staff

David Meltzer, MD, PhD, Director

Dr. Meltzer is an associate professor in the Department of Medicine and an associated faculty member in the Harris School and the Department of Economics. Meltzer’s research explores problems in health economics and public policy with a focus on the theoretical foundations of medical cost-effectiveness analysis and the effects of managed care and medical specialization on the cost and quality of care, especially in teaching hospitals. Meltzer is currently completing a randomized trial comparing the use of doctors who specialize in inpatient care (“hospitalists”) with traditional physicians in six academic medical centers. Meltzer received his M.D. and Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago and completed his residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Wm. Thomas Summerfelt, PhD, Executive Director

Dr. Summerfelt is an applied social psychologist with training in clinical psychology and health services research. He is interested in issues at the interface of social science and health that have a direct impact on those in our community who are most vulnerable.  He has had both federal and foundation sponsored grants to conduct comprehensive evaluations of programs for those in poverty or coping with severe mental illness.  Participatory and advocacy research also characterize his work.  He has worked with several states (Michigan, Illinois, and Tennessee) in developing healthcare quality and evaluation programs.  He has taught psychology, research methods, evaluation, and behavioral statistics courses.

Jacqueline Barrera, Training Programs Facilitator

In her position, Ms. Barrera manages post-doctorate fellowship and training programs for the Center. In this capacity, she oversees the MD/PhD Programs in Medicine, the Social Sciences, and Humanities (MeSH), Summer Program in Outcomes Research Training (SPORT), and weekly Outcomes Research Workshop (ORW). Before coming to the University of Chicago, she worked as a Project Manager for McDonald's Corporation Supply Chain Department. Ms. Barrera received her bachelor's degree in Sociology from Wheaton College.

Geraldine Harges, Project Assistant

Ms. Harges joins the Center in providing direct administrative support to the Executive Director, Tom Summerfelt and performing various other administrative and operational tasks for the Center including the organization and maintenance of administrative, financial, grant application, personnel, and correspondence files; the management and scheduling of Center facilities and resources; assistance in the management of office operations and logistics; event planning; and travel coordination.

 

Nicole Keesecker, MA, Communication Specialist

Ms. Keesecker joins us after completing a Health Communication Fellowship at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD.  In that capacity, she communicated high-risk, high-impact research findings to a variety of professional and lay audiences and managed public, media, and congressional relations for the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics.  She has also worked with health campaigns including the Alzheimer’s Associations’ Quality Care Campaign and the Michigan Department of Community Health’s Michigan Steps Up.  She received her master’s degree in Health Communication from Michigan State University and a bachelor’s in Communication from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Mona McCormick, BA, Director, Grants Administration and Operations

In her position, Ms. McCormick administers processes for grant application and contract development as well as the general operations for the Center. Ms. McCormick manages the Center’s administrative and grant accounts, monitoring the effort of all Center staff and related faculty. Ms. McCormick received her bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Information Systems at Depaul University.

Sujata Mehta, MA, Pre and Post Award Coordinator

Before joining CHeSS, Ms. Mehta managed and lead the NIH-sponsored career development program, TEACH, designed to inspire minority youth to enter clinical research.  In her current position, she provides assistance and support to the Center with the execution and management of a portfolio of pre and post awards. Ms. Mehta received her Bachelor’s degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Illinois and her master’s degree from the University of Chicago’s Social Service Administration with a focus in Graduate Programs in Health Administration and Policy (GPHAP). 

Ned Resch, Graduate Student Intern

Prior to joining CHeSS, Mr. Resch was Research Assistant to the Associate Dean of Students in the University for Student Health and Administrative Affairs while completing his first year of graduate’s studies from the University of Chicago’s school of Social Service Administration. Mr. Resch is also a part of the Graduate Program in Health Administration and Policy (GPHAP) where he is focusing his studies. Before coming to the University of Chicago, Mr. Resch completed his BA in Sociology from Brigham Young University. While completing his undergraduate work, Mr. Resch worked as an Emergency Room Orderly, Inventory Specialist, and Psychiatric Technician for Intermountain Healthcare.

Dan Rowell, Student Support Specialist

Mr. Rowell is an undergraduate student at the University of Chicago. He is currently pursuing his bachelor's degree in Biological Chemistry. As a support specialist, he provides assistance to the CHeSS staff in a variety of ways. He assists with post-award grants administration, manages the conference room and helps oversee the Center's website.

Aaron Winn, Research Assistant

Mr. Winn is a graduate student at the Harris School of Policy Studies at the University of Chicago. As a research intern he has a dual role of administrative and research duties. As an administrative intern he assists with filing grants and creating efficient processes for the center, as a research assistant he does utility elicitation interviews, literature searches, and data analysis. He received his bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago.