Women’s Health Experts
Sarah Abboud
Expert on: Reducing health disparities, improving health outcomes in sexual and gender minority individuals, social justice
Dr. Sarah Abboud is an associate professor of Nursing in the Department of Human Development Nursing Science. Her research goal is to reduce health disparities by developing programs that improve health outcomes among Arab immigrants. Dr. Abboud’s work is grounded in social justice and health equity frameworks. She focuses primarily on overall health promotion, particularly sexual health, among Arab immigrants and sexual and mental health promotion among sexual and gender minority Arabs.
Natasha Crooks
Expert on: Black girls and women’s sexual and reproductive health
Dr. Natasha Crooks is an associate professor in the Department of Human Development Nursing Science. She is a faculty affiliate at the Center for Dissemination and Implementation Science in the Department of Medicine. Dr. Crooks’ research centers on protecting the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of Black girls and women across the life course. She uses a community-engaged approach, and her findings underscore the need for greater protection of Black girls to avoid poor SRH outcomes (i.e., HIV/STIs and sexual violence). Dr. Crooks collaborates on research focused on Black maternal health outcomes and HIV outcomes among Black sex workers in Chicago.
Cynthia Fritschi
Expert on: Diabetes, self-care behaviors, real-time data collection
Dr. Cynthia Fritschi is an associate professor in the Department of Biobehavioral Nursing Science. Her research has focused on the relationships between physical function, physical activity and system experiences among obese, sedentary adults with Type 2 diabetes. The overarching goal of her research is to develop real-world physical activity interventions in aging, urban adults with or at risk for cardiometabolic diseases to maximize metabolic health, enhance quality of life, and attenuate the risks for early disability associated with being sedentary.
Dr. Fritschi has conducted behavioral intervention studies in which she assesses the effects of using real-time continuous physical activity and glucose monitoring to examine the psychological, behavioral, and glucose outcomes in aging adults with Type 2 diabetes.
Bilgay Izci-Balserak
Expert on: Sleep and circadian science, maternal health, cardiometabolic and cognitive research, health inequalities, advanced research methodologies
Dr. Bilgay Izci Balserak’s research program explores the intricate and interconnected landscape of sleep and circadian health, maternal-fetal well-being, metabolic and cardiovascular health, cognitive function, and the profound influence of social determinants of health. Her work is driven by a commitment to improving health outcomes and health equity across vulnerable populations.
Her lab integrates:
- Objective Sleep Assessment: Polysomnography, home sleep test/s and actigraphy for precise, real-world sleep measurement.
- Physiological Data Collection: Blood samples for biomarker analysis, including glucose and inflammatory markers.
- Digital Health Tools: Use of wearable devices for continuous monitoring of health behaviors and outcomes such as smart watches, Continues Glucose Monitoring system.
- Data Science Approaches: Integration of electronic health records, REDCap-based surveys, data collected by wearable devices, physiological data and advanced statistical modeling.
- Behavioral Interventions: Culturally tailored strategies to promote behavior change.
Currently, Dr. Balserak leads an ongoing NIH-funded randomized controlled trial (RCT) focused on implementing culturally-tailored behavioral sleep interventions. This groundbreaking work aims to enhance maternal-fetal outcomes and directly alleviate health inequalities, particularly within vulnerable populations.
She actively welcomes students (undergraduate, graduate), postdoctoral fellows, and interdisciplinary collaborators interested in projects that apply innovative approaches to address complex health challenges. Her lab offers rich, hands-on training in sleep and circadian sciences, maternal health, cardiometabolic and cognitive research, health equity, and advanced research methodologies.
Mary Dawn Koenig
Expert on: Perinatal nutrition, maternal morbidities, breast/chest feeding
Dr. Mary Dawn Koenig is an associate professor in the Department of Human Development Nursing Science and director of the PhD program at the UIC College of Nursing. A certified nurse-midwife and nationally recognized expert in maternal and child health, Dr. Koenig has more than 16 years of experience conducting research among pregnant and breast/chest feeding populations. Her NIH-funded work focuses on maternal morbidities—particularly obesity—and their impact on pregnancy, birth, and infant outcomes, with a specific emphasis on iron metabolism and the effects of inflammation on iron bioavailability. She was the first to demonstrate impaired placental iron transfer in obese pregnancies using stable iron isotopes and is pioneering alternative, scalable interventions—including probiotics, oral lactoferrin, and time-restricted eating—to improve maternal nutrition, reduce anemia, and promote cardiometabolic health. Dr. Koenig also conducts research on breast/chest feeding, with a focus on human milk composition and the biological, behavioral, and social determinants of lactation, especially in high-risk populations. Her innovative, equity-driven work continues to shape prenatal care practices and improve maternal and infant health outcomes in the U.S. and globally.
Kylea Liese
Expert on: Maternal health disparities, structural racism in health care, abortion care, implementation science, health care delivery science
Dr. Kylea Liese is an associate professor in the Department of Human Development Nursing Science. She is a medical anthropologist and certified nurse-midwife. Her research is at the intersection of anthropology, nursing, and public health. She investigates the impacts of social upheaval on disparities in maternal morbidity using mixed-methodological approaches. Dr. Liese’s conceptualizes her research program as part of a broader effort in applied health and social sciences to contextualize epidemiological data. She seeks to anchor disparities sexual and reproductive health in social, environmental, and biomedical factors.
Sadandaula Rose Muheriwa-Matemba
Expert on: Maternal and child health; young adolescent sexual health and development
Dr. Sadandaula Rose Muheriwa-Matemba is an assistant professor in the Department of Human Development Nursing Science. Her research integrates childhood development, sexual health literacy, nursing and midwifery, community-based participatory approaches, and dissemination and implementation science into intervention development to support the sexual health development and overall wellness of young adolescents. Dr. Muheriwa-Matemba aims to advance sexual health literacy among parents, caregivers, and institutions responsible for the care and well-being of young adolescents, as well as equip and empower young adolescents (ages 10-14) with bio-behavioral sexual health literacy and skills as they transition to adulthood.
Judith Schlaeger
Expert on: Pain scientist and treating pain and other symptoms with acupuncture
Dr. Judith Schlaeger is a professor in the Department of Human Development Nursing Science. Her program of research is devoted to translating her clinical observations as a certified nurse midwife, licensed acupuncturist, and pain scientist to identify gaps in biomedical science and clinical care. This led Dr. Schlaeger to develop acupuncture protocols to maximize health outcomes for chronic pain and chronic disease symptoms. Dr. Schlaeger is grounded in Western Medicine and trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine. She characterizes pain and conducts clinical trials of acupuncture to treat pain and other symptoms in health conditions such as vulvodynia, stable angina, sickle cell disease, breast cancer survivors, and vulvodynia.
Randi Singer
Expert on: Implementation science, participatory research and sexual health equity
Dr. Randi Singer is an assistant professor in the Department of Human Development Nursing Science and a Certified Nurse-Midwife with over 15 years of experience in sexual and reproductive health. Grounded in community engagement and driven by a commitment to health equity, Dr. Singer’s research focuses on advancing health systems innovations to support STI/HIV prevention among those who have been deprioritized. She specializes in participatory approaches with communities often excluded from traditional research, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), those engaged in the sex trade, LGBTQIA+ individuals, both pregnant and non-pregnant, and minority youth. Dr. Singer aims to transform health care delivery through implementation science and equitable research partnerships.