HEALTHY JOINTS

Keep moving to preserve joint health

For millions of Americans with osteoarthritis (OA) — the most common type of arthritis — joint pain, swelling and stiffness can become chronic conditions. Arthritis is most often felt in the knees, but also can affect the hips, lower back, neck and larger joints in the feet and hands.

The good news? There are effective ways to both minimize your risk of OA and manage the pain and stiffness. Exercise and strength work are at the top of the list.

“The more active you are, the better,” said University of Chicago Medicine orthopaedic surgeon Sara Wallace, MD, MPH, who specializes in joint care.

WHAT CAUSES ARTHRITIS?

“There are components of wear and tear, but that’s not the driving force,” Wallace said. “We think there’s largely a genetic predisposition for osteoarthritis; it’s more about the way your cartilage was designed.”

Obesity and major injuries at or around the joint also increase the risk of developing arthritis. Less common causes include inflammatory conditions and osteonecrosis, which is the loss of blood supply to the bone.

MINIMIZING THE RISK

You can lessen your risk and control symptoms — to some degree — by maintaining a healthy weight and remaining active.

“Weight-bearing force helps maintain joint health,” Wallace said. “Strengthening muscles around the joints is also key to reducing pain and taking stress off joints.”

MANAGING ARTHRITIS

“Exercise is medicine,” Wallace said. “And the more balanced and stronger the muscles are around the joint, the better the joint health will be overall and the less pain you will experience.”

Wallace recommends people stay active, exercise and do physical therapy to strengthen the muscles around the joints. “Maintain a healthy weight,” she said. “Even a 5- to 10-pound weight loss can have a tremendous impact on reducing joint pain.”

Gentle stretching, yoga and tai chi may also improve flexibility and reduce stiffness and pain. Options for pain relief include acetaminophen or an anti-inflammatory pain reliever such as ibuprofen. The next step would be corticosteroid injections to reduce inflammation and pain. “Beyond that, you are looking at joint replacement,” Wallace said.

Sara Wallace, MD, MPH

Increasing joint mobility with exercise and injection therapies

Brendon Ross, DO, MS, a UChicago Medicine specialist in nonoperative orthopaedics and sports medicine, focuses on exercise, physical therapy and orthobiologics to increase joint mobility.

“Strengthening the muscles around the joint — whether it’s the hip, knee or shoulder — offloads the burden of force that’s being transmitted to the joint,” he said. “Muscles are a very important component of stability and structure and can often slow the degenerative changes of arthritis.”

Ross also offers injection therapies in his clinic. In addition to corticosteroids, these therapies include viscosupplementation with hyaluronic acid — a naturally occurring substance in joint fluid — and platelet-rich plasma to increase joint mobility, reduce pain and promote faster healing.

COMPREHENSIVE ORTHOPAEDIC CARE IS CLOSER TO WHERE YOU LIVE, WORK AND SHOP

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Comer Children’s Hospital Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine

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Helping couples overcome infertility

Infertility affects one in eight heterosexual couples who are trying to get pregnant. Reproductive endocrinologist, Amanda Adeleye, MD, sees firsthand the impact infertility has on people who desire to have a baby.

At the University of Chicago Medicine Center for Reproductive Medicine and Fertility, Adeleye and her colleagues start by identifying the causes of infertility in each person or couple, then exploring every option to help patients build their families. She answers commonly asked questions about infertility.

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY PARTNER OR I MAY BE INFERTILE?

Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after one year of trying. If you or your partner are over the age of 35, you should see a fertility specialist after six months. After age 40, we recommend seeking help right away because we know fertility declines as age increases.

WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON CAUSES OF INFERTILITY?

Infertility can be a result of many different factors — even in one person or couple. The most common causes include problems with ovulation, structural issues in the uterus or fallopian tubes, or abnormalities in sperm.

In females, medical conditions such as uterine fibroids, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), uterine polyps or a history of pelvic infections are often associated with infertility.

CAN YOU STILL BE INFERTILE IF YOU HAVE A PERIOD?

Yes. Having regular predictable periods is a good indicator that you ovulate regularly. In other words, it means an egg is being

| ABOVE | Reproductive endocrinologist Amanda Adeleye, MD, helps patients explore their family building options.

released from your ovaries on a regular basis. But, ovulation alone does not guarantee that you can get pregnant. Sometimes there can be an issue with egg quality, how the egg is fertilized, its ability to be transported to the uterus, or how it becomes implanted in the uterus. There may also be a problem with the sperm. If you’re having a period and regular intercourse for six months to a year or longer, talk with your doctor about other factors that may be keeping you from getting pregnant.

HOW IS INFERTILITY A UNIQUE HEALTH CHALLENGE FOR WOMEN OF COLOR?

Outcomes indicate that black, Asian and Hispanic or Latina women may have less success with fertility treatments compared to white women. Overall, we don’t know exactly why this happens. However, we do know certain medical conditions that can impact fertility occur more frequently in some races than in others. For example, women of color have a higher likelihood of having uterine fibroids than white women.

Additionally, studies show that women of color are more likely to be affected by socioeconomic factors that can make it more difficult to get treatment. At UChicago Medicine, we take a personalized approach to educating each patient about their reproductive health and familybuilding options. Our team is committed to providing excellent care for everyone.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I THINK I’M INFERTILE?

If you believe that you or your partner may be experiencing infertility, it’s important to seek an evaluation with a reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist as soon as you can. Typically, the first steps will involve a visit to the doctor, blood tests, a pelvic ultrasound and a semen analysis.

CAN INFERTILITY BE CURED?

Infertility isn’t cured but it can be treated. In many cases, factors that lead to infertility can be overcome with treatments like intrauterine insemination or in vitro fertilization. Your doctor can help you understand which family building options may work best for you.

NEWS

NEW PHYSICIANS HONORS

Maria Lucia Madariaga, MD Thoracic surgery MARIA LUCIA MADARIAGA, MD

Cardiothoracic surgeon DAVID ONSAGER, MD, and transplant coordinator JAMIE BUCIO, CPTC, EMT-P, received the 2020 Courage and Innovation Service Award at the UChicago Medicine Heart Failure and Transplant Gala.

Immunology researcher MARISA ALEGRE, MD, PHD, pulmonologist GOKHAN MUTLU, MD, and oncologist THOMAS GAJEWSKI, MD, PHD, were elected to the Association of American Physicians (AAP). The AAP recognizes physician-scientists who exemplify the pinnacle of pioneering and enduring, impactful contributions to improve health.

Rheumatology PANKTI REID, MD

Microbiome and food allergy researcher CATHRYN NAGLER, PHD , was selected as a distinguished fellow of the American Association of Immunologists (AAI). The distinction recognizes AAI’s active, long-term members for exceptional careers and scientific contributions.

VINAY KUMAR, MD, received the 2020 Distinguished Service Award from the Association of Pathology Chairs, the group’s highest award, in recognition of his profound influence in the field of pathology.

Surgical oncologist OLIVER ENG, MD, is a recipient of an Appendix Cancer Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (ACPMP) Research Foundation grant.

SPOTLIGHT

THOMAS FISHER, JR., MD, MPH

JOEL D. JACKSON

LEADERSHIP SPOTLIGHT LEADERSHIP SPOTLIGHT

SHARI SNOW, MD, Section Chief of Gynecology and Minimally Invasive Surgery, has been named the Executive Medical Director of UChicago Medicine River East.

LINA KHAMIS, MD, an internal medicine specialist with interests in preventive and wellness medicine, along with the management of chronic diseases, is the new Medical Director for Consultative and Primary Care Services at UChicago Medicine River East.

AYTEKIN OTO, MD, MBA, was named chair of the Department of Radiology.

KATHLEEN GOSS, PHD, is now Associate Director for Administration at the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center.

TIHA M. LONG, PHD, joined the cancer center as Director for Strategic Research Partnerships.

LIBBY PEART is Vice President, Network Development for the UChicago Medicine Care Network.

Pankti Reid, MD THOMAS FISHER, JR., MD, MPH, and JOEL D. JACKSON received Diversity Leadership Awards from the University of Chicago for their work to build a more equitable society. Fisher is an emergency medicine physician at the University of Chicago Medicine. Jackson is Assistant Director of Inclusion and Training for the Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Department at UChicago Medicine.

RYAN E. LONGMAN, MD, is the new Director of Ultrasound and Medical Genetics at UChicago Medicine.

EMILY CHASE, PHD, RN, has been named Senior Vice President, Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at UChicago Medicine. Chase previously served as Vice President, Comer Children’s Hospital and Advanced Practice Nursing Services since 2016.

SUSAN MURPHY, BSN, MS, RN, Chief Experience and Innovation Officer at UChicago Medicine, was named one of 25 hospital and health system CXOs to know for 2020 by Becker’s Hospital Review.

No pulse for six minutes. Ingalls’ teamwork saved him.

A father-to-be who suffered a cardiac arrest will be able to meet his newborn daughter, thanks to the collaborative effort between departments at UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey.

Kenyon Givens, 44, started to feel discomfort in his chest one night in December 2019. “I took some aspirin and went to bed,” the Blue Island resident said. But when he woke up with chest pain, his wife, LaToya Givens, brought him to the Ingalls Emergency Department (ED).

“The medical staff immediately took me to get an EKG,” Givens said. As he was filling out paperwork, Givens collapsed. He was in cardiac arrest.

The ED staff started cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), applying a defibrillator several times and administering medications. “It’s my understanding that I didn’t have a pulse for about six minutes,” Givens said. A prolonged loss of blood flow in cardiac arrest can leave patients at risk for brain injury. But Givens started to move his hands and respond to commands soon after he was moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). “It was really amazing. He started making facial expressions to eventually breathing on his own, making jokes and laughing,” said ICU nurse Nneka Onyejiaka.

Once Givens’ heart rhythm was restored, interventional cardiologist Francis Q. Almeda, MD,* performed a cardiac catheterization to ensure there were no blockages in the heart. A few days later, cardiac electrophysiologist Andy C. Lin, MD,* placed an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) near Givens’ heart. If Givens experiences symptoms of cardiac arrest in the future, the ICD will deliver a controlled electric pulse, or shock, to restore the heart’s beating.

Givens learned that an abnormal heart rhythm, called ventricular fibrillation, contributed to his cardiac arrest. After a week in the hospital, he went home. He recently started cardiac rehabilitation at Ingalls.

“My wife was five months pregnant at the time, and I can’t imagine not seeing the birth of my child,” Givens said. “I’m feeling grateful to still be around.” Givens spent his recovery time at home getting the nursery ready for the couple’s daughter, who was born April 20. Ingalls staff who cared for Givens included nurses, physicians, techs, therapists, administrators, lab and pharmacy staff, and others. “Everyone worked as a team to provide excellent care for a patient with positive results,” said Michealene Redemske, RN, a nurse in the ICU.

* Dr. Almeda and Dr. Lin are independent medical practitioners and are not employees or agents of Ingalls Memorial Hospital or University of Chicago Medical Center (“UChicago Medicine”).

| ABOVE | Kenyon and LaToya Givens

Investing in the health of families and communities

The University of Chicago Medicine serves 23 percent of Chicago’s population on the South Side, where residents are disproportionately affected by high rates of chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes and high blood pressure, as well as by community violence and trauma.

Through research, partnerships and health-related programs and events, UChicago Medicine’s Urban Health Initiative leads the medical system’s efforts to improve community health and promote health equity — equal opportunity to live one’s healthiest life. In fiscal 2019, UChicago Medicine provided $519.5 million in benefits and services to the community — a 9% increase over the previous year. This investment included supporting patients who rely on Medicare or Medicaid, or who were unable to pay for care. It also included teaching and training tomorrow’s health care professionals, funding medical research and donating to community groups for health and wellness initiatives.

Learn more in the 2019 Community Benefit Report: UChicagoMedicine.org/community

BUILDING ON A BREAKTHROUGH

Michael Bishop, MD

Gift accelerates research to improve cancer therapies and extend benefits to more patients

Researchers at the University of Chicago Medicine will come together to develop personalized therapies for hard-to-treat cancers, thanks to a $10 million gift from the Jonas family.

The gift establishes the David and Etta Jonas Center for Cellular Therapy at UChicago Medicine, named for David Jonas and his late wife, Etta.

The Jonas Center unites a team of experts dedicated to improving cellular therapy, especially T-cell treatments like CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) T-cell therapy, an emerging form of cancer treatment that has shown great promise in harnessing a patient’s own immune system to find and destroy cancer cells.

“I was impressed by UChicago Medicine’s multidisciplinary research program and commitment to attaining tangible outcomes that will really serve cancer patients,” Jonas said. “They have all the key elements for a successful research program: experience in clinical trials, access to the most leading-edge technology, a tremendous track record in attracting scientific talent, and a strong team to lead the program.”

Through the Jonas Center, researchers at UChicago Medicine will work to realize the therapy’s full potential, including efforts to overcome two key challenges: The therapy is currently limited to treating certain blood cancers, and only a subset of patients have a successful response. To extend the therapy’s benefits to more patients, researchers at UChicago Medicine developed a new, highly personalized approach to T-cell therapy, which can safely target cancer cells, without damaging healthy tissue. The Jonas Center will accelerate this work and develop this therapy for clinical trials for patients with metastatic solid tumors, like pancreatic and ovarian cancers.

“This gift will allow us to translate these groundbreaking discoveries made in the laboratory into novel cancer therapies, which have the potential to treat not just blood cancers, but also solid tumors,” said Kenneth S. Polonsky, MD, Dean and Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs at the University of Chicago. “If we can accomplish even part of that, it will be a major transformation in cancer therapy that will change the lives of many patients here in the United States and around the world.”

To improve CAR T-cell therapy’s effectiveness, Michael Bishop, MD, Director of the Cellular Therapy Program, is leading an effort to develop methods to predict if, and how well, patients will respond to the therapy, along with interventions to improve response rates.

In addition to providing essential funding to advance these research initiatives, the Jonas family’s gift will put in place the necessary infrastructure to sustain a successful research enterprise in the years to come.

“This is the most exciting time in my entire career,” Bishop said. “We finally have hope for patients who previously didn’t have hope. And now we are working to improve upon these results. Within the next 10 years, I think these treatments are going to become more effective, less toxic, and most importantly, will give new options to a broader scope of patients.”

We feel extremely proud and appreciative to have the opportunity to partner with the University of Chicago in this effort. We see our contribution as the seed for building a robust program that will lead to the next breakthrough in cancer therapy.”

The University of Chicago Medicine 5841 S. Maryland Ave., MC 1110 Chicago, IL 60637

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Proud to remain a national leader in patient safety.

We thank our physicians, nurses and caregivers for helping the University of Chicago Medicine achieve its 17th consecutive A grade in patient safety from prestigious industry watchdog the Leapfrog Group. Even during the most challenging and uncertain of times, their relentless commitment to providing patients with the highest level of care keeps us at the forefront of safety.

UChicago Medicine remains the only hospital in Chicago to achieve this perfect record since the survey began in 2012. We are proud to be one of the safest hospitals in the country.

Ultimately, this recognition means our patients can feel confident about entrusting their care with us, today and in the days ahead.