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By Bob Goldsborough
FOR THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Philip Caputo was a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune before going on to pen bestselling books, including his acclaimed 1977 memoir, "A Rumor of War," which laid bare his searing experiences as a lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam near the start of the Vietnam War.
The book, which sold more than 1.5million copies and has been published in 15 languages, provided readers with one officer's raw insight into the mindsets of Marines during the United States' protracted involvement in Southeast Asia, and it has become widely considered a classic.
Caputo subsequently published numerous other books, including ones that continually returned to aspects of the Vietnam War and its harrowing after-effects.
"Phil was always very intent on being a writer, and he was a very good writer," said former Tribune investigative reporter and assistant city editor William Currie. "As far as being a war correspondent and a foreign correspondent, he was top-notch."
Caputo,84, died of complications of esophageal cancer on May 7at his home in Norwalk, Connecticut, said his son Marc Caputo, a White House reporter for Axios.
Phil Caputo, who also had a home in Patagonia, Arizona, previously had bladder cancer and prostate cancer and also had been dealing with Parkinson's disease.
Philip Joseph Caputo was born in Chicago and lived with his family in Chicago and Berwyn before moving to a home on Suffolk Avenue in Westchester. After attending Fenwick High School in Oak Park, he attended Purdue University before leaving school. He got a bachelor's degree in English from Loyola University Chicago in 1964.
In his late teens, Caputo began freelance fiction writing. He had a desire-owing to a fairly conventional suburban upbringing -to explore, and to write about it. "It was a simple malady in my boyhood, easily diagnosed," Caputo wrote in a memoir, "Means of Escape." "I wanted to wander the great world."
From 1964 until 1967, Caputo served in the Marine Corps -including 15 months in Vietnam -where he was recommended for a court martial before the charges against him were dropped.
In "A Rumor of War, "the incident was described in detail as being rooted in pressure from higher-ups to produce high body counts of enemies. Caputo authorized the killing of two Vietnamese villagers, one of whom turns out to have been a U.S. informant.
In1967, Caputo hitchhiked around the U.S., Mexico and Europe before taking a job as an assistant sales promotion manager for National Advertising Co., a subsidiary of 3M Co. in Chicago.
He then joined the Tribune's suburban reporting staff in June 1968. In Caputo's earliest years at the paper, he covered local goings-on in the near west suburbs for the Trib, a suburban edition that was delivered three times a week.
He soon was promoted to be a general assignment reporter in Chicago and then was made an original member of the Tribune's investigative reporting task force.
Caputo also showed signs of his future fame with a June 1970 Tribune Sunday magazine article about the landing of the first American soldiers at Da Nang, Vietnam, in early 1965.
"By December of 1965, the 'splendid little war' had degenerated into that purposeless blood-letting, the war of attrition, "Caputo wrote in the story. "We found ourselves fighting for no cause other than our own survival. And to survive, we often were as ruthless as those who sought to destroy us."
Retired Tribune reporter William Mullen, who later served on an investigative task force with Caputo, recalled that Sunday magazine article.
"It was so terrific. I took him out to lunch and said, 'Good Lord, you should have written that for The New Yorker,'" Mullen said. "That got him thinking maybe he should write something more about Vietnam. He was always a swashbuckler. He was an impressive guy, full of drama, and he was a wonderful writer."
In 1973, Caputo was part of a five-person investigative reporting team that won the Pulitzer Prize for local reporting for its investigation of Chicago's scandal-ridden primary election in March 1972.
He was part of the award-winning reporting taskforce, along with Currie, Mullen, George Bliss and Pamela Zekman, that examined lists of registered voters in precincts that had had a history of fictional registrants, known as ghost voters.
The task force mailed more than 5,400 registered letters to suspected ghost voters to see how many letters were returned because addressees had moved, had never lived at the voting addresses in question or were dead. Task force members then went undercover, taking jobs as poll workers and election judges in precincts with reputations for corruption-ridden elections.
Ultimately, the team's work resulted in uncovering documentary evidence of more than1,000 incidents of ghost voting, forgery and other forms of vote fraud. That led to a federal investigation indicting 79 election judges and precinct captains, nearly all of whom pleaded guilty.
A May 1973 Tribune article about the Pulitzer Prize noted that Caputo, along with Currie and Zekman, had played major roles in the campaign to expose vote fraud, under Bliss' guidance.
In November1972, Caputo was assigned to the Tribune's Rome bureau, from which he covered the Arab-Israeli war. He was the first American correspondent to reach the banks of the Suez Canal after the war started in October 1973, and the Tribune awarded him an Edward Scott Beck Award in December1973 for his foreign news reporting.
In November1974, Caputo transferred to Beirut to serve as the Tribune's Middle East correspondent, and he ventured to Vietnam in 1975 to cover the fall of Saigon.
Caputo's work as a foreign correspondent came with hazards. In May 1973, he was seized on the road to the airport in Beirut by the Popular Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and held prisoner in the outskirts of Beirut. He was released after five days and wrote a six-part series, "Prisoner of the Fedayeen, "about his captivity.
Amid a civil war in Lebanon between gunmen representing Christian and Muslim residents of the country, Caputo was shot in both feet by anti-Western militia members of the Nasserite faction in Beirut in October 1975 after leaving the Reuters news agency office in Beirut, where he had just filed a story. He eventually recovered from his injuries.
Caputo became the Tribune's Moscow correspondent in 1976. He left the paper the following year to become a freelance writer. That year, Caputo published "A Rumor of War," conveying in raw fashion both the meaning of the Vietnam War and his generation's disenchantment with the war.
In the book, Caputo's initial pride and arrogance soon give way to a more contemplative spirit, followed by degeneration. Having faced direct hostile fire, he wrote: "For the first time in my life, I had the experience of being shot at by someone who was trying to kill me specifically. It was not horrifying or terrifying or any of the things it is supposed to be. Rather, it was perplexing. My first reaction, rooted in the illusion that anyone trying to kill me must have a personal motive, was: 'Why does he want to kill me? What did I ever do to him?'"
From there, Caputo writes, Marines once bearing pride and discipline descended to depths seemingly unimagined, including cutting off the ears of a dead enemy combatant and proposing to parachute into Laos to slaughter members of the Viet Cong on their way back to Da Nang.
In a May 1977 piece in the Tribune, reviewer James Park Sloan wrote that "A Rumor of War" was "simply the finest and most accurate piece of narrative on the Viet Nam War. This is what it was like to be in Viet Nam. Blessed (or cursed) with a memory that censors nothing, Caputo has written of Viet Nam for all those who were there."
The book was adapted into a two-part miniseries for CBS in 1980.In1991, former New York Times reporter Harrison Salisbury wrote in the Tribune that" A Rumor of War" captured the Vietnam War's agony, heroism and trauma "with so sure a hand it evoked comparisons with such Great War fiction as Stephen Crane's 'The Red Badge of Courage' and Ernest Hemingway's 'A Farewell to Arms.'"
In the late 1970s, the Tribune's Mullen arranged a meeting in Chicago between Caputo and a friend of Mullen's, Vietnam veteran and author Ron Kovic, whose memoir "Born on the Fourth of July" became a bestseller and eventually a film. Though the men had distinctly different temperaments, Mullen said, "The camaraderie of two Marine combat veterans who had experienced the horrors of war was instantaneous, plus they shared the unique experience of becoming famous authors."
Caputo wrote two other memoirs: "Means of Escape" in 1991 and "The Longest Road" in 2013.Hewrote four nonfiction books, including "13 Seconds: A Look Back at the Kent State Shootings" in 2005, and 12 fiction books. One recurring theme in Caputo's writing -in both his memoirs and his novels -grew out of his experiences in Vietnam. In the 1980 novel "Horn of Africa," he wrote a tale of three men, one of whom was a Vietnam veteran, running armaments into a fictional Ethiopian province and training a tribe of Islamic desert warriors.
The1983 novel "DelCorso's Gallery" is partially set in Vietnam and has as its subject a war photographer haunted by his time in Vietnam, while "Indian Country," published four years later, deals with a Vietnam veteran in Michigan trying to purge himself of guilt from a battlefield incident.
"One of the reasons that 'A Rumor of War' endures as a classic is that it's not just about the Vietnam War," Marc Caputo said. "It's about the condition of humankind, and how war desensitizes both the civilian and the soldier a like." Two previous marriages, to Jill Ongemach and Marcelle Besse, ended in divorce. In addition to his son, Caputo is survived by his wife, Leslie Ware; another son, Geoffrey; three granddaughters; and a sister, Patricia Esralew.
Services are pending.
Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 3, 2026 Media Contact Information: Illinois Pharmacists Association Garth Reynolds, BSPharm, RPh, MBA, FAPhA executive director 217-522-7300 greynolds@ipha.org www.ipha.org
Legislation modernizes pharmacist licensure through an education-focused approach to Illinois pharmacy law and practice readiness
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois Pharmacists Association (IPhA) today celebrated the passage of House Bill 4154, landmark legislation that modernizes pharmacist licensure in Illinois by transitioning from a standalone pharmacy law examination requirement to an approved Illinois pharmacy law education and assessment program. To support implementation of the legislation, IPhA is developing the Illinois Pharmacist Readiness and Orientation Program (ILPRO), a comprehensive educational program designed to prepare pharmacist licensure applicants for safe, effective, and compliant practice in Illinois. HB4154 represents one of the most significant pharmacist licensure reforms in Illinois in decades. The legislation transitions Illinois from reliance on the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE) to an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)-approved Illinois pharmacy law education and assessment model, while maintaining the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) as the national competency standard for entry-level clinical competency. The new licensure pathway moves beyond a single high stakes examination and emphasizes a structured educational experience grounded in Illinois law, professional responsibilities, patient safety, and real-world practice readiness. "Pharmacists entering practice need more than the ability to pass an examination; they need a strong understanding of how Illinois law applies to patient care and professional practice," said Bedrija Nikocevic, PharmD, BCACP, President of the Illinois Pharmacists Association. "ILPRO creates a more meaningful and practical pathway to that knowledge while maintaining rigorous standards for licensure. It will provide future pharmacists with a strong foundation in the laws, responsibilities, and professional standards that define practice in Illinois. That benefits patients, strengthens the profession, and promotes public safety." ILPRO is currently in the final stages of development and will provide comprehensive education on Illinois pharmacy law, controlled substance requirements, professional standards, pharmacist authorities, patient care services, inspection readiness, common compliance issues, and other topics essential to practice in Illinois. IPhA is working closely with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), the Illinois State Board of Pharmacy, and Illinois colleges and schools of pharmacy to ensure successful implementation. "This legislation is particularly meaningful for student pharmacists, recent graduates, and pharmacy residents entering the profession," said Ashley McKechan, PharmD, IPhA executive fellow. "ILPRO will help candidates understand not only what Illinois law requires, but why those requirements exist and how they apply in everyday pharmacy practice. The result is a licensure pathway that is rigorous, relevant, and focused on real world readiness." IPhA extends its sincere appreciation to Representative Natalie A. Manley and Senator David Koehler for their leadership in advancing this vital legislation. The association also thanks the many legislators, Illinois colleges and schools of pharmacy, student pharmacists, pharmacy residents, practicing pharmacists, employers, regulators, and other stakeholders whose advocacy and support helped make this effort a success. "Illinois has long been a national leader in advancing pharmacy practice”, said Garth Reynolds, BSPharm, RPh, MBA, FAPhA, executive director of the Illinois Pharmacists Association. “HB4154 continues that tradition. ILPRO represents a new approach to licensure preparation that combines education, assessment, and practice readiness in a way that better serves future pharmacists and the patients they will care for. Our goal is simple: when a new pharmacist begins practicing in Illinois, we want them informed, grounded, and ready. That is what this program is built to deliver." By shifting the focus from examination preparation to competency-based education and assessment, Illinois is creating a licensure pathway that better prepares pharmacists for the realities of modern practice. Following enactment, IDFPR will release additional guidance regarding implementation timelines, applicant eligibility, transition procedures, and expectations for current and future licensure candidates. Additional information concerning ILPRO will be available at ipha.org.
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About the Illinois Pharmacists Association The Illinois Pharmacists Association (IPhA) is the statewide professional association representing pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, student pharmacists, and pharmacy stakeholders across Illinois. As The Voice for Pharmacy in Illinois, IPhA is dedicated to enhancing the professional competency of pharmacists, advancing the standards of pharmacy practice, improving pharmacists effectiveness in assuring rational drug use in society, and leading in the resolution of public policy issues affecting pharmacists.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 1, 2026 Media Contact Information: Illinois State Medical Society Aaron Franco, communications director (312) 520-9802 aaronfranco@isms.org
The Illinois House passed Senate Bill 3114, the “Transparency in Downcoding Act,” by a vote of 111-0 Wednesday evening, following a unanimous vote out of the Senate earlier in the month. The bill, which would prohibit health insurance companies from automatically coding a health service at a level lower than what patients received, was supported by the Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS). “This bill is another example of how Illinois leads the way in passing laws that improve access to medical care, making the state a more attractive place to practice medicine,” ISMS president Dr. Tripti Kataria said. “Once signed into law, the Transparency in Downcoding Act will bring greater clarity to the claims process, establish a clear and accessible pathway for disputing downcoded claims and ensure that a live person — not an automated system — is reviewing medical claims and their accompanying clinical documentation.” “The Illinois State Medical Society wants to thank all lawmakers who stood with physicians and patients to support this bill as it passed the Senate unanimously. We especially thank sponsors Sen. Dave Koehler and Rep. Sharon Chung for their leadership, and we are hopeful that Gov. J.B. Pritzker will sign this bill into law as Illinois continues advancing policies that support patients and healthcare providers,” Dr. Kataria said.
Key Provisions of the Transparency in Downcoding Act (SB 3114/HB 4735):
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Founded in 1840, ISMS is a professional membership association representing Illinois physicians in all medical specialties, and their patients, statewide.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 26, 2026 Media Contact Information: Ride Illinois Dave Simmons, executive director (630) 216-9282 info@rideillinois.org
Springfield, IL — On March 20, the Illinois legislature passed Stop Super Speeders legislation (HB 4948), advancing a major new tool to prevent deadly speeding crashes and protect communities from repeat reckless drivers. The legislation now heads to Governor JB Pritzker’s desk for signature. By implementing ISA technology for repeat dangerous speeders, Illinois aims to:
The bill establishes an Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) Program for drivers whose licenses have been suspended or revoked after two convictions for excessive speeding, defined as driving 26 mph or more above the speed limit and creates a fund to subsidize the cost for low-income drivers. Under the program, eligible drivers may apply for a restricted driving permit that allows limited driving privileges only if their vehicle is equipped with ISA technology that prevents them from exceeding posted speed limits, providing an alternative to full license suspension or revocation. The bill targets the small number of drivers responsible for a disproportionate share of deadly crashes while still allowing people to drive for work, school, and daily life. The legislation passed the Illinois Senate by a 49-9 vote after previously passing the Illinois House 77-24. Families for Safe Streets (FSS) members—victims and survivors of traffic violence—are leading nationwide advocacy efforts to advance Stop Super Speeders legislation. Research shows that repeat reckless speeders are significantly more likely than typical motorists to be involved in fatal collisions, while traditional enforcement methods such as license suspension have proven largely ineffective. Nationally, an estimated 75 percent of drivers with suspended licenses continue to drive. Advocates Say: “Yesterday’s vote is a powerful acknowledgment that Illinois can no longer accept preventable roadway deaths as inevitable,” said Amy Cohen, Founder and President of Families for Safe Streets, whose 12-year-old son was killed by a speeding driver. “This bill focuses on the small number of repeat speeders who put every family at risk and uses proven technology to stop dangerous behavior before tragedy occurs. We urge Governor Pritzker to sign the bill into law so that Illinois can lead the nation in saying clearly: preventable speeding deaths must stop.” “I survived a crash that changed my life, and I carry that reality every day,” said Rudy Faust, an Illinois crash survivor and Families for Safe Streets advocate. “No one should have to learn through tragedy what we already know how to prevent. This bill is about stopping the behavior that destroys families before it ever happens. I’m incredibly grateful to our bill sponsors, Representative Marti Deuter and Senator Julie Morrison, and everyone who made this possible. I am proud to see Illinois take a step towards real safety, because every single preventable crash we stop is another family spared this pain.” “The devastating impacts of speeding drivers have forever altered the lives of too many Illinoisans,” said Dave Simmons, Executive Director of Ride Illinois. “Ride Illinois commends Representative Deuter, Senator Morrison, and the members of the General Assembly who supported HB 4948. We urge Governor Pritzker to sign this legislation into law to help prevent future crashes caused by excessive speeding.” Bill Sponsors Say: “Driving at high speeds is dangerous, plain and simple,” said State Representative Marti Deuter (D-Elmhurst). “What we’re doing is creating an option for those who have been convicted of driving at these dangerously high speeds that allows them to continue contributing to their communities while keeping our streets safer.” “Driving recklessly puts everyone on the road at risk,” said State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “We need to continue our efforts to ensure high-risk drivers do not put others in danger.” Evidence from jurisdictions already implementing ISA programs demonstrates that the technology can dramatically reduce dangerous speeding and prevent deadly crashes, similar to how ignition interlock devices have successfully reduced repeat drunk driving offenses. Illinois is the latest state to advance the growing national Stop Super Speeders initiative. Similar legislation has been enacted in the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Washington State. In 2026 legislatures in Hawaii and Maryland passed Stop Super Speeders bills, while Georgia enacted its law earlier this month after Governor Brian Kemp signed SB 160. New York Governor Kathy Hochul also recently announced that Stop Super Speeders legislation would be included in the New York State budget. Another 14 states are considering legislation this year. The bill now heads to Governor JB Pritzker’s desk, where he will have 60 days to sign, veto, or allow the legislation to become law without his signature. About Ride Illinois Ride Illinois is an effective nonprofit organization dedicated to making Illinois a safer, more connected state in which to ride a bicycle. We champion people who ride bicycles by advancing accessibility, equity, and opportunity – so adults and children can move about freely and confidently in communities of all sizes. Learn more at https://www.rideillinois.org/ About Families for Safe Streets Families for Safe Streets is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to ending traffic violence by supporting victims’ families, educating communities, and advocating for safe streets policies that save lives. Learn more at https://www.familiesforsafestreets.org/stop-super-speeders
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 22, 2026 Media Contact Information: Fox Valley Review / OrganoSys Media Group submit@foxvalleyreview.com https://foxvalleyreview.com
Strategic collaboration highlights the intersection of athletics, leadership, and storytelling in the Fox Valley
Saint Charles, IL — May 1, 2026 — Fox Valley Review, a regional arts, culture, and ideas magazine, is proud to announce a Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) partnership with Tony Chahino (@tchahino on X, and @tony_chahino on Instagram), the standout quarterback for Roosevelt University. This collaboration marks the publication’s first athlete partnership and signals a broader commitment to elevating the voice and story of the modern student-athlete. More than a traditional endorsement, the partnership represents a strategic alignment between performance and perspective, bringing together one of the region’s rising athletic leaders with a publication dedicated to thoughtful storytelling and community engagement. Chahino is no stranger to the Fox Valley. A native of Geneva, Illinois, his name has carried weight in the community since his high school days, when he led the Geneva Vikings to the 2024 IHSA State Championship game as their starting quarterback. That run did not just energize the town, it cemented Chahino as a hometown figure whose rise has always felt shared by the people who watched it begin. Widely recognized for his leadership on and off the field, he has emerged as a defining presence within Roosevelt University’s football program. His discipline, work ethic, and command of the game have positioned him as not only a top-performing quarterback, but also as a role model for young athletes across the region. Through this partnership, Fox Valley Review will develop a series of editorial features, digital content, and community-facing initiatives that highlight Chahino’s journey, offering readers a deeper look into the mindset, preparation, and character behind the position. The collaboration will include a flagship feature story, a dedicated athlete profile, and integrated storytelling across the magazine’s platforms. “This partnership reflects where we believe the future of regional media is headed,” said Dr. Baudelaire Ulysse, Editor-in-Chief of Fox Valley Review. “We are not simply sponsoring an athlete; we are building a platform around a voice. Tony represents a powerful combination of discipline, leadership, and purpose, and we’re excited to help tell that story in a way that resonates with our readers and our community.” Chahino echoed that vision, noting the opportunity to connect with audiences beyond the field. “I’m honored to partner with Fox Valley Review,” he said. “This is about more than football; it’s about sharing my journey, representing my community, and hopefully inspiring others who are working toward their own goals.” The partnership also reflects a broader shift in how Name, Image, and Likeness opportunities are being approached. By centering storytelling, intellectual engagement, and community presence, Fox Valley Review aims to redefine the role of NIL collaborations, moving beyond visibility toward meaningful connection. As part of its expanding media ecosystem under OrganoSys Media Group, Fox Valley Review continues to explore new ways to bridge culture, education, and public life. This partnership with Chahino represents the beginning of a new initiative focused on athlete storytelling and regional influence. Additional features and content related to Chahino will be released in upcoming issues and across digital platforms. About Fox Valley Review Fox Valley Review is a regional arts, culture, and ideas magazine rooted in the Fox Valley. Through essays, features, and visual storytelling, the publication captures local stories with global resonance, connecting community voices to broader conversations in education, culture, and public life.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 22, 2026 Media Contact Information: Aaron Franco, communications director (312) 520-9802 aaronfranco@isms.org
CHICAGO – Tripti C. Kataria, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H., is the new president of the Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) following its recent annual meeting. Dr. Kataria will become the first woman of color to hold this office. Dr. Kataria earned her medical degree at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, then completed an anesthesiology residency at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts followed by a fellowship in cardiothoracic anesthesiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. She also earned an M.P.H. in Health Policy and Management from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan. As a part of Physician Anesthesia Consultants physician group, Dr. Kataria practices as an independent attending anesthesiologist at community teaching hospitals, free-standing surgical centers and private physician offices throughout the Chicagoland area. She has been an active member of ISMS for more than 15 years, most recently serving as president-elect. She has also served as speaker, vice speaker and chair of the Governmental Affairs Council. Dr. Kataria is actively involved in leadership roles within the American Medical Association (AMA), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), and the Illinois Society of Anesthesiology (ISA), where she previously served as President from 2020-2021. Dr. Kataria’s term as president will run through April 2027.
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CHICAGO – The outstanding contributions and commitment of three Illinois physicians were recognized by the Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) during its annual meeting this past weekend. The doctors are recipients of awards that celebrate the achievements of Illinois physicians in the fields of medicine, education, advocacy and volunteering. These three physicians were chosen for recognition among the many quality nominations received. Physician of the Year An addiction medicine physician whose advocacy and education work have had a profound impact on the community, Ruchi Fitzgerald, M.D., is the recipient of the 2026 ISMS Physician of the Year award. Dr. Fitzgerald is the service chief for PCC Community Wellness Center-MacNeal Hospital’s addiction medicine consult service and an associate professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at Rush Medical College. As a family physician and addiction medicine specialist, she has expanded the scope of services for pregnant women experiencing substance use disorder across diverse settings. She has spent her career focused on advancing equitable addiction treatment, reducing the stigma of addiction for new mothers and increasing access to evidence-based treatment for underserved communities, including those on Chicago’s West Side. Beyond the hospital setting, she has contributed clinical expertise to policy reforms regarding perinatal substance use disorder treatment in Illinois and served as a subject matter expert for the White House Office on National Drug Control Policy. Physician Leader of the Year A nationally recognized educator, researcher and specialist in pediatric infectious diseases, Archana Chatterjee, M.D., PhD, is the recipient of the 2026 ISMS Physician Leader of the Year award. As Dean of the Chicago Medical School and Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs at Rosalind Franklin University, she ushered the institution through the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic and secured the school’s first eight-year Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accreditation in over two decades. Under her tenure, the school also saw increased student enrollment, expanded clinical partnerships across multiple states and the tripling of endowed scholarships for under-resourced students. Dr. Chatterjee is a nationally recognized authority in pediatric infectious diseases and vaccinology, serving on the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee and multiple other advisory bodies. Throughout her 30-year career, she has coauthored over 200 peer-reviewed publications and led more than 120 clinical trials, contributing to the licensure of many life-saving vaccines used worldwide. Her selection also recognizes a trailblazing career: Dr. Chatterjee is the first woman and person of color to serve in her current role, and she is the first woman of South Asian descent to serve as dean of a LCME-accredited medical school. Physician Volunteer of the Year For his work as an orthopedic surgeon and for his commitment to expanding global access to specialty surgical care, Andre Ivy, M.D., is the recipient of the 2026 ISMS Volunteer Physician of the Year award. Dr. Ivy is an orthopedic surgeon at Duly Health and Care who specializes in hand and upper-extremity surgery. An international fellowship in the East African country of Tanzania led him to found a nonprofit called HandZania in 2019. Since then, Dr. Ivy has worked to bridge the gap in surgical care for a country that previously lacked a single specialized hand surgeon. Through the nonprofit, Dr. Ivy conducts recurring training missions and provides long-term mentorship to local surgeons in Tanzania. His exchange model also brings Tanzanian surgeons to the United States for three-month immersions, where they live with his family, train at his practice and travel around the country learning from other hand surgeons. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Dr. Ivy views international service as one way to make an impact on the world while embodying the highest professional ideals of service, education and humility.
ISMS recognizes physicians in these award categories every year at its annual meeting for members. These awards were created to recognize and show appreciation for individual Illinois physicians for their commitment to serving their patients and community. If you know of an Illinois physician who should be nominated for a future award, please contact our Membership Division by email. Founded in 1840, ISMS is a professional membership association representing Illinois physicians in all medical specialties, and their patients, statewide.
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