UIC Faculty named as ISTC Researchers to Know 2021
The Illinois Science & Technology Coalition (ISTC) recently released this year's Researchers to Know, which includes two faculty members from UIC. The list recognizes the groundbreaking research being conducted by world-class researchers at campuses across the state. UIC College of Medicine faculty members, Dr. Patricia Finn and Dr. Richard Novak, were recognized for their outstanding efforts to address the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Patricia Finn
Professor and Head, Department of Medicine
Prof. Finn’s research focuses on the microbiome and immune-mediated pulmonary diseases including sarcoidosis, organ transplantation, lung injury, and asthma. As head of the Department of Medicine at the UIC College of Medicine, Prof. Finn oversees the care, research, and academic activities of the department’s nine divisions. She also serves as associate dean for strategic initiatives and an associate program director for the medical scientist training program at UIC.
Prof. Finn’s research has attracted millions in outside funding, including a recent $3.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support precision medicine in sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease that attacks multiple organs and disproportionately affects African Americans. As president of the Association of Professors of Medicine, Prof. Finn has also spoken widely on the emotional effects of COVID-19 and the importance of self-care. She joined Dr. Anthony Fauci earlier this year for a virtual conversation hosted by the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine on the role academic medicine will continue to play during the COVID-19 pandemic and the lessons learned.
Dr. Richard Novak
Harry F. Dowling Professor of Medicine; Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases, UI Health
Prof. Novak is renowned for his research on all aspects of infectious diseases. He has been a leader in HIV research and treatment for over 30 years, and was involved in the initial drug trials using the drug azidothymidine (AZT) to treat patients with AIDS. Prof. Novak has been at the forefront of HIV vaccine and prevention trials, establishing a UIC clinical research site that has conducted a number of federal research studies. Prof. Novak is also co-director of the UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science, which provides fundamental research services and tools, as well as mentoring and training.
As head of infectious diseases at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Prof. Novak has recently run several research studies on drugs to treat COVID-19. Prof. Novak was the principal investigator on a phase 3 trial of Remdesivir, a medication found to be effective against COVID-19. He is now involved in a second phase 3 trial to see if Remdesivir works better in combination with a second drug, Baricitinib. These trials have received over $24.5M in funding support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Under his watch, the Center for Clinical and Translational Science has also received $22M in NIH funding to support translational research.
For more information on ISTC's Researchers to Know program, visit the ISTC website.