Annual Awards
Member of the Year Award
Dr. Susan Scherer
Dr. Scherer is a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist working in public and private outpatient settings and residential programs, with commercially sexually exploited young women, teens under house arrest or on electronic monitoring, and other children in substitute care following abuse and neglect.
She has served as president of the Illinois Psychiatric Society and the Illinois Council for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and participates in advocacy for mental health services.
She helped found a free, independent support group for parents of children living with psychiatric problems, which now serves over 300 families through in-person and online groups and resources (fredparentsupportgroup.com), to foster empowerment and hope for struggling families.
In retirement, Dr. Scherer hopes to explore the prevention of unintended pregnancies in youth.
Dr. Scherer is known for her kindness to patients and colleagues. She provides encouragement for aspirations to improve the world by example. She has been past Presidents (IPS/ICCAP), delegates, advocates, community outreach, and consultants for complicated PTSD kids, is always supportive of younger members, fighting against elitism, racism, and sexism.
Fellow Member of the Year Award
Dr. Jasleen Singh
Dr. Jasleen Singh is a second-year Child-Adolescent Psychiatry fellow at Lurie Children’s Hospital. As a resident and fellow she was active in IPS with her participation in several committees, including chair of the RFM committee, editor of the Mind Matters newsletter, and member of the Child Adolescent committee, GAC committee, IPS council, and planning committee. She often partakes in leadership activities that align with her values of mentorship and education, serving as Chief of Medical Students in her residency, and currently a Chief Fellow at Lurie’s.
Her value of mentorship is demonstrated by her prior work in medical school where she helped establish a mentorship program for undergraduates aspiring to apply to pre-health programs, and her creating two mentorship programs in IPS, one for resident/fellow trainees and one for medical students. This year she has continued to augment outreach to those pursuing training in psychiatry to enhance awareness of IPS, coordinating with residencies across Illinois, setting up a series of Fireside chats, and currently working on some additional virtual events to enhance resident and fellow education. She is looking forward to a poster presentation at AACAP and will be working on some additional posters and manuscripts this year.
Dr. Singh is a dedicated psychiatric fellow in the view of colleagues and teachers. She has shared her knowledge, enthusiasm, and charisma to help fellow IPS members succeed. Her passion for mentoring is outstanding.
Resident Member of the Year Award
Dr. Ahmed Radwan
Dr. Radwan is a fourth-year Psychiatry Resident at Southern Illinois University SIU in Springfield, IL. He got his M.D. from his home country, Syria in 2012. He moved to Qatar where he completed his first residency in psychiatry in an ACGME-i program. He’s had the privilege to serve patients from more than 48 countries in Qatar, which helped develop skills and become culturally competent. He completed a geriatric psychiatry fellowship before moving to the US in 2020 to start his second residency at SIU, and currently serves as a chief resident. Coming from a war-zone country, he developed interests in psychiatry in fighting the stigma, serving underserved communities, and Telepsychiatry. He is a fellow at the APA Diversity and Leadership Program. He has been interviewed many times on various platforms, including Al-Jazeera Network, addressing topics such as violence against women and the impact of media on society. He has received many awards, including the Award for Academic Excellence from SIU for three consecutive years and the Star of Excellence from Hamad Medical Corporation for his transformative contributions to mental health care in Qatar. He enjoys playing and watching soccer and tennis, spending time with my family, and traveling.
For the last 3 years, Dr. Radwan has received the certificate of excellence and has done an excellent job as a leader of his peers while performing admirably clinically. He is an outstanding resident, an APA Diversity/Leadership fellow, a strong advocate for DEI in psychiatry, and an excellent clinician.
Medical Student Member
of the Year Award
Tristan Hazebrook
Tristan Hazebrook is a fourth-year medical student at the Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, from Orange Beach, Alabama. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Laboratory Science from Auburn University. Throughout her medical school journey, Tristan has been actively engaged in leadership roles. She served as the first-year liaison and later as the president of the Midwestern Psychiatry Association. She also received an award for Outstanding Achievement in Behavioral Medicine in her second year. Additionally, Tristan worked as a Pre-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, contributing to a project involving technology-based screening tools for adolescent depression and suicidality.
Beyond academics, Tristan is dedicated to mentoring and is part of the associate board at Lawrence Hall in South Shore, Chicago, an organization providing comprehensive care to at-risk youth. She also serves as outreach chair and previously as co-vice chair for the Illinois Psychiatric Society's medical student committee and volunteers at various IPS health fairs. Tristan is grateful for the support of Dr. MacKenzie and the IPS leadership in her psychiatric pursuits. Her interests extend to cooking, traveling, reading, and exploring Chicago’s unique neighborhoods.
Tristan represents the ideals of being a dedicated physician trainee with a special interest in psychiatry. She has been a valuable asset at recent health fairs. Tristan is on the journey to great things.
Educator of the Year
Dr. Neeral Sheth
Neeral K. Sheth, DO is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Rush Medical College and serves as the department’s Division Chief of Medical Education Programs & Liaison to Allied Programs. He is the Director of Medical Education in Psychiatry for both clerkship and pre-clerkship students at Rush and is also a regular lecturer at Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. He serves as the advisor for the psychiatry interest group at Rush and was awarded the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Faculty Award by the students in 2022. He has developed original curricula on transgender health, which has received national recognition, and trauma-informed care in the context of human trafficking, which has been published for widespread dissemination. Clinically, Dr. Sheth precepts students on the emergency psychiatry service and in the ambulatory setting.
Rush Medical College awarded Dr. Sheth with two awards for excellence in education - the Daniel Brainard Award for Excellence in Pre-clerkship Teaching and the Leonard Tow Award for Humanistic Practice of Medicine. He organized a special teaching clinic for medical students within their outpatient psychiatry clinic and teaches various lectures for residents.
Excellence in Patient Care Award
Dr. Tapan Parikh
Tapan Parikh, MD, MPH is Medical Director of acute care services at Lurie Children’s Hospital, Chicago. He completed his general psychiatry training at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University in New Jersey, and child & adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Before his residency, he completed his Master of Public Health with a focus in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the City University of New York and worked in clinical research for several years. Dr. Parikh grew up in India and completed his medical training at Pramukhswami Medical College, Gujarat, India.
Dr. Parikh served as Chief Resident and Chief Fellow during his residency and fellowship training, respectively. In addition to his formal training, he completed a three-year intensive program in psychodynamic psychotherapy at the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia. He has published several peer-reviewed journal articles and regularly presents at various national meetings, including the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) and the American Psychiatric Association (APA).
Dr. Parikh's excellence is the result of his high intention, sincere effort, and skillful intelligence when it comes to patient care. His patients are in exceptional hands and IPS is enriched by his commitment in the field of Psychiatry.
Excellence in Community
Service Award
Dr. Sudhakar Shenoy
Sudhakar Shenoy, MD earned his medical degree from the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute and was the valedictorian of his class. He completed his residency in psychiatry and a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, Illinois. He is a diplomate of ABPN with board certifications in both psychiatry and the subspecialty of child/adolescent psychiatry.
Before residency training, Dr. Shenoy participated in research training at Harvard Medical School, Virginia Commonwealth University-Medical College of Virginia, and the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in India.
When Dr. Shenoy was young, a life-threatening accident required him to undergo multiple surgeries. Due to a lack of resources and hospitals in India, it was initially difficult for him to receive medical care. However, this experience and the physicians who treated him with compassion and excellent care inspired him to become a doctor himself. The impact that these doctors had on him continues to be a driving force to provide exceptional care to his patients.
As an International Medical Graduate(IMG), Dr. Shenoy is deeply committed to medically underserved areas(MUAs) and health professional shortage areas(HPSAs). He is a Child and Adult Psychiatrist in Chicago at Clarity Clinic. As a clinician, he enjoys the challenges of learning and treating the brain and its complexities. Helping his patients succeed is the most fulfilling part of his work. He has won numerous awards and has been featured on TV multiple times. Interestingly, one such TV interview was about his photography talent. He enjoys travel, photography, and tennis.
Despite the adversities, Dr. Shenoy stands up for access to care. A Naperville organization Jaycees honored him with "upcoming Member of the Year (runner up)"; the NCTV displayed a story of his positivity, and Chicagos NBC channel TV interviewed him. He volunteers in IPS, ICCAP, AACAP, and APA and works hard for ECPs there. He is service-oriented, compassionate, and a great role model.
Excellence in Innovative Care
Dr. Thomas Wright
Dr. Wright attended medical school at UICOM – Rockford campus and completed his internship year at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago. He then transferred to his Psychiatry residency at UIC in Chicago. He completed his fellowship at UIC Institute for Juvenile Research in Child And Adolescent Psychiatry. He then worked at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, starting an outpatient clinic in Adolescent Psychiatry. He then went back to his Alma Mater and worked as Training Director for the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry fellowship for several years before moving to Wisconsin with his husband. He has worked at Rosecrance Health Network, in Rockford and Chicago, for almost 20 years as Chief Medical Officer. He has been board-certified in General Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Addiction Medicine.
With Dr. Wright’s guidance and tenacity, Rosecrance has grown from a small local SUD program to a nationally recognized and respected network providing comprehensive behavioral health treatment throughout IL, WI, and IA, as well as offering MAT for SUD, TMS, and now Spravato. He is touching thousands of lives and is bringing lasting recovery and hope to the vulnerable.
Outstanding Achievement in
Advocacy Activities
Dr. Joshua Eloge
Dr. Eloge is the Associate Director of the Women’s Board Depression Treatment Research Center and Assistant Professor at Rush University Medical Center, conducting clinical trials evaluating new compounds for the treatment of a wide range of psychiatric disorders. His ongoing scholarly work includes being a sub-investigator on several clinical trials, serving as Course Director for BRAIN 2023 through the National Neuroscience Curriculum Initiative, and investigating educational methods for teaching neuroscience to psychiatry residents. Dr. Eloge has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Biological Psychiatry and the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry as well as had work presented at national meetings including the American Neuropsychiatry Association Annual Meeting and the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting. His scholarly activities as well as clinical work have been recognized by being named a National Neuroscience Curriculum Initiative Scholar 2019-2020 as well as Illinois Psychiatric Society Resident of the Year 2019-2020. Dr. Eloge also is a co-chair of the Health Equity and Anti-Racism Committee with the Illinois Psychiatric Society.
Under Dr. Eloge’s leadership in the HEAR-C committee, it has grown in scope and reach. His efforts have helped IPS to be the top district fundraising branch for the Moore 5k two years in a role. He also helped to usher in the Carl Bell Award, which was amazingly successful this year, and IPS' representation at community health fairs has increased significantly under his watch.
Outstanding Achievement in
Scholarly Activities
Dr. Stevan Weine
Dr. Weine is Professor of Psychiatry at the UIC College of Medicine, where he is also Director of Global Medicine and Director of the Center for Global Health. For 30 years he has been conducting research with refugees and migrants in the U.S. and in post-conflict countries, focused on mental health, health, and violence prevention. His research mission is to develop, implement, and evaluate psychosocial interventions that are feasible, acceptable, and effective with respect to the complex real-life contexts where at-risk populations live. This work has been supported by multiple grants from the NIMH, NICHD, DHS, NIJ, and other state, federal, and private funders, all with collaboration from community partners. This work has resulted in more than 130 publications and three books: When History is a Nightmare: Lives and Memories of Ethnic Cleansing in Bosnia-Herzegovina (Rutgers, 1999); Testimony and Catastrophe: Narrating the Traumas of Political Violence (Northwestern, 2006), and Best Minds: How Allen Ginsberg Made Revolutionary Poetry from Madness (Fordham, 2023). He has been awarded two Career Scientist Awards: “Services Based Research with Refugee Families” from the National Institute of Mental Health and “Labor Migration and Multilevel HIV Prevention” from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Dr. Weine is the 2020 recipient of the Abraham L. Halpern Humanitarian Award of the American Association for Social Psychiatry and the 2023 recipient of the Piergiorgio L.E. Uslenghi Global Engagement Faculty Award.
For 30 years, Dr. Weine has been conducting research both with refugees and migrants in the U.S. and in post-conflict countries, focused on mental health, health, and violence prevention. His work has resulted in more than 130 publications and three books.
Commitment to Physician Wellness
Office of Well-Being (OWB),
Northwestern Medicine led by
IPS member
Dr. Gaurava Agarwal
Gaurava Agarwal, MD is Associate Professor in both the Departments of Medical Education and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. He serves as the Chief Wellness Executive, VP for Northwestern Medicine. He is also the Director of Faculty Wellness for Northwestern University. Dr. Agarwal is a certified leadership and well-being coach who specializes in occupational and organizational psychiatry with an emphasis on workplace mental health. Northwestern Medicine is anchored by Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the only Illinois hospital on the national Honor Roll for 12 straight years as ranked by U.S. News & World Report, 2023 – 2024.
The OWB was formally established one year ago and serves the entire 40,000-person healthcare workforce at Northwestern. Through OWB leadership, burnout scores have decreased across every job family at NM. Dr. Agarwal’s passion and drive led to the establishment of the first Chef Wellness Executive at Northwestern Medicine and head of Office of Well Being where he has to been nationally distinguished in addressing root causes of clinician burnout.
