Meet the Team

Karen Sheehan, MD, MPH (She/Her)
Medical Director, Patrick M. Magoon Institute for Healthy Communities

Karen Sheehan, MD, MPH is a Professor of Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. In addition to her role with SCY, she is also the founding Medical Director of the Injury Prevention and Research Center (IPRC) at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago which focuses on unintentional and intentional (including child abuse) pediatric injury prevention. Dr. Sheehan's research and practice has been community engaged ranging from using community based participatory research to evaluate youth development programming as a strategy to prevent violence to applying policy-system-environmental change strategies in her work with the Chicago Park District to help inform the replacement of 350 playgrounds because of safety issues. Dr. Sheehan has held leadership positions in the Injury Free Coalition for Kids, Kids in Danger, and the American Academy of Pediatrics' former Section on Injury, Violence and Poison Prevention.

Leslie Helmcamp, MPAff (She/Her)
Executive Director of Strengthening Chicago's Youth, Director of Violence Prevention Initiative at Lurie Children's

Leslie is the Executive Director of Strengthening Chicago's Youth (SCY) and Director of Violence Prevention Initiatives with the Patrick M. Magoon Institute for Healthy Communities at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. She is responsible for leading the analysis, development, promotion and implementation of policy and system change strategies to prevent violence in Chicago, including overseeing SCY—a violence prevention collaborative convened by Lurie Children’s. Her current work includes advocating for mental health access, justice reform, gun violence prevention, and increasing investments in Illinois’ youth. Prior to joining Lurie Children's, Leslie worked as a policy advocate to promote economic opportunity for low-income families, including improving college access and completion, promoting workforce and skills development, and supporting families to become more financially secure. Leslie earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. Before pursuing graduate work, Leslie served as the director of the Immigration Legal Services program of Catholic Charities of Central Texas where she provided direct services to immigrant families.

Brit Johnson (She/Her)
Manager, Violence Prevention Initiatives

Brit Johnson is the Manager of Violence Prevention Initiatives for Strengthening Chicago's Youth (SCY). She is primarily responsible for managing various violence prevention initiatives, including the Juvenile Justice Collaborative (JJC) and for supporting SCY’s policy and advocacy efforts. She began her career by serving on the SCY team as a student intern turned program assistant. She then went on to serve as the Manager of Health Policy and State Legislative Affairs at the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R), advocating for PM&R physicians and the patients they serve. Brit was thrilled to rejoin the SCY team in 2022 as an advocate for children and youth in Chicago and beyond, promoting a world where they are free to be safe, healthy, and thrive.

Brit earned her Bachelor of Science in Public Health Promotion from Purdue University and her Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago. When she is not working, she cherishes quality time with family and friends. She also enjoys traveling, long walks in the warm weather, and singing in the choir.

Karma Wilson (She/Her)
Manager, Violence Prevention Initiatives

Sheila Hickey, LCSW, MJ (She/Her)
Manager, Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Project

Sheila is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the Emergency Department, Child Abuse Team. She will lead the clinical team for the SCY-HVIP and oversee the daily operations of the direct service component of this grant. She has years of experience bringing together stakeholders from multiple disciplines, including youth, families, Chicago Police Detectives, Investigators for the Department of Children and Family Services, Community Activists and Advocates, Clinical Social Workers, Child Abuse Pediatricians, Emergency Department Medical Providers, all with a mission to protect our children, youth, and to provide families with healthy life choices. Sheila has successfully redesigned and revamped Lurie Children’s assessment tool and process related to violence against children, youth, and women, including allowing for real-time data collection and new standards for identifying child abuse and youth violence.  She grew up on Chicago’s Southside and has lived in multiple neighborhoods across the city but identifies as a Southsider from 81st Street.  Chicago is Home. 

Kevin Rak (He/Him)
Program Specialist (Data)

Kevin Rak is a Program Specialist (Data) with several years’ experience working in community-based organizations on a variety of issues, including homeless services, support for domestic violence survivors, and violence prevention. Kevin has analyzed and presented data to make it useful to residents, community organizations, researchers, and funders. He has contributed to research that has been published in peer-reviewed journals and shared with policy makers. Kevin holds a Bachelor’s in History from Northwestern University and a Master’s in Public Policy from King’s College London.

Cassandra Otoo, MSW, LCSW (She/Her)
Program Coordinator

Cassandra Otoo is a Program Coordinator with our Violence Prevention Initiatives responsible for the daily programmatic responsibilities related to the Juvenile Justice Collaborative (JJC). She coordinates all communications with Collaborative partners, including care coordinators, service providers and SCY team members. Cassandra is an experienced social worker who has served over 15 years providing direct services to students who have been expelled or pending adjudication from Chicago Public Schools. Cassandra has served in the capacity of District SAFE School Coordinator and Juvenile Justice Re-engagement Manager for CPS. In these roles, she has been instrumental in the development of reentry plans and partnering with community organizations in servicing the Juvenile Justice Population. Most recently, she has worked at the University of Illinois Chicago as the Assistant Regional Manager for the Division of Specialized Care for Children. She co-led the implementation of establishing best practices among Care Coordinators for medically fragile and technology dependent youth. Cassandra earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Social Work from Aurora University. She has been a catalyst of change in supporting youth who have been given a limited voice due to the economic and environmental disparities placed largely on African American communities.

Chelsea Castillo, LSW (She/Her)
Violence Response Specialist

Chelsea is a compassionate social worker dedicated to supporting children and families through crisis and trauma. With experience in hospital-based violence recovery and child welfare, she specializes in trauma-informed care and crisis intervention. Chelsea has worked in emergency departments, residential care programs, and community services, providing psychological first aid and emotional support to those facing adversity.   

Chelsea earned her Master of Arts in Social Work from the University of Chicago and her Bachelor of Arts in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  

She enjoys reading, crafting, and spending time with her family during her time off.  

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