Faculty and Staff

Illinois Administrative Code: 1050.30(a)(3): A) The academic preparation and experience of faculty and staff ensure that the objectives of the unit of instruction, research or public service are met; B) The academic preparation and experience of faculty and staff, as evidenced by level of degrees held, professional experience in the field of study and demonstrated knowledge of the field, ensure that they are able to fulfill their academic responsibilities; C) The involvement of faculty in the unit of instruction, research or public service is sufficient to cover the various fields of knowledge encompassed by the unit, to sustain scholarship appropriate to the unit, and to assure curricular continuity and consistency in student evaluation; D) Support personnel, including but not limited to counselors, administrators, clinical supervisors, and technical staff, which are directly assigned to the unit of instruction, research or public service, have the educational background and experience necessary to carry out their assigned responsibilities.

a. Describe the personnel resources available to develop and maintain a high quality program, including faculty (full- and part-time, current and new), staff (full- and part- time, current and new), and the administrative structure that will be in place to oversee the program. Also include a description of faculty qualifications, the faculty evaluation and reward structure, and student support services that will be provided by faculty and staff.

The strength of this new program is that it utilizes the extensive talent and resources already in place in both LAS and AHS. The Integrated Health Studies major would be jointly supported by the Colleges of Applied Health Sciences (AHS) and Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) and the program will also be jointly supported by the LAS Departments of Biological Sciences and Psychology and administered by the Department of Biological Sciences. These departments each have over 30 faculty, and more than 50 additional faculty from across LAS and AHS will contribute the courses offered in this degree. The majority of the coursework is existing and is taught by highly talented faculty.

In addition, well-developed advising and academic supports are already in place in both colleges and can be expanded as enrollment in this program increases. LAS has a well- developed advising program that features a division of pre-health advisors. These advisors are well versed in the requirements for application to professional programs in the health sciences. In AHS, academic support services are delivered through the Academic Support and Achievement Program (ASAP), which, in addition to providing career counseling, also provides space for quiet study, computer use, and group

interactions. Tutoring is already offered for several of the courses proposed for the Integrated Health Studies curriculum. Students pursing the Major in Integrated Health Studies will be able to take advantage of the academic assistance with coursework provided through the following learning centers: the Mathematical Sciences Learning Center (http://www.math.uic.edu/undergrad/mslc/), Science learning Center

(http://www2.chem.uic.edu/slc/), and the Writing Center

BS in LAS, Major in Integrated Health Studies 10.07.15 Page 43 of 73 (http://www.uic.edu/depts/engl/writing/). In the Learning Centers, students can receive

help from instructors, teaching assistants, peer tutors, or by participating in peer-led study groups.

The intent is to closely work with students around choosing courses in the degree and outside the degree as electives to meet the individual students’ desired career options. It is the goal of this degree program to graduate each year’s cohort in four years with high GPAs and outstanding educational resumes and to attain a high rate of acceptance into their graduate or professional career path programs, or successful employment upon completion of the degree.

b. Summarize the major accomplishments of each key faculty member, including research/scholarship, publications, grant awards, honors and awards, etc. Include an abbreviated curriculum vitae or a short description.

Numerous faculty providing the core coursework for this program—who are not listed below—are in both AHS and LAS and their expertise covers the breadth of humanities, social sciences, basic sciences and applied sciences.

Biographical Sketches of the Program’s Primary Sponsors

Demetra John has been a clinical faculty member in the Department of Physical Therapy for over 20 years, and she currently serves as the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs in the College of Applied Health Sciences, as well as the Interim Program Director for the Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Sciences. She currently teaches courses in women’s health, as well as evidence-based practice. She is also currently Chair of the UIC Senate Support Services Committee. She is a licensed physical therapist with a PhD in Public Health. She co-founded a physical therapy clinic for uninsured clients over 15 years ago. She continues to manage and volunteer at the clinic, which has been running continuously once weekly as part of Community Health in Chicago. Current research interests include

developing and assessing best practices for student retention and graduation, and the development and streamlining of academic administrative processes.

Michael E Ragozzino is Professor and Head of the Department of Psychology. He earned his Ph.D. in 1994 from the University of Virginia and has been on the UIC faculty since 1999. His area of research broadly focuses on the neural basis of learning and memory. His current research examines the neurochemical and neuroanatomical alterations underlying cognitive impairments in autism spectrum disorder. His translational research approach involves in vivo monitoring of neurochemical changes in preclinical models of autism, neuropsychological and functional brain imaging studies in autism subjects and clinical trials to alleviate cognitive deficits in autism. His research program has been funded by the National Institute of Health and the National Science Foundation, as well as private foundations. He is a past recipient of the UIC Silver Circle Award, UIC Teaching Recognition Program Award, Chancellor’s Discovery grant, UIC Campus Review Board Grant and LAS Interdisciplinary Research grant. He is co-PI on the Chancellor’s

Neuroscience Cluster Initiative. Professor Ragozzino teaches neuroscience courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in the Departments of Biological Sciences and

Psychology, as well as for the Graduate Program in Neuroscience

Janet Richmond is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and currently serves as the Department Head. She earned her undergraduate degree in neurobiology from

BS in LAS, Major in Integrated Health Studies 10.07.15 Page 44 of 73 Sussex University, England in 1982, her PhD from the University of Calgary, Canada in 1989 and has been a member of the UIC Faculty since 2002. Her research focuses on the molecular basis of synaptic transmission, the process by which all animals transfer information within their nervous systems. She pioneered techniques that allow her to record synaptic activity in the genetic model organism C. elegans, providing a read out of synaptic function in normal and mutated specimens. She has studied over 40 different proteins that have important and evolutionarily conserved roles in synapse development and function. Dr. Richmond was a WISEST Facilitator from 2012, assuming Lead Facilitator from 2014-2015. She also served as the Director of LIN (Lab of integrative neuroscience) from 2013-2015. Dr. Richmond has continuously taught undergraduate and graduate level courses for Biology and Neuroscience students at UIC, is a Fellow of the UIC Honors College and has mentored the research of numerous undergraduate and graduate students. On the basis of her research success and service to the University, Dr. Richmond received the University of Illinois Scholar Award in 2012 and the Alexander von Humboldt Research Award in 2011.

Nikos Varelas is a Distinguished Professor of Physics and Associate Dean of Student Academic Affairs in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. He earned his Ph.D. in 1994 from the University of Rochester and has been on the UIC faculty since 1997. His area of research is experimental high-energy particle physics and he is currently performing his research at the CMS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at the CERN laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland where he was a member of the team of scientists who discovered the Higgs boson in July 2012. Professor Varelas is the co-spokesperson of the Coordinated Theoretical-Experimental Project on QCD (CTEQ) Collaboration, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and a Senior Fellow of the LHC Physics Center at Fermilab, and has held several prominent positions in his field including being a member of the Executive Committee of the American Physical Society’s Division of Particles and Fields and chair of the Fermilab Users Executive Committee. He has received several UIC honors including University of Illinois Scholar, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (LAS) Distinguished Professor, LAS Outstanding Faculty Award, LAS Faculty Service Award, and a UIC Teaching Recognition Program Award. Professor Varelas has taught physics courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, is a Fellow of the UIC Honors College, has supervised the research of numerous undergraduate and graduate students, and has a strong commitment to outreach programs for high school students and science teachers.

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