Benson Alexander

Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Chicago campus

Benson Alexander, our HR manager in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, exemplifies excellence and integrity in every aspect of his role. His unwavering commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment has been instrumental in ensuring our department thrives. Benson’s collaborative nature makes him a trusted partner to faculty, staff, and students alike, as he consistently prioritizes teamwork and shared success. His dedication to service is evident in his proactive approach to addressing concerns and his ability to seamlessly navigate complex situations with fairness and efficiency. Moreover, Benson’s exceptional communication skills enable him to articulate departmental goals clearly and empathetically, ensuring that everyone feels heard and valued. His leadership not only strengthens the foundation of our department but inspires those around him to strive for their best.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, integrity, collaboration, accountability, diversity, equity and inclusion, communication, and customer service, Benson!

Mickeisha Armstrong

Department of Administration, Peoria/Chicago campuses

Mickeisha has been a true champion for the staff-led initiatives to enhance the experience for all our staff at the College of Medicine! She deserves KUDOS for her work with the staff sub-committees related to engagement and wellness (SEW) and professional development (PROLEAD). She is a role model of professionalism and fosters a collaborative atmosphere where people can be heard.

Mickeisha’s efforts have been instrumental in many new initiatives to support and recognize our talented staff. Without her commitment and collaboration, much of this work would not be possible. Therefore, she is highly deserving of this recognition for her excellent collaborative service to the College of Medicine.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core value of collaboration, Mickeisha!

Sandy Arreguin

Department of Administration, Peoria campus

Although Sandy has not been with the college very long, she is a great source of information and always strives to maintain a positive and collaborative work environment.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core value of excellence, Sandy!

Amanpreet Kuar Bains

Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Chicago campus

Amanpreet makes work full of fun and builds connections between people!

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core value of communication, Amanpreet!

Kirsten Corrigan

Department of Family & Community Medicine, Chicago campus

I want to give Kudos to Kirsten Corrigan for her excellent work as MATEC’s data manager. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Kirsten for the past two years and have witnessed her growth in her role.

Kirsten demonstrates strong integrity, and her work consistently excels in quality and professionalism. She ensures data accuracy from our local partner offices through thorough monthly reviews and cleansing. Her efforts led to seven of our eight partners submitting completely clean data this past month. Kirsten developed detailed processes for collecting, cleaning, and submitting our data for a $4+ million federal grant. Additionally, she conducts detailed analyses and prepares data reports for internal and external stakeholders. I can rely on Kirsten to do an excellent job on our data management needs.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, integrity, collaboration, accountability, diversity, equity and inclusion, communication, and customer service, Kirsten!

Margaret De La Cruz

Department of Medical Education, Chicago campus

Margie always does an amazing job!

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, collaboration, and communication, Margaret!

Ann Dowty

Department of Administration, Chicago campus

Ann has been a notch above anyone that I have ever seen handling variable compensation for the college. She has been always responsive, is willing to accommodate users, is approachable and stays on top of her job. She is willing to go above and beyond on a regular basis. I can site multiple examples of her dedication and customer service. We are fortunate to have her.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, collaboration, and customer service, Ann!

Colleen Duffy Kowalski

Department of Medicine, Chicago campus

I was out due to an unexpected illness for the entire month of October 2024. Colleen is aware of my day-to-day workload and stepped in to manage what she was able to address, in my absence, which included working with DOM HR. Her efforts helped as I was not able to address any matters while out of the office.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of integrity, collaboration, accountability, diversity, equity and inclusion, communication, and customer service, Colleen!

Bob Faull

Department of Psychiatry, Chicago campus

Bob has had to work to meet the needs of a large number of faculty in our department who have research funding, during a personnel shortage over the past year. Despite this, his work has remained impeccable and accurate, allowing the faculty to feel confident in their grant reports. He is invaluable to our department.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core value of excellence, Bob!

Susan Hollander

Department of Administration, Rockford campus

Susan deals with all of our faculty at times when they are extremely frustrated and need help. She assists them with logging into the University systems and resetting their password, when necessary. These faculty volunteer their time to teach our students and don’t often use their UIC emails (which leads to the login issues). Susan is patient, pleasant and helpful, and very often diffuses the anger felt by the faculty members. Thank you, Susan!

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of collaboration and customer service, Susan!

Daniela Jurado

Department of Surgery, Chicago campus

Daniela’s performance represents the core values of the Department of Surgery and UIC and sets a high standard for excellence across all areas. Specifically, her commitment has made an impact in the following areas:

• Excellence: Daniela’s dedication to maintaining the highest standards of accuracy, timeliness, and attention to detail has greatly improved the department’s efficiency and accuracy in billing and collections for Transplant. She delivers high-quality work that drives positive outcomes and has been instrumental in identifying trends in denials/collections in Transplant.
• Collaboration: Daniela consistently goes above and beyond by working with her colleagues, other departments, and healthcare providers. Daniela has stepped in for financial authorizations when the department has been short-staffed. When asked, she did not hesitate to agree to cover.

Daniela’s dedication and performance are an asset to the Department of Surgery. Her approach to handling complex billing scenarios and ensuring that all financial practices follow regulatory and organizational guidelines is appreciated.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, integrity, collaboration, accountability, diversity, equity and inclusion, communication, and customer service, Daniela!

Nikki Love

Mile Square Health Center L.P. Johnson, Rockford campus

Nikki and her co-worker Tiara were leaving work for the day on 12/17/2024 and encountered a patient who needed to see a doctor. Nikki and Tiara came back into clinic, discussed the needs of the patient with our preceptor of the day and with some teamwork made sure to assist the patient with getting added to the schedule, checked in and seen by a resident. This goes above and beyond!!

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, collaboration, and customer service, Nikki!

Maggie Mac

Department of Administration, Chicago campus

Maggie is an expert at our student assessments at UIC; she supervises the team that makes them happen. She is knowledgeable, accommodating, caring, and one of the hardest working people I know. Her work is unfailingly accurate and thorough, and she is so easy to supervise. She brings vision and strategy, and she asks for and accepts feedback. She cares so much about student success. I wish we could clone Maggie!

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, integrity, collaboration, communication, and customer service, Maggie!

Ian Masterton

Office of Purchasing and Contract Management, Chicago campus

Ian handles a significant number of contracts for the College of Medicine and is responsible for coordinating the review, redlines, approval, and ultimate full- execution of these contracts. He does so in a professional manner, communicating and following up effectively despite a heavy workload
and multitude of agreements. He is dependable and is a major asset to Purchasing and Contract Management.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, integrity, collaboration, communication, and customer service, Ian!

Tiara McDonald

Mile Square Health Center L.P. Johnson, Rockford campus

Tiara and her co-worker Nikki were leaving work for the day on 12/17/2024 and encountered a patient who needed to see a doctor. Tiara and Nikki came back into clinic, discussed the needs of the patient with our preceptor of the day and with some teamwork made sure to assist the patient with getting added to the schedule, checked in and seen by a resident. This goes above and beyond!!

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, collaboration, and customer service, Tiara!

Alejandra Moore

Department of Medicine, Chicago campus

Alejandra is a remarkable individual, a fantastic mentor, and an amazing leader of our Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. She has 30+ years of experience in our division and it would not have survived all the bumps along the way if Alejandra was not here to smooth the path for us all!

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, integrity, collaboration, accountability, diversity, equity and inclusion, communication, and customer service, Alejandra!

Medha Pandey

Department of Psychiatry, Chicago campus

Medha has been a star in our department for years. Most recently, she has had to cope with staff shortages, but she never fails to stay on top of communications and get the job done. She is an invaluable asset to our department.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core value of excellence, Medha!

Michael Paprzyca

Department of Medicine, Chicago campus

Michael has wonderful ideas. He always approaches every situation as a learning experience and remains current on new policies and procedures. He streamlined some of the HR processes and assembled a diverse team of four seasoned professionals to provide the much-needed support to our faculty. The Department of Medicine is the largest department in the College of Medicine with over 230 faculty and over 215 residents and fellows. Michael embodies what it means to be a servant leader. He sets a positive, constructive, and professional tone in the workplace environment. He is the “go to” person for all items related to Faculty Affairs and Human Resources. Michael is also particularly sensitive to matters of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). For example, following the adoption of the DEI statement in the promotion dossier, Michael worked closely with the Associate Head of Faculty Affairs in the department to conceptualize not only how faculty can fulfill this requirement, but more importantly how it can be part of each faculty’s portfolio of professional activity. He has the total respect of the Department of Medicine faculty, staff and trainees.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, integrity, accountability, and diversity, equity, and inclusion, Michael!

Nishit Patel

Department of Radiology, Chicago campus

The lease for our offsite location was ending a few weeks ago. We were unable to arrange movers during business hours as the building allowed movers to enter the building only during off hours.

Nishit volunteered to go on a Saturday night, from 7 PM till late at night to make sure that the move was completed successfully and without any hiccups. At the conclusion of the move, he video recorded the premise so that we had proof of clean-up. This student employee, who works on a part-time basis, volunteered to spend his own time on a Saturday night to accomplish this!

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, collaboration, and accountability, Nishit!

Libra Peray

Department of Pathology, Chicago campus

Libra is the best! In her role as Project Manager, she is in charge of getting the materials for classes from faculty and making available to all three campuses to post for students. She is very detail oriented, is able to get along and work with many different personalities and is always willing to help.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence and collaboration, Libra!

Anna Reczynski

Department of Administration, Chicago campus

Anna is absolutely excellent in her role. She knows the ins and outs of advising students, but is always expanding her knowledge and improving herself as an advisor. She has a wonderful ability to relate to the students she advises, and they adore her. She is meticulous in her work and her deliverables, rarely, if ever, contain any type of error. She is always thinking ahead on ways we can improve upon our processes to better support students. Perhaps most importantly, she is loved fiercely by her team.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core value of excellence, Anna!

Anna Reczynski

Department of Administration, Chicago campus

If I have a question, Anna will go above and beyond to answer the question comprehensively. She is very supportive and will always remember and follow up. Anna goes above and beyond!

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, collaboration, accountability, communication, and customer service, Anna!

Joanne Sorce

Department of Pediatrics, Chicago campus

Joanne goes above and beyond to keep the Co-Directors informed of events and updates to Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) information.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, integrity, collaboration, and accountability, Joanne!

Noreen Abbasi

Department of Administration, Chicago campus

Noreen is extremely dedicated to our medical students. She is committed to treating them as individuals and helping them to manage all aspects of medical school and wellness. Recently she went above and beyond for a student who had to travel to multiple cities across the United States for residency interviews. Without the ability to interview, the career choices for this particular student would have been extremely limited and this would have negatively impacted their life after medical school. Noreen used her above average interpersonal communication skills to help the student obtain housing and transportation for their interview. It is not a part of her job description but shows how far she will go for her students to help them to become successful. We are lucky to have her at the College of Medicine.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, collaboration and customer service, Noreen!

Milan Albakri Micou, Magdalena Rodriguez, Maria Valtierra, Christopher Zell

Department of Medicine, Chicago campus

Christopher, Maggie, Maria, and Milan are the dream administrative team.  Our Internal Medicine Residency Program is the largest at the Chicago campus. Still, unfazed by this complexity, they guide the day-to-day operations of our program with attentiveness, clear communication, professionalism, and caring concern for our trainee’s well-being. Being able to work alongside these 4, so as to witness their cohesiveness and drive to excel is truly inspirational!

Milan, Magdalena, Maria and Christopher: Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, integrity, collaboration, accountability, diversity, equity and inclusion, communication and customer service!

Isaac Barrera

Department of Administration, Chicago campus

During our latest polar vortex, Isaac took it upon himself to come into the college on Sunday and Monday (MLK Day) to check that windows were closed and that everything was sealed up tight to ensure that classrooms were ready for Tuesday.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, integrity and customer service, Isaac!

Yolanda Campbell

Department of Administration, Chicago campus

Yolanda is an overall team player which is why she’s such an impactful leader. She makes UICOM a welcoming and safe space for everyone no matter their background. She is a key reason inclusion is a part of this community culture.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, integrity, collaboration, accountability, diversity, equity and inclusion, communication and customer service, Yolanda!

Suah Cho

Department of Medical Education, Chicago campus

Suah seeks to improve administrative processes that supports a student-centered culture for our educational programs while ensuring effective communication and collaborative practices among the staff and faculty. During the last year, she has supported enhancements to our MHPE program and the expansion of our CHPE programs.  While this has been a busy time with many competing priorities, she consistently maintains an outstanding level of professionalism. She is also always a joy to work with.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, collaboration, communication and customer service, Suah!

Christine Marie Fernandez

Department of Administration, Chicago campus

Christine consistently demonstrates excellence through their exceptional work quality and commitment.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, integrity, collaboration, accountability, diversity, equity and inclusion, communication and customer service, Christine!

James Flamm

Department of Administration, Chicago campus

James is always so helpful to all elective coordinators! He sends helpful reminders about students who will be starting and keeps everyone informed about updated policies. He also happily answers any questions that anyone has and is a joy to work with.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, collaboration, customer service and communication, James!

Vanessa Gordon

Department of Psychiatry, Chicago campus

Vanessa consistently demonstrates excellence in job knowledge, skill, quality, and delivery of desired outcomes in the performance of her work. An example of her work excellence was again evidenced recently through her successful handling of a large project to vacate the contents (equipment, cabinets, print materials, furniture, etc.) within the Department of Psychiatry’s large basement storage areas (Rooms B36 & B90 in the 975 building) having received an unexpected time-sensitive request to do so. Vanessa prioritized the handling of this project, along with her many other daily work assignments and attained the desired outcome in a stellar way. She handled every step of accomplishing this project through the performance of a detailed assessment of the related storage areas’ contents and their disposition, determination and implementation of the needed project steps, self-directed work, collaboration with others (including vendors), and the completion of many associated tasks to effectively relocate and/or vacate the contents of these large storage areas. Vanessa completed this project with attention to detail, her ever-present enthusiasm, a high degree of energy, and service with a smile, all while addressing her many other work priorities in parallel. Vanessa’s dedication, commitment, hard work, and professionalism is much appreciated, and she is well-deserving of a KUDOS award!

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core value of excellence, Vanessa!

Casey Guerra

Department of Emergency Medicine, Chicago campus

Casey is an absolute gem and a joy to work with. The past few months have been a bit chaotic with different trainings, certifications, and holidays. Casey has been incredibly patient in helping my team navigate it all, and she answers all questions. She has proactively sent us requirements well in advance and followed up as needed. I deeply appreciate how she goes above and beyond in sending extra resources and information.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core value of excellence, collaboration, accountability and communication, Casey!

Ginger Light

Department of Pediatrics, Peoria campus

Ginger and I have worked together for several years. She is always willing to jump in and help anywhere there’s a need and has taken on many ongoing projects for the betterment of our office and to benefit our patients. She holds herself to the highest of standards and our patients often ask for her. She is professional in her interactions and a pleasure to work with. She is patient and kind and a huge asset to UIC.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, integrity, collaboration, accountability, diversity, equity and inclusion, communication and customer service, Ginger!

Maggie Mac

Department of Administration, Chicago campus

Maggie skillfully navigates the challenges of her high-pressure job with great humility, precision, and timeliness. Everyone who has the privilege of knowing her knows she is an absolute joy to work with.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, integrity, collaboration, accountability, diversity, equity and inclusion, communication, and customer service, Maggie!

Sydelle Martinez, Anitha Paruchuri, Nikki Stout

Department of Administration, Chicago campus

Sydelle, Nikki and Anitha were our core team members responsible for reviving an in-person COM Research Forum.  We had record numbers of participants including 120 from our regional campuses.  The collaboration between them was what helped make this event such a success!

Sydelle, Anitha and Nikki: Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, integrity, collaboration, accountability, communication and customer service!

Cristi Meyers-Arnold

Mile Square Health Center L.P. Johnson, Rockford campus

Cristi assisted a patient with getting scheduled for a long-awaited surgery. This patient had multiple barriers in care, including multiple medical conditions, communication barriers, self-care barriers, and transportation concerns. Cristi was able to firm up communications between our clinic, cardiology, Local UW Swedish American Hospital and UI Health Chicago. This was tedious work, but Cristi made sure to keep the patient in the know, helping him to feel confident in his care. During this process, the patient became ill and was hospitalized. Cristi went to the hospital to visit the patient, which he incredibly appreciated! Cristi also made sure to coordinate the patient’s care plan with his hospital discharge team. Before the patient was discharged, his surgery was finally scheduled along with close looping ALL the patient’s other needs. Without Cristi’s beyond extra efforts, this patient’s quality of life would have continued to decline. We are lucky to have you on our team Cristi. Thank you for all your extra efforts.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, collaboration, communication, and customer service, Cristi!

Amanda Myers

Department of Psychiatry, Chicago campus

Amanda is an amazing asset to the team and has extensive knowledge about systems and all things mental health.  Amanda also brings a lightheartedness and humor that is helpful and important to our intense field!  She has been essential in my adapting/learning as a new employee in the department and UIC.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, integrity, collaboration and communication, Amanda!

Lauren Rieger

Center for Clinical and Translational Science, Chicago campus

Lauren is always working hard to ensure that the important research that we support is communicated widely with the UIC community and beyond. She helps drives our team meetings and operations meetings that keep us engaged with each other and functioning as a team. She is also just a delight to have as a colleague.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, collaboration and communication, Lauren!

Janice Tamplin

Department of Administration, Peoria campus

Ms. Tamplin goes above and beyond to meet students where they are at and to support them. Having grandmother duties, being sick, having funding taken away, nothing can stop her in her pursuit to help students. I sincerely appreciate all the work you do, and you don’t get enough recognition that you deserve!

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core values of excellence, integrity, collaboration, accountability, diversity, equity and inclusion, communication, and customer service, Janice!

Eric Wallbruch

Department of Administration, Chicago campus

Eric goes above and beyond when interacting with students and staff. He is always willing to help out when anyone needs something. He makes a point to get to know all the students by name and helps them feel heard and welcome at UICOM.

Kudos for exemplifying the UIC core value of excellence, collaboration, accountability and customer service, Eric!

Senior Biomedical Information Research Specialist Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS)

 As a Senior Biomedical Information Research Specialist in the College of Medicine’s Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS) since 2018, Subhash is recognized for his exceptional contributions to the mission of UI COM.

Director, Medical Student Learning Environment
Department of Administration, Dean’s Office

 As the Director of the Medical Student Learning Environment since 2018, Tim is recognized for his exceptional contributions to the mission of UI COM.

Director, Curricular Affairs
Department of Administration, Dean’s Office

As the Director of Curricular Affairs since 2021, Matt is recognized for his exceptional contributions to the mission of UI COM.

Director, Human Resources Shared Services
Anatomy & Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics, Microbiology & Immunology, Physiology & Biophysics

As the Director of HR for the Basic Sciences Shared Services since 2021, Karen is recognized for her exceptional contributions to the mission of UI COM.

Medical Assistant
Department of Medicine, South Loop Physicians Group

 As a certified Medical Assistant in the Department of Medicine, South Loop Physicians Group since 2011, Urena woods is recognized for her exceptional contributions to the mission of UI COM.