Devon Langston is a researcher in the Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, before traveling to Chicago to attend Loyola University, graduating in 2012. As a member of NTSI’s Global Surgery & Anesthesia Simulation team, he is conducting a study of global health training simulations and their impact on resident confidence in performing tasks outside of their specialties. This research will aid the development of a curriculum for Global Health initiatives for residents.
Devon Langston
Pooja graduated from Northwestern University with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. At Northwestern, she did research on HIV, testing antiretroviral drug toxicity levels on various cell types. She was also involved in Project RISHI and served as President. She led a team of researchers to investigate menstrual hygiene in Charnia, Haryana interviewing local women and ASHA workers. Her senior engineering design project was done in South Africa where she and her partner analyzed data to test the economic viability for the hub-and- spoke delivery model for maintenance of medical equipment in collaboration with the Western Cape Department of Health and Stellenbosch University.
Pooja Chopra, BSC
Chintan Pathak is a in the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Class of 2019. He graduated from Northwestern University with a BS in biomedical engineering. During his undergraduate years, he worked on engineering design projects to improve access to medical equipment in resource-poor environments. He was also involved with Project RISHI. At Feinberg, he continue his involvement in global health through the Student Committee for Global Health and the Medical Innovations Club. He is the project coordinator in India for NTSI’s South Asia Injury Prevention project.
Chintan Pathak
Steven Affinati grew up on the southwest side of Chicago and earned his MS in marriage and family therapy at The Family Institute at Northwestern University. He has researched patient perception of injury vs. trauma scoring systems, the self-described aftercare needs of Chicago’s gunshot victims, and the psychosocial health of post-discharge surgical intensive care unit patients and their families. He is the project lead for NTSI’s Injury Severity Perception project.
Steven Affinati, MS, AMFT
Our Alumni
Kevin Blair is an intern at UCLA in general surgery and graduated Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine last year. He grew up in Saint Louis, MO, and attended college at Vanderbilt University, where he developed a passion for global health and international development. He studied Spanish and spent time volunteering in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Peru. After graduation, he spent a year traveling to various countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia doing humanitarian work through The World Race. In medical school he traveled to Bolivia twice with NTSI’s Bolivian Trauma Initiative. He plans to have a career with a focus on increasing access to surgical care worldwide.
Kevin Blair, MD
Dr. Monroy is a pediatrics resident at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, who graduated from Duke University with a BSc in neuroscience and a certificate in global health. In college, she sered as the Policy and Advocacy Intern at the International AIDS Society in Geneva, Switzerland, and the UN Development Programme Red Ribbon Award Intern at the AIDS 2010 Conference in Austria. She is a graduate of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Her long-term interests include strengthening health system in developing countries and quality improvement in pediatric emergency medicine. She is a member of NTSI’s Bolivian Trauma Initiative.
Alexa Monroy, MD
Andrew Webber is a student at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. Prior he was a paratrooper in the US Army with many years spent in Iraq and Afghanistan and various tours and deployments to Africa, Europe, and Asia. During his service, he participated in mass casualty events, and is experienced in treating trauma injuries with limited resources. He also resourced and led culturally appropriate first responder courses for thousands of people in some of the most remote, under-served areas. He is an instructor for the Chicago Trauma First Responder’s Course.
Andrew Weber
Bitania Wondimu is a member of the Feinberg School of Medicine class of 2020. She graduated in 2015 from Columbia University with a BA in Neuroscience and Behavior. She is a member of NTSI’s Chicago South Side Trauma First Responders Course project.
Bitania Wondimu
Hannah Weiss is in the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Class of 2019. She grew up in northern Wisconsin and graduated from Northwestern University. During college, she developed a strong interest in global health. Her interest in international health care led her to Cochabamba, Bolivia, as well as to Freiburg, Germany, to volunteer in local hospitals. She is a member of NSTI’s International Rotations project and is exploring the possibility of improving surgical residency programs and rotations in the US and around the world.
Hannah Weiss
Ava Chappell is a resident in plastic surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. She graduated from University of Massachusetts Medical School in 2016. At Northwestern Medical Center she is a member of the resident global health scholars. In particular, she is very interested in the role of plastic and reconstructive surgery in global health. Currently, she is developing a project in collaboration with researchers at Northwestern University involving global health policy and advocacy. The project also focuses on women's heath and surgical reconstruction for deformities following violent traumas.
Jonathan Vacek, MD
Dr. Eskender is a general surgery resident at Northwestern University. As project co-lead of NTSI’s Global Surgery & Anesthesia Simulation team, he is conducting a study of the impact of basic surgical/anesthesia skills and first responder training on resident confidence in performing tasks outside of their specialties. This research will aid in the development of a curriculum for Global Health Initiatives for residents.
Mick Eskender
Jordan is a member of the Feinberg School of Medicine class of 2019. He was born and raised in Colorado, where he attended the University of Denver, graduating in 2014. As a member of NTSI’s Bolivian Trauma Initiative, he is conducting a qualitative interview-based study of trauma patients in the ERs of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. By identifying current shortcomings of emergency medical and trauma services, he hopes to facilitate the development of a safer and more effective Bolivian EMS and trauma system.
Jordon Rook
Ahish Chitneni is a medical student at A.T Still University in Arizona (SOMA) and currently lives in Chicago for his clinical rotations at John H. Stroger Hospital. He graduated from UC San Diego in 2016 with a major in Physiology & Neuroscience. At UCSD, he was the Vice President of Project RISHI (Rural India Social and Health Improvement), an organization dedicated to providing sustainable health solutions in rural Indian villages. With NTSI, he will be working on the Chicago Trauma First Responders Course project.
Ahish Chitneni
Kelsey Ensor completed her BFA and Medical Degree at NYU. She is currently finishing up her General Surgery Residency at Northwestern University with plans to pursue fellowship in Trauma & Critical Care. She is a actively working on development of the Tourniquet project, an initiative investigating the utility of makeshift tourniquets in emergent situations.
Kelsey Ensor, MD
The impact magnifies...
Sedona Speedy is a medical student at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, class of 2019. She graduated magna cum laude in 2015 from Northwestern University with a BS in Biology. She is a member of NTSI’s Chicago South Side Trauma First Responders Course project.
Sedona Speedy
Ava Chappel
Ambar Mehta grew up in South east Asia and graduated from MIT with a double major in Materials Sciences & Engineering and Biology. He completed an MPH in Epidemiological Methods and Statistics during medical school at Johns Hopkins. He spent a year working in Mumbai, India, at the Ummeed Child Development Center, a non-profit organization serving families with children with developmental disorders and disabilities, which solidified his desire to learn from and work with underserved individuals. He is a member of NTSI’s Indian Health Initiative team.
