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.

Anthony Oddo, MPH, MSW (He/Him)
Violence Response Specialist

Anthony is a social worker with several years of experience working in emergency departments and inpatient psychiatry with high acuity patients, as well as in crisis services as a mobile crisis responder. Anthony has also been involved in community psychology research examining neighborhood characteristics, community support, and the impact of systemic challenges on an individual's mental health and their views on social justice movements. With these experiences, Anthony is able to provide a trauma-informed lens and awareness of how one's neighborhood or community shapes their experiences. Anthony holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Master of Social Work, and Master of Public Health from the University of Illinois Chicago, and a certificate of graduate study in trauma-informed counseling from Northern Illinois University. In his free time, Anthony enjoys hiking, reading, and watching stand-up comedy.

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