upcoming Meetings and Events

Member Resources

Executive Champion

Jason Keeler, Vice President, Clinical and Procedural Services, UCMC

This is a group comprised of Muslim members and allies of the BSD, Pritzker, UCM and broader university community. The group aims to provide a “safe-space” to discuss issues of religious and cultural accommodation and inclusion within campus as it relates to the Muslim community. Further, the group aims to be a resource for its members and liaise with leadership around policies and actions that can service the religious and spiritual needs of Muslim at the U of C. Without a voice, Muslim members of the community will continue to feel marginalized and perceive discrimination and lack of inclusion. Consequently, this group aims to give voice and agency, and otherwise support students, trainees, faculty, staff and employees.

To be included on the MIRG listserv please send an email with "subscribe" in the subject header to muslim_inclusion_resource_group@lists.uchicago.edu

Contact Dr. Thomas Maguire for more information

Leadership

• Ch. Muhammad Aslan: Ch. Aslan (ex officio member of MIRG board) currently serves as a Staff Chaplain at the University of Chicago Hospitals (UChicago Medicine). Before coming into that position, he worked as the Executive Director of the Islamic Society of the Midwest. This non-profit organization aims at building bridges in the interfaith and intra-faith dialogue areas. He graduated from the Divinity School at the University of Ankara, Turkey, and subsequently from the Catholic Theological Union with a Master's Degree in General Theology and a concentration in Inter-religious dialogue. His motto is "being passionately dedicated to touching lives with compassion." He believes in "finding God and meaning of life through serving others." Muhammed loves books, attending art and cultural activities, outdoor activities, and spending time socializing with people of good heart - all of which he finds better if over Turkish tea!
• Dr. Ayman Al-Hendy: Dr. Al-Hendy is currently Professor (Tenured) and Vice Chair (Research), Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Advisor to the Dean of Medicine, Pritzker School of Medicine. Dr. Al-Hendy is a Gynecologist and minimally-invasive Surgeon at UC Medical Center with a busy practice that focuses on serving women with symptomatic uterine fibroids and premature ovarian insufficiency. Dr. Al-Hendy graduated from Banha Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Banha, Egypt in 1986. He earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine from University of Turku in Finland and received additional postdoctoral training in gene/cell therapy and clinical molecular genetics at McMaster University and McGill University in Canada. In 2010, Dr. Al-Hendy was awarded the American Society of Reproductive Medicine’s (ASRM) 2010 Ira and Ester Rosenwaks Award for his significant contribution to the field of translational reproductive biology. In 2014, he received the Alpha Omega Alpha clinician scientist of the year award by the Medical Honor Society and in 2015 the President Achievement Award as well as the Rogerio A. Lobo Award from the Society of Reproductive Investigations (SRI).
• Dr. Thomas E.R. Maguire: Dr. Maguire serves as Associate Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. He administers a range of campus and outreach programming, supports the MA program in Middle Eastern Studies, and manages the Center’s grant portfolio and finances. Dr. Maguire received his Ph.D. in media studies from the University of Texas at Austin. His research examines global Islamic media and the ways that Muslims engage with preeminent, contemporary ideological and epistemological systems.
• Dr. Mahmoud Ismail: Dr. Ismail is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology as well as Co-Director of the University of Chicago Perinatal Network. He is an expert in high-risk obstetrics, maternal-fetal medicine and infectious diseases in obstetrics.
• Dr. Dina Rashed: Dr. Rashed is the Associate Dean of the College for Academic Affairs. Dr. Rashed earned her Ph.D. in Political science from the University of Chicago. She specializes in civil-military relations, armed actors, and Middle East politics. Her research on institutions of force probes how domestic and foreign factors impact patterns and structures of power between presidencies, and militaries and police forces as state organizations. Her work on state institutions is at the intersection of comparative politics and international relations, drawing upon experiences of political development in Egypt and the Global South. She also manages the Sawiris Program, an endowed academic exchange program between Egyptian universities and UChicago. In addition to her academic publications, her commentaries on Middle East affairs have been featured in media outlets including the Washington Post and Foreign Policy.
• Dr. Shabana Mehtab Shaik Dr. Shaik is a Postdoctoral Scholar in UChicago’s Department of Neurobiology. She earned her Ph.D in Chemistry from the University of Chicago in 2017 and her research focuses on the Influence of the gut microbiome in Alzheimer’s disease. As an immigrant Muslim woman working in scientific research, Dr. Shaik aims to serve as a mentor, counselor, and supporter for other Muslim women in STEM.

Executive Champion

Aasim Padela, Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine; Director, Program on Medicine and Religion; Director, Initiative on Islam and Medicine

NOTICE is a resource group that seeks to elevate and amplify women of color for the purposes of increasing the number that advance into leadership positions. The goal of the NOTICE Resource group is to advance the forefront of equity by creating access, visibility, and safe workplace culture for women of color at the University and Medical Center communities. NOTICE facilitates mentorship and professional development opportunities, dialogue and safe spaces, as well as resources for members.

Executive Champion

Sally Walton, Executive Director, Patient Care Services, UCMC

UChicago Parents is an employee resource group which aims to support parents and guardians as they make important career and family decisions. The group will facilitate educational discussions, social events, and connect with leadership around policies and actions that can help foster an environment of inclusion for families across campus.

Find more information at https://voices.uchicago.edu/uchicagoparents/.

Leadership

• Chair - Amy Simoneau
• Founder and Secretary - Laura Markin

Executive Champion

Amy Ross, Vice President, Strategic Planning, UCMC

The Disability Inclusion Resource Group serves both the University and medical center by promoting joint initiatives to create and improve access to opportunities for equal participation in all aspects of employment and education for people who experience any type of disability. Open to students, faculty, and employees regardless of disability status, the group will work to identify and remove structural and systemic barriers while developing supports and resources to facilitate academic and professional growth. While specifically focused on organizational advocacy, peer-to-peer mentorship, and leadership development, the group will also seek to build mutually beneficial partnerships with disability-focused community organizations and provide tools and technologies to support success for any member of the UChicago community who might experience a disability-related need. Last, the group will also create and promote educational events to raise awareness of experiences within the disability community at large.

For information on how you can participate, contact Audrey Gamet or Brittany Hyde.

Executive Champion

Karen Habercross, DIRG Executive Sponsor Karen.Habercoss@uchicagomedicine.org

The mission of Black in Academia (BIA) is to serve the Black community and their allies across the University of Chicago campus. We strive to promote individual and collective growth through the creation, promotion, and facilitation of opportunities that advance UChicago’s Black community and increase awareness of our experiences. Each year BIA will focus on three areas that we believe can foster supportive and inclusive environments.

2021-2022 Goals

1. Strengthen relationships among Black staff, faculty, students, and neighboring communities within and beyond the UChicago campus.

2. Engage in opportunities that seek to encourage the recruitment and retention of UChicago's Black community.

3. Enhance the advancement and career development of Black staff, faculty, and students.

Objectives

• Develop supportive systems and programs that promote educational, social, and professional opportunities for UChicago's Black community.
• Establish an internal communication network among faculty, staff, and students (e.g., calendar, newsletter, etc.)
• Coordinate activities to facilitate interaction (e.g., organization socials) across the UChicago campus.

Principles

We are a space that respects all members with regards to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition (cancer related or genetic characteristics), ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, and/or service in the uniformed services. BIA's mission is to foster an environment which emphasizes and affirms the well-being and professional development aspirations of Black staff, faculty, and students.

If you have any questions, please contact Monique Shelton

The Pan-Asian Resource Group fosters solidarity by providing a community for Asian-identifying and allied parties to share, be heard, and offer support to one another. We serve all interested Asian and Asian American identifying individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds, including those who identify with origins from East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, West Asia/Middle East, Oceania, and the Pacific Islands, and including those who are multiracial, or those who are adoptees, and from the US or abroad.

Our community will work in solidarity with other groups on campus to combat racism, sexism, xenophobia, and other forms of hate, and to work toward increased opportunity for all individuals regardless of background. We will plan events that are intersectional and those that amplify the voices of others who are marginalized on campus, including those in the LGBTQ+ community and people with disabilities. We work to create a community of openness and mutual learning for all, to help dispel myths, stereotypes, and biases within and outside our communities. We will make room to celebrate and respect our distinct cultures and personal and collective successes.

Click here to subscribe to the Pan-Asian group email list.

Leadership

• Chair - Stephanie Zhang

Executive Champions

Maanasa Raghavan, Assistant Professor of Human Genetics

Hae Kyung Im, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Genetic Medicine

The purpose of UChicago Women in STEM is to act as a formal resource group at the University of Chicago to connect, network, engage, and support female members of the University of Chicago STEM community including faculty, staff, post-doctoral researchers, residents, and students in STEM. It is up to the individual if they identify with this group—all are welcome!

If you have any questions regarding UChicago Women in STEM, please contact Sara Popenhagen at popenhagen@uchicago.edu

To join the UChicago Women in STEM listserv please visit:

uchicagowomeninstem@uchicago.edu