Support Staff Directory

Main contact number

312.503.7060

Office of the COO

Cassandra Lucas, PhD, Chief Operating Officer

Jarrod Cunningham​, Senior Executive Assistant
Phone: 312.503.7099
Mailing Address: Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute,
225 E. Chicago Ave., Box 205, Chicago, IL 60611

Beatrice Apikos-Bennett, Administrative Assistant

Ela Klapczynska, MBA, MS, CRA, Research Strategic Operations Manager
Phone: 312.503.7095

Express/Courier Address: 303 E. Superior St., 10th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611
Office Location: Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute, Administration, 10th Floor, Room 10.334.02

Information Management

For IM support, please call 312.227.3445, or email SQBCRhelp@luriechildrens.org.

Use key words such as SQBRC move, Simpson Querrey move, Research Center Move or 303 E. Superior (building address) when reporting an issue.

Office of Sponsored Programs

For the Department/Division & Research Program that each of the following
is responsible for, please reference this listing:

The fax number for any member within the Office of Sponsored Programs is 312.503.7059.

Robin Lewis, MPA, CPRA, CRA, Director, Office of Sponsored Programs
Phone: 312.503.7063

Kris Martens-Ackeret, JD, Associate Director, Office of Sponsored Programs
Phone: 312.503.7079

Jackie Simon-Flowers, MS, Assistant Director, Office of Sponsored Programs
Phone: 312.503.7085

Julia Shaver, JD, Senior Contracts Associate, Office of Sponsored Programs
Phone: 312.503.7024

Diana Favela, Senior Administrative Assistant, Office of Sponsored Programs
Phone: 312.503.7117

Rachel Beltzhoover, MS, Senior Sponsored Programs Administrator
Phone: 312.503.7045

Joseph Braun, MA, Senior Sponsored Programs Administrator
Phone: 312.503.7023

Maura Carroll, BA, Senior Sponsored Programs Administrator
Phone: 312.503.7341

Karen Dziedzic, BS, CRA, Senior Sponsored Programs Administrator
Phone: 312.503.7046

Kai Jackson, MS, Senior Sponsored Programs Administrator
Phone: 312.503.7047

Office of Research Integrity & Compliance

Tricia Eifler, MBA, CIP, Associate Director
Phone: 312.503.7077

Michelle Corbett, MS, Assistant Director, Clinical Research Education
Phone: 312.227.7484

Erin Lynch, Clinical Research Educator
Phone: 312.503.7025

Jennie Thai, Senior Research Compliance Coordinator 
Phone: 312.503.7027

Kristen Brown, MS, Research Compliance Coordinator 
Phone: 312.503.7641

Khrystyna Helner, MA, Research Compliance Coordinator

Alexa Karczmar, Research Compliance Coordinator

Kaleigh Sands Michalko, MS, CIP, Senior Research Compliance Coordinator
Phone: 312.503.7058

Carol Macpherson, CCRC, Clinical Research Quality Assurance & Improvement Specialist
Phone: 312.503.7028

Allison Harris, Single IRB Coordinator
Phone: 312.503.2657

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

General IRB inquiries: irb@luriechildrens.org 

Jennifer Rubin, MD, IRB Chair

Denise Rizzo, PharmD, IRB Vice Chair
Phone: 312.503.7088

Rachel G Robison, MD, IRB Vice Chair

Sara Katsanis, MS, IRB Vice Chair

For Cayuse IRB related issues, please contact: Tricia Eifler

Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)

General IBC Inquiries: IBC@luriechildrens.org

Vamshi Rao, MD, IBC Chair

Office of Research Business Management (RBM)

Chris Sorensen, Director
Phone: 312.503.7065

Diana Favela, Senior Administrative Assistant
Phone: 312.503.7117

Cristina Goldsmith, Assistant Director
Phone: 312.503.7005

Darryl Anderson, Research Financial Portfolio Manager
Phone: 312.503.7008

Elizabeth Lozano, Research Financial Portfolio Manager
Phone: 312.503.7009

Christianne Montgomery, Research Financial Portfolio Manager
Phone: 312.503.7006

Sarry Chavannes, Research Accountant
Phone: 312.503.7033

Giancarlo Ferrara, Financial Specialist

Benetta Thomas, Financial Specialist
Phone: 312.503.1422

Diane Neals, Accounts Receivable Specialist
Phone: 312.503.7002

Post Award Financial Management (PAFM)

Melissa Gentile, Director
Phone: 312.503.7062

Diana Favela, Senior Administrative Assistant
Phone: 312.503.7117

Karen Hawthorne, Manager, Post Award Financial Management
Phone: 312.503.7082

Edward Perez, Grant Accounting Specialist
Phone: 312.503.7035

Ruben Galvez, Grants Accountant
Phone: 312.503.7037

Viridiana Santillan, Grant Accounting Specialist
Phone:  312.503.7017

Colleen Garbe, Senior Project Manager
Phone: 312.503.7033

Julia Zhu, Senior Financial Analyst
Phone: 312.503.7034

Several members of the finance department provide additional support for the research enterprise, including financial reporting.

Clinical Trials Office (CTO)

Victoria Ramos, Executive Assistant
Phone: 312.503.7602

Katie Amsden, Research Project Manager
Phone: 312.503.7173

Aneta Jedraszko, Clinical Research Coordinator III
Phone: 312.503.7015

Anna De Sonia, Clinical Research Coordinator, Lead

Theresa Oswald, Clinical Research Operations Manager
Phone: 312.503.1854

Jovita Rodrigues, Clinical Research Coordinator III
Phone: 312.503.7013

Research Navigators

Kelly Carroll, PhD, Research Scientist Navigator
Phone: 312.503.7084

Reuben Fan, PhD, Research Scientist Navigator
Phone: 312.503.7083

Lab Manager

Greg Taborn
Phone: 312.503.7096

Alisha Porter, Lab Dishwasher

Research Administrative Coordinators

Denise Lilly
Phone: 312.503.7656

Diana Abdi
Phone: 312.503.7319

Jessica Dwyer
Phone: 312.503.7657

Joshua Miller
Phone: 312.503.7682

Nancy Dudek
Phone: 312.503.7431

Regina Kinyui
Phone: 312.503.7682