Principal Investigators
Project Managers
Coordinators
Evaluation Team
Project Component Leaders
Students
Principal Investigators
Monica Peek, MD, MPH, MSc
Monica Peek, MD, MPH, MScÿis an Associate Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Chicago where she provides clinical care, teaches and does health services research in the area of health disparities. She received her medical degree and master?s degree in public health from the Johns Hopkins University, and completed her residency training at Stanford University Hospital. She then worked for the National Health Service Corps for two years at a community health center for the medically underserved in Ohio before relocating to Chicago.
Dr. Peek?s main research interest involves patient/provider communication, with an emphasis on shared decision-making (SDM) among racial/ethnic minorities with diabetes. Her current research projects include research exploring patient and provider SDM behaviors among patients with chronic diseases (e.g. diabetes), qualitative and quantitative studies exploring racial differences in shared decision-making among Latinos with diabetes, and research exploring associations between self-reported healthcare discrimination and diabetes.
Dr. Peek is the Principal Investigator of a multi-site intervention funded by an NIDDK R18 grant and the Merck Foundation toÿimprove diabetes care and outcomes on the South Side of Chicago, a primarily working class African-American community with significant disparities in diabetes health outcomes such as lower extremity amputations. The intervention utilizes an integrated approach that includes culturally tailored patient activation training, a diabetes quality improvement collaborative (e.g. implementing care coordination), cultural competency/communication training for clinicians and enhanced community partnerships (e.g. utilizing food prescription/vouchers redeemable at local farmer?s markets and grocers).
As a member of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) program officeÿFinding Answers: Disparities Research for Change,ÿDr. Peek led the systematic review of health care interventions to reduce disparities in diabetes care and outcomes. She has also been funded by RWJF and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) to explore racial differences in patient/provider communication and to pilot patient-empowerment interventions to enhance such communication among blacks with diabetes. In addition, Dr. Peek was part of the NIDDK strategic planning committee whose 2010 report ?Advances and Emerging Opportunities in Diabetes Research? set forth the diabetes research agenda for the next 5-10 years.
Dr. Peek also does research on the development and evaluation of community-based, culturally-tailored interventions to promote healthy behaviors and preventive care, including women?s health (i.e. breast cancer screening), physical activity and diabetes self-management.
Marshall Chin, MD, MPH
Marshall Chin, MD, MPHÿis the Richard Parrillo Family Professor of Healthcare Ethics in the Department of Medicine and the Director of the Chicago Center for Diabetes Translation Research at the University of Chicago.ÿ Dr. Chin is a practicing general internist and national expert in improving diabetes care for vulnerable patients and reducing racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare. Together withÿMonica Peek, MD, MPH, he leadsÿImproving Diabetes Care and Outcomes on the South Side of Chicago, ÿa multi-faceted initiative that incorporates culturally tailored patient education and empowerment, provider training in communication and behavioral change, a quality improvement collaborative with six clinics, and community partnerships.
Dr. Chin also leads anÿevaluation of implementation of the patient-centered medical homeÿin 65 safety net clinics across five states. As Director of the Robert Wood Johnson FoundationÿFinding Answers: Disparities Research for ChangeÿNational Program Office, he leads a major effort to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare by identifying effective interventions and helping organizations improve their ability to deliver equitable care. Dr. Chin serves as Associate Chief and Director of Research in the Section of General Internal Medicine, Associate Director of theÿMacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics, and Co-Director of the John A. Hartford Foundation Center of Excellence in Geriatrics.ÿ He has received the Society of General Internal Medicine Mid-Career Research Mentorship Award and the University of Chicago Department of Medicine Arthur Rubenstein Mentorship Award.ÿ Dr. Chin also serves on the Board of Directors of AcademyHealth, the CDC Community Preventive Services Task Force, the editorial board of the journalÿHealth Services Research, and the National Advisory Committee of the RWJF Aligning Forces for Quality Program.
Project Managers
Nyahne Bergeron, MPH ?ÿProject Manager, South Side Diabetes Project
Ms. Bergeron assists in the coordination of patient empowerment classes, community events, and various subprojects under theÿSouth Side Diabetesÿproject. She also organizes a community-based fitness program for minority adults with diabetes under the project. Prior to her time at The University of Chicago, she coordinated education programs for the Association for the Healthcare Environment at the American Hospital Association and performed field research on environmental risk factors for childhood obesity at the University of Illinois at Chicago Institute for Health Research and Policy. Ms. Bergeron holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Saint Xavier University and a Master of Public Health degree in Community Health Practice from DePaul University.
Kathryn Gunter, MPH, MSWÿ?ÿProject Manager,ÿPCMH Evaluation & South Side Diabetes Projects
Ms. Gunter currently co-manages a five yearÿevaluation of a patient-centered medical home implementation initiative in safety net clinics. She also supports quality improvement programs within theÿSouth Side Diabetesÿproject. Prior to joiningÿthe Department of Medicine,ÿshe worked withÿthe Center on Men?s Health Disparities at the University of Michigan, andÿwith a program of community-based participatory research studying the role of religion in American Muslim health behaviors, healthcare seeking patterns, and healthcare challenges in Southeastern Michigan. She has experienceÿin implementing community-based interventions with a focus on chronic disease management in culturally tailored and patient empowerment interventions.ÿMs. Gunter holdsÿa dual master?s degree in public health and social work from the University of Michigan.
Coordinators
Yolanda O?Neal, MPA ÿ? Class Coordinator, South Side Diabetes Project
Ms. O?Neal is a Health Educator with several years of experience in health promotion and disease preventionÿ in underserved communities.ÿ Her background includes coordinating and facilitating health workshops for social service programs and federally qualified health centers to minimize health disparities. ÿMs. O?Neal holds a Master of Public Administration degree specializing in health policy from Walden University and a bachelor?s degree in Community Health from Western Michigan University.
Evaluation Team
Mike Quinn, PhD
Elbert Huang, MD
Deborah Burnet, MD
Ashley Haddad, MD
Marla Solomon, RD LD/N, CDE
Robert Nocon, MHS
Sang Mee Lee, PhD
Yue Gao, MPH
Nyahne Bergeron
Daniel Rowell
Adam Lewis
PROJECT COMPONENT LEADERS
Quality Improvement
Kris Bordenave, MD
Doriane Miller, MD
Lisa Vinci, MD
Andrew Davis, MD
Kathryn Gunter, MPH, MSW
Patient Education and Empowerment
Monica Peek, MD, MPH
Marla Solomon, RD LD/N, CDE
Sheila Harmon, RN
Donna Prost, MS, RD, CDE
Jennifer Clark, NP
Yolanda O?Neal, MPA
Provider Training
Michael Quinn, PhD
Karen Kim, MD
Deborah Burnet, MD
Nyahne Bergeron, MPH
Monica Peek, MD, MPH
Community Partnerships
Yolanda O?Neal, MPA
Monica Peek, MD, MPH
Jennifer Clark, NP
Communications
Nyahne Bergeron, MPH
Yolanda O?Neal, MPA
ÿ 
Kennedy King College culinary student Gail Kerr with nursing students Marjorie Kerr and Braunda Anderson at the K.L.E.O. food pantry
ÿ
Research Assistants and Community Advocates
Thank you to the many Research Assistants and Community Advocates
who have contributed to our project
- Patrick Hogan
- Halle Betts
- Katie Raffel
- Ndang Azang-Njaah
- Gwen Burrows
- Braunda Anderson
- Neha Sathe
- Emily Lu
- Marjorie Kerr
- Gail Kerr
- Leona Shannon
- Robert Sanchez
- Feenalie Patel
- Anjuli Mishra
- Julie Whyte
- Kyahna Haynie
- OluseyiÿFayanju
- Brenna Hughes
- Shantell Steve
- Adam Lewis
- Elijah Kindred
- Abdullah Pratt
- Eric Whitney
- Andrew Hsu
