Lab Highlights

Recent Updates

October 2026

Anvi Shevade, a patient navigator and research assistant, presented her work at the Northwestern Health Equity Symposium and the UIC Center for the Advancement of InterProfessional Practice, Education and Research summit earlier this month. Her research compares state timelines and requirements for IDEA Part B/IEP processes.
Jena Kuli, a research assistant, presented her work at the UIC Center for the Advancement of InterProfessional Practice, Education and Research summit earlier this month. Her poster examined unique situations documented by supervisors during the early childhood special education navigation process.
Cashell Lewis, our postdoctoral research associate, presented the lab’s work at the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. Cashell presented three posters covering administrative burden in navigating early childhood special education, caregiver-reported exclusion in early childhood education, and predictors and timing of initial access to early childhood special education services. He was also selected to deliver an oral presentation on his research examining access to information about insurance coverage and eligibility for clinic-based services for families of children with developmental delays and disabilities.

September 2026

Anvi Shevade, a patient navigator and research assistant, has been selected for an internship with Young Invincibles, where she will contribute to public health efforts across the state. Through this experience, Anvi will help plan and deliver a guest lecture for a UIC Public Health class, support the state’s Basic Needs Task Force, participate in state and local health policy and public health sessions, and organize a behavioral health networking event.
Samantha Torres, a patient navigator and research assistant, was awarded the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Soy El Futuro! Scholarship. Samantha was selected as one of 20 students to receive this scholarship which recognizes her academic achievement, leadership, and commitment to the Latino community.
Avril De La Cruz, a research assistant, was accepted into the Urban Public Policy Fellowship, a competitive year-long fellowship at UIC that focuses on leadership development, public policy, professional development, and preparing students for careers that address community and public-sector challenges.

August 2026

Karis Gorak, MD/PhD student and research assistant, was awarded a prestigious NIH F30 fellowship for her research on the social and contextual factors that influence service access for children with developmental delays transitioning from Early Intervention services to preschool special education.

July 2026

Samantha Torres, a patient navigator and research assistant, presented her work at the 2026 Illinois Summer Research Symposium and the UIC SROP Symposium. Her research explored the creation of IEP Guide, an interactive website designed to help parents navigate the process of obtaining an Individualized Education Program (IEP) through Chicago Public Schools.
Karis Gorak, MD/PhD student and research assistant, was awarded the Section on Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (SODBP) scholarship to attend the 2026 AAP National Conference and Exhibition in San Diego.
Samantha Torres, patient navigator and research assistant, was accepted into the Urban Public Policy Fellowship, a competitive year-long fellowship at UIC that focuses on leadership development, public policy, professional development, and preparing students for careers that address community and public-sector challenges.

June 2026

Caroline Cotto, Cashell Lewis and Lynn Idriss all presented their research at the 2026 Northwestern Chicago Early Childhood Research Conference. Caroline, a research assistant and patient navigator, presented on the initial implementation of Preschool and Me. Cashell, a post-doc, presented on fathers’ engagement across the early childhood special education process. Lynn, a patient navigator, presented on family satisfaction with patient navigators in Preschool and Me.

May 2026

Karis Gorak, MD/PhD student and research assistant, was awarded the Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy (IRRPP)'s 2026 Dissertation Research Grant. She will use this grant to assist with her dissertation which examines barriers that families from historically marginalized communities face when transitioning from Early Intervention to preschool-based services for children with developmental delays and disabilities. Her work incorporates both quantitative and qualitative approaches to better understand family experiences navigating healthcare and educational systems and to identify strategies to improve access to early childhood services and supports.
Jena Kuli and Valeria Silva, both patient navigators, were selected to be part of UIC College of Medicine’s Pediatric Summer Scholars Program. As part of their research, they will examine the barriers families face when accessing school-based services. They will also have the opportunity to participate in weekly workshops and will present their research findings at the end of the program.

April 2026

Mariam Hassan, MD/PhD (UChicago) student and research assistant, was accepted into the 2026 Gold Student Summer Fellowship program which offers opportunities for medical students to undertake a research or service project related to community health and to develop skills to become a compassionate, relationship-centered physician. She will be completing her research project on a website-driven large language model to support families of preschoolers with developmental delays and disabilities.
Caroline Cotto, our full-time research assistant and patient navigator, presented her work at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) meeting in Boston, MA. Her poster examined service gaps in federally mandated early childhood special education. She was also selected to deliver an oral presentation on her research into the initial implementation of Preschool and Me, a community-clinical linkage designed to improve access to school-based services for preschool-aged children
Hanna Ghalyoun, a PhD student and research assistant, presented her work at the 2026 Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) meeting in Boston, MA. Her poster explored sleep challenges among preschool-aged children with developmental delays and disabilities.
Samantha Torres, a research assistant and patient navigator, was selected to be a member of the American Red Cross’s Emerging Leaders Council. She was chosen for her leadership potential and commitment to community impact. As part of her participation, she will receive advanced training in leadership development, advocacy, and civic engagement. Additionally, Samantha was also awarded the Denny’s 2026 Hungry for Education™ National Scholarship for which she will be introduced at the 8th Hispanic Serving Institutions Convening in Chicago.
Cashell Lewis, our Post Doctoral Research Associate, presented his research poster at the UIC Minority Health Conference. His presentation focused on factors associated with IEP evaluation requests among preschool age children at risk for developmental delays.
Hanna Ghalyoun, a PhD student and research assistant, presented her research poster at the UIC Minority Health Conference. Her research focused on sleep challenges among preschool age children with developmental delays and disabilities.
Our team was excited to support Hanna and Cashell at the UIC SPH Minority Health Conference!
Jena Kuli, a patient navigator, presented her Honor’s College Capstone presentation at the UIC Undergraduate Research Symposium. Her research looked at barriers Preschool and Me families face to accessing IEPs.
Lynn Idriss, a patient navigator, presented her Honor’s College Capstone presentation at the UIC Undergraduate Research Symposium. Her research looked at family satisfaction with their Preschool and Me patient navigator.

March 2026

Tim Ahn, a patient navigator, was recently awarded the Mark A. Wyatt Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded each Spring to an outstanding Honors College junior majoring in Biological Sciences, Biochemistry, or Neuroscience and planning to go to medical school. This award is based on academic excellence, research, and leadership.
Samantha Torres, a patient navigator and research assistant, was accepted to the Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP). Throughout the summer, Samantha will engage in structured training in research design, development, and professional preparation, equipping her with the skills and confidence needed to excel in competitive graduate programs. She will also present her research twice during the program, allowing her to gain valuable experience communicating her work to academic audiences.

Publications & Presentations

Manuscripts

Preschool and Me: Educational-Clinical Linkage to Improve Health Equity for Children with Developmental Delays and Disabilities from Historically Marginalized Communities.

Click Here to access the study

Presentations

Improving Adoption of an Educational-Medical Linkage to Increase Access to School-Based Services for Preschoolers with Developmental Delays and Disabilities Aishwarya Tallikar, BS; Mariam Hassan, BS; Kayla Hieras, BS; Adil Lokhandwala, Lynn Idriss, Giovanna Savastano, MS; Karis Gorak, BS; Tina Schuh, MPH; Reshma Shah, MD, MPH.

Training Students as Navigators for a Community-Clinical Linkage Model to Improve Access to School-Based Therapies Karis Gorak, MS, MA; Tina Schuh, MPH; Carolina Jimenez, BS; Denise Carreto-Muñoz, Natalia Matula, BS; Ryan Borum, BA; Reshma Shah MD, MPH.

Missed Early Supports: Delays and Inequities in Access to Early Childhood Education Services. Shah, R., Schuh, T., Pugach, O., Nguyen, H., Kinney, R., Coba-Rodriguez, S., Martin, M., Diviak K.

Fidelity Outcomes of Patient Navigator Model: Preschool and Me Program. Torres, S., Gorak, K., Schuh, T., Shah, R.

Multi-Level Impacts of Sleep Disturbances in Preschoolers with Developmental Delays and Disabilities. Ghalyoun, H., Terlap, E., Adavadkar, P., Youssef, N., Skolnik, C., Diviak, K., Kinney, R., Bauer, S., Schwartz, A., Schuh, T., Shah, R.

Service Gaps in Federally Mandated Early Childhood Special Education. Shah, R., Cotto, C., Kinney, R., Pugach, O., Nguyen, H, M., Schuh, T., Diviak, K.

Initiating ECSE Access: Predictors and Timeliness of IEP Evaluation Requests Among Preschool-Aged Children. Lewis, C., Kinney, R., Pugach, O., Nguyen, H, M., Schuh, T., Diviak, K., Shah, R.

Sleep as a Health Equity Issue: Sleep Challenges Among Preschool Children with Developmental Delays and Disabilities. Ghalyoun, H., Terlap, E., Adavadkar, P., Youssef, N., Skolnik, C., Diviak, K., Kinney, R., Bauer, S., Schwartz, A., Schuh, T., Shah, R.

Understanding State-Based Variation for the Implementation of School-Based Services under IDEA Part B. Shevade, A., Mohammud, Z., Schuh, T., Whelan, A., Lewis, C., Shah, R.

Hidden Coordination Barriers in Accessing School-Based Therapeutic Services Through Early Childhood Special Education. Kuli, J., Silva, V., Lewis, C., Schuh, T., Whelan, A., Shah, R.

Capstones

The Waiting Game: How State Policies Influence IEP Timeline and Access to Services. Diya Patel.

Examining Barriers to Individual Education Plans Jena Kuli.

Family Satisfaction with Patient Navigators in the Preschool and Me Program Lynn Idriss.

View archived presentations