Five Feinberg faculty members have been inducted into the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) and the Association of American Physicians (AAP), two of the oldest medical honor societies in the U.S.
This year’s ASCI inductees are Mohamed Abazeed, MD, PhD, the chair and William N. Brand, MD, Professor of Radiation Oncology; Pinelopi Kapitsinou, MD, associate professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension; Yvonne Lee, MD, MMSc, the Helen Myers McLoraine Professor of Rheumatology and a professor of Preventive Medicine in the Division of Epidemiology; and Seth Pollack, MD, the Steven T. Rosen, MD, Professor of Cancer Biology and a professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology.
This year’s AAP inductee is Lynn Yee, ‘08 MD, ‘08 MPH, the Thomas J. Watkins Memorial Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and chief of Maternal Fetal Medicine in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Developing Data-Driven Tools to Improve Cancer Treatment
“I am deeply honored to be elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation. This recognition reflects the collective efforts of extraordinary teams committed to advancing science in service of patients. It reinforces our shared responsibility to push the boundaries of discovery and translate innovation into real impact, with the goal of fundamentally changing how we understand and treat cancer,” said Abazeed, who is also a co-leader of the Lung Cancer Program at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.
Abazeed’s clinical work specializes in thoracic cancers, and his research is focused on developing data-driven tools to personalize and improve cancer treatment. Most recently, his team developed an AI tool called iSeg, which matches physicians in accurately outlining lung tumors on CT scans as well as identify areas on these scans that doctors may miss. The tool, the first 3D deep learning tool of it’s kind, can segment tumors as patients move with each breath, which can help improve planning of radiation treatment.
He also led a recent study which found that open-source AI models produced more comprehensive summaries of cancer pathology reports compared to physician-written versions, pointing toward the potential for AI to support physicians as such reports become more complex.
Identifying Novel Therapeutic Approaches for Kidney Injury
“Being inducted into the ASCI is an incredible honor, and I am humbled by this recognition. I am grateful to the mentors, colleagues, and trainees at Northwestern and beyond who have shaped my career. It also reinforces my commitment to the important work ahead to deepen our understanding of disease and improve the lives of patients,” Kapitsinou said.
Kapitsinou’s research aims to understand the molecular mechanisms by which hypoxic signaling, which helps cell’s maintain appropriate oxygen levels and cell survival, modulates responses to kidney injury and to translate these findings for novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
Her most recent work suggests that inhibiting the hypoxia-driven MCT4 protein may halt the progression of acute kidney injury, which results from the reduction of blood flow to the kidneys and commonly affects hospitalized patients and older individuals with comorbidities such as diabetes, to chronic kidney disease.
Improving Pain Management and Care for Rheumatic Diseases
“Being inducted into the ASCI is a tremendous honor and a meaningful acknowledgement of the importance of our work to understand the pain experience and its underlying mechanisms in individuals with autoimmune rheumatic diseases. I am deeply grateful to the mentors, collaborators, trainees, and the patients whose partnership and insight inspire the questions we pursue,” Lee said.
Lee’s research aims to understand the pain experience in individuals with systemic rheumatic conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and identify the relationship between these experiences and pain pathways to inform the development of effective pain prevention and management strategies for patients.
Lee has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, with her most recent work investigating the prevalence of pain and factors associated with pain in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, a heterogenous group of autoimmune diseases characterized by skeletal muscle inflammation.
Overcoming Resistance to Immunotherapies
“It’s a tremendous honor to be part of such a historic and prestigious organization. ASCI has long been home to physician-scientists who have fundamentally changed the way we understand and treat disease, and I’m deeply grateful to join their ranks. I hope to continue contributing to that mission through our lab-based translational work in cancer immunotherapy and sarcoma immunobiology,” said Pollack, who is also a co-leader of the Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Initiative at the Lurie Cancer Center.
Pollack’s work is defined by pioneering translation research that aims to overcome resistance to T-cell-based therapies. The Pollack lab works to overcome mechanisms of immune evasion in “immune-cold” sarcoma tumor subtypes and translate these findings into therapeutic strategies.
He has led numerous clinical trials, including a recent trial which suggests that combining glycopyranosyl lipid A (GLA) immunotherapy with standard radiation therapy may be a promising treatment option for patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma, tumors that are unable to be surgically removed and are considered incurable by the National Institutes of Health.
Investigating Social Determinants of Pregnancy and Postpartum Health
“It is a privilege to be recognized by the AAP and to be inducted into this distinguished community of physician-scientists,” Yee said. “Members of the AAP share a commitment to discovery, mentorship and advancing health through science. This honor reflects not only my work in maternal-fetal medicine, but also the exceptional collaborative community of clinicians and scientists at Northwestern who have supported this work and my career. As a maternal-fetal medicine physician-scientist, I hope our research on innovative interventions in pregnancy will lead to improved health for pregnant people and their families.”
Yee oversees a multidisciplinary research program that conducts clinical, public health, and health services research about pregnancy and the postpartum period. Her work investigates social determinants of pregnancy and postpartum health, health equity, patient-centered outcomes and the development of health promotion interventions for underserved pregnant people.
Yee has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications and is a leader in multiple large collaborative studies, including the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units (MFMU) Network, GO MOMS, nuMoM2b Heart Health Study, ECHO, HOPE, PHACS and IMPAACT, and is the Medical Director of the Northwestern Memorial Hospital Women’s Infectious Diseases Program and of the Illinois 24/7 Perinatal HIV Hotline and Perinatal Syphilis Warmline.
