"Bringing Science to Life" Speakers
Christina Rivera-Sauld, APNP
Christina Rivera Sauld APNP is a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner. She started her nursing career in the Cardiovascular ICU at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center. Upon graduation with her Masters, she transitioned into her current position with the Advance Heart Failure and Transplant clinic. She has a passion for cardiac care and enjoys educating others. She received a Community Education Award in recognition of her extraordinary dedication to promoting innovation in the treatment of advance heart disease in the Aurora Health Satellite at Discovery World where she developed, lead and organized their session focused on Heart Failure, Mechanical Circulatory Assist Devices, Heart Transplant and Organ Procurement.
Dr. Elizabeth Florez
Dr. Elizabeth Florez is currently an Assistant Professor at DePaul University’s School of Nursing. Prior to her academic appointment, Dr. Florez was a registered nurse for five years is in a level-one surgical-trauma intensive care unit. She then went on to earn her PhD in Nursing Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Nursing. Dr. Florez’s dissertation research explored the perceptions of risk of an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and likelihood of action in response to AMI symptoms among Mexican Americans at risk for cardiovascular disease. Through her nursing background, research agenda, and community engagement, Dr. Florez has demonstrated her deep commitment to continue the fight to help minimize the health disparities that exist for racial/ethnic minorities and underserved communities. Beyond her academic work, Dr. Florez is an active volunteer for many organizations committed to improving the health of Latinos and serves in leadership roles as well. Dr. Florez is President-Elect for the Illinois Hispanic Nurses Association and serves as Chair of the Education Committee for the National Association of Hispanic Nurses. She is an active volunteer with the American Heart Association (AHA) Multicultural Leadership Committee and Catholic Charities Latino Advisory Council.
Dr. Jeffrey Whittle
Dr. Whittle will discuss the exciting new world of Precision Medicine. In his 2015 State of the Union address, President Obama announced that he is launching the Precision Medicine Initiative — a bold new research effort to revolutionize how we improve health and treat disease. One goal of Precision Medicine is “to get the right treatment to the right patient at the right time, providing more personalized care, which could ultimately result in better outcomes at lower costs.” Until now, most medical treatments have been designed for the “average patient.” As a result of this “one-size-fits-all” approach, treatments can be very successful for some patients but not for others. Precision Medicine, on the other hand, is an innovative approach that takes into account individual differences in people’s genes, environments, and lifestyles. It gives medical professionals the resources they need to target the specific treatments of the illnesses we encounter, further develops our scientific and medical research, and keeps our families healthier. Dr. Whittle's research has focused on access to care issues and quality of care. He is a national authority on the reasons for racial differences in cardiovascular procedure use. He has used a variety of methods, including analysis of Medicare and VA administrative data, studies of clinically defined cohorts, surveys, and chart reviews. His work has been funded by the Veterans Administration, National Institutes of Health, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Health Services Resource Administration and American Heart Association.
