The Covid-19 Memorial Monument Project
is the collective effort of many people, organizations, and volunteers. Together we work toward building the mission of Honor, Remembrance, and Resilience into the fabric of the Covid-19 memorial monument.
The HEKTOEN INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
Founded in 1943, Hektoen is a nonprofit (501c3 foundation) health service, educational, and research organization that administers grants to improve care and resources for the underserved.
Through educational programming and grant administration, Hektoen addresses some of the most pressing health concerns facing underserved populations in Chicago, IL and throughout the world, including: domestic violence, substance use, and mental health; HIV care and support services, blood substitutes; community development, early intervention, and a diverse array of other services. Hektoen was also a leader in hiring Chicago’s COVID-19 contact tracers.
The ILLINOIS MEDICAL DISTRICT
This district is a 560-acre special zoning area bounded by Ashland Avenue, Oakley Boulevard, Congress Parkway, & the rail embankment to the south. Among the largest urban medical districts in the nation, the IMD embodies a diverse assemblage of medical & educational institutions surrounded by a rapidly changing urban context.
The IMD hosts medical research facilities, a biotech business incubator, two universities, four premier hospitals, hotels, public dining and retail, in addition to more than 40 healthcare related facilities.
Commission Board Members
Sally Metzler, Ph.D.
BOARD CHAIR
Art Historian, Professor, Curator, and Museum professional
Homan Wong, Architect
VICE CHAIR
President, Dearborn Architects Chicago, Illinois
COURTNEY AVERY, MPH
Healthcare executive and founder of ARC Equity Consultants; President-elect of the Institute of Medicine Chicago
Rick Brennan
Regional Emergency Director for World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, based in Cairo, Egypt
Sreekant Cherukui, MD, Otolaryngologist
Founder, Clearcast Hearing Co-Founder, Relief Allergy & Sinus Institute
JOHN CUSICK
Former Legislative Director, Illinois Federation of Teachers.
Chicago Public School Teacher, retired.
Peace Corps Volunteer, Libraries, Micronesia, 1993-95
BRIAN DALEY
Insurance executive and principal with Daley Renée & Partners, Ltd.
Lawrence Gostin, JD, LL.D (Hon.)
Professor, Georgetown Law & Medical Schools/ Founding O’Neill Chair in Global Health Law / Faculty Director, O’Neill Institute / Director, WHO Collaborating Center on Global Health Law
Olusimbo Ige, MD, MPH
Commissioner, Chicago Department Of Public Health
Eric Klinenberg
Distinguished Sociologist & Author of 2020: ONE CITY, SEVEN PEOPLE, AND THE YEAR EVERYTHING CHANGED. Currently Helen Gould Shepard Professor of Social Science & Director, Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University
Alan Landay, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, RUSH Medical College. Vice Chair of Research, Department of Internal Medicine; Division Chief of Translational and Precision Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine
Stephanie Nora
Founder & Managing Partner of WPNT’s Ltd.’s Strategic Communications, Chicago and San Francisco offices
WILLIAM E. RICHARDS
(b. 1954- d. 2024)
In memoriam, Founding VICE CHAIR, Beloved friend, Finance/Banking Professional.
Mariela romo
Chief Administrator, Hektoen Institute for Medical Research.
ANN SALTZ
Retired corporate real estate executive
Edward Warro
Founding Director, National Library of Qatar; Retired Dean of Libraries: Loyola University Chicago and Northeastern University, Boston
Kathleen M. Weber, RN, MS, BSN
Project Dir./Co-Investigator, NIH funded Multicenter AIDS Cohort and Women’s Interagency HIV Study, research program of aging with HIV & associated chronic diseases
Sharon Welbel, MD
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, RUSH Medical College Director, Healthcare Epidemiology and Infection Control, Attending Physician in Infectious Diseases at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital
Dali L. Yang, PH.D.
American Political Scientist & Sinologist. William Claude Reavis Professor, Dept of Political Science & Senior Advisor on Global Initiatives at The University of Chicago. Author: Wuhan: How the COVID-19 Outbreak in China Spiraled Out of Control
ASHUTOSH GUPTA, MD
Retired Nephrologist
Karriem S. Watson, DHSc, MS, MPH
CEO, UI Health Mile Square Health Center, Research Associate Professor UIC School of Public Health Division of Community Health Science
