Uniting for a Cure: Chicago’s Bold New Model to Transform Breast Cancer Research

Amina Ahmed, MD, is the director of the RUSH MD Anderson Cancer Center. In this role, she continues to build on the success of the highly respected RUSH cancer program and help shape the future of the cancer service line as an integrated effort across the RUSH system. The RUSH MD Anderson Cancer Center will provide patients in the region with access to cancer treatments that are among the most advanced in the nation.

Dr. Ahmed was named interim director of the Cancer Center in 2021 and has been director of the cancer service line at RUSH University Medical Center since 2020. In her new role, Dr. Ahmed oversees all cancer-related efforts at RUSH, crossing over 20 departments, divisions and sections; inpatient and outpatient areas; professional clinical activities and the colleges of RUSH University. She leads RUSH in its commitment to stay abreast of the rapid evolution of cancer care to offer the most advanced care possible for patients and their families.

Dr. Ahmed has already distinguished herself as an advocate for the RUSH tradition of multidisciplinary cancer care, launching several programs to help patients with cancer navigate the complexities of their disease. These include a cancer survivorship program that brings together services from primary care, oncology and supportive oncology for patients who have a cancer diagnosis and their caregivers. She is also developing a geriatric oncology program, in collaboration with colleagues in geriatric medicine, to improve care and outcomes for older patients with cancer. Working closely with cancer leaders across RUSH, she has been a champion for safety and quality improvements, clinical innovation and a strengthened research infrastructure. Dr. Ahmed also has worked diligently to grow RUSH market presence in gynecologic oncology, expanding services to several communities in the greater Chicago area.

A board-certified specialist in obstetrics and gynecology, Dr. Ahmed received her MD degree from RUSH Medical College. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology and a fellowship in gynecologic oncology at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. She joined the faculty in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at RUSH University Medical Center in 2015. From 2016 through 2020, she served as division chief for gynecologic oncology. Before coming to RUSH, she held clinical and faculty roles at Lutheran General Hospital, Rosalind Franklin University and the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. Recognized nationally for her expertise in gynecologic oncology, she has authored book chapters and articles for peer-reviewed journals in her field, with a special focus on gynecological cancer in women over the age of 65.

Kirstin Chernawsky is an accomplished nonprofit and civic leader, currently serving as the Executive Director of the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation—one of the nation’s leading organizations dedicated to eradicating breast cancer through research and education. A breast cancer survivor herself, Chernawsky brings both lived experience and professional expertise to the role, guiding the Foundation’s investments in early-career scientists, groundbreaking clinical trials, and collaborative research initiatives. 

Under her leadership, the Foundation is building on nearly 40 years of impact—having raised over $50 million to advance breast cancer prevention, detection, and treatment. Chernawsky is driving a strategic evolution of the organization, strengthening internal systems, and overseeing initiatives like the Chicago Breast Cancer Research Consortium, the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Symposium, and a growing portfolio of grants, fellowships, and scholar awards. She is spearheading efforts to grow the Foundation’s annual funding and cement its position as a catalyst for transformative science and equitable care. 

Prior to joining Lynn Sage, Chernawsky held senior roles at the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), where she oversaw a $13 billion budget and led programs spanning early childhood, mental health, and recovery services. As Assistant Secretary of Programs, she guided strategic alignment across six divisions to strengthen the state’s social safety net. She also served as the inaugural Director of the Division of Early Childhood, leading the design of Smart Start Illinois—a $400 million initiative to improve child care workforce compensation—and managed over $2.9 billion in combined state and federal funding. In response to the humanitarian crisis at the Texas border, she coordinated Illinois’ New Arrivals strategy, helping to welcome over 40,000 asylum seekers and integrate services through the statewide One System Initiative. 

Before her state government service, Chernawsky was Executive Director of Erie Neighborhood House, where she expanded services for immigrant and low-income families, including early childhood education, school age programming, mental health services, adult education, workforce development, and legal services. 

Under her leadership, Erie House grew from a $7.5 million to $12 million organization and received several notable awards, including the UnidosUS Midwest Affiliate of the Year award, Chicago Run’s Go the Distance award, and The Chicago School of Professional Psychology’s Chicago Social Impact Leaders award. Chernawsky was personally recognized with the Executive Service Corps’ Executive Director of the Year award, the Axelson Center for Nonprofit Management’s 20 Years & 20 Leaders award, and was named one of Crain’s Business Chicago’s 40 Under 40. 

Chernawsky holds a B.A. in Sociology and M.S. in Public Service Management from DePaul University, as well as certificates in Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management from Harvard Business School and Human-Centered Design from +Acumen. 

In addition to her professional roles, Chernawsky actively volunteers with numerous organizations. She has served on the Executive Committee of the American Public Human Services Association’s National Association of State Child Care Administrators, as Board Treasurer for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights, and as Chair of the Board Development Committee for Susan G. Komen Chicago. 

Her extensive experience and dedication to public service continue to drive her contributions to the nonprofit sector and her commitment to social impact.

Dr. Kunle Odunsi is a gynecologic oncologist who specializes in the treatment of ovarian cancer. As the director of University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Dean for Oncology of the University’s Biological Sciences Division, Dr. Odunsi oversees all programmatic aspects of cancer at the University of Chicago including the three primary missions of research, patient care, and education. He sets the strategic direction of UCCCC, which emphasizes basic, translational, and clinical research efforts; collaborative cancer discovery and care; outreach to and engagement of the catchment area; and expansion of development opportunities for early career and promising cancer researchers. Dr. Odunsi also continues to treat patients and mentor physicians in the clinic.

As a nationally recognized expert in immunotherapy and vaccine therapy for cancer, Dr. Odunsi’s research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of immune recognition and tolerance in ovarian cancer and translating these findings to immunotherapy clinical trials. He pioneered the development of antigen-specific vaccine therapy and “next generation” adoptive T-cell immunotherapies to prolong remission rates in women with ovarian cancer. His research in tumor immunology and immunotherapy focuses on mechanisms of immune recognition in human ovarian cancer and the pre-clinical and clinical development of tumor antigen-targeted therapies. Currently he is co-principal investigator on the Roswell Park–University of Chicago Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) in ovarian cancer.

Dr. Odunsi has received many honors and awards for his work, including election to the National Academy of Medicine in 2018 and the Rosalind Franklin Excellence in Ovarian Cancer Research Award in 2019. He has authored or co-authored more than 360 publications and contributed to several books and book chapters. His work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Defense, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Cancer Research Institute, and the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation Alliance, among others. He serves or has served on 10 editorial boards and multiple NIH study sections and held numerous visiting professorships and guest lectureships. He also holds leadership positions in several national organizations, such as co-chair of the NCI Cancer Moonshot Immuno-Oncology Translational Network and chairperson-elect of the American Association for Cancer Research’s Cancer Immunology Working Group.

Leonidas C. Platanias, MD, PhD, is Director of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University and the Jesse, Sara, Andrew, Abigail, Benjamin and Elizabeth Lurie Professor of Oncology in the Departments of Medicine and Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics. He also serves as associate vice president for Cancer Programs in Northwestern's Office for Research. Prior to his appointment as Director in 2014, Dr. Platanias served as the cancer center’s first Deputy Director from 2002 to 2013.

He earned his medical degree and PhD from the University of Patras Medical School in Greece, and began his research career at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, and a fellowship in hematology-oncology at the University of Chicago Hospitals.

Dr. Platanias’s research focuses on cytokine signaling pathways in malignant cells and developing therapies that that target those pathways. He has published more than 370 papers, and his work has been continuously funded by the NCI for almost 30 years. He is the recipient of R01, U54, T32, and P30 awards from the NCI, and VA I01 Merit Review support.

Among his many career honors, Dr. Platanias received the Seymour and Vivian Milstein Award for Excellence in Inteferon and Cytokine Research. A member of various scientific societies, he served as President of the International Society of Interferon and Cytokine Research and in other national leadership positions. He is an associate editor and editorial board member for several scientific journals, serves on the NCI’s Subcommittee A for Cancer Centers, and has been a chair or member of many review panels, study sections, and site visit teams for the NIH, Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Defense.

Since Dr. Platanias became Director in 2014, the Lurie Cancer Center has experienced dynamic growth in NCI funding, publications, and the number of patients enrolled in early-phase clinical trials, as well as the recruitment of more than 140 new faculty members. Under his leadership, the Lurie Cancer Center received the highest rating in its history from the NCI, an overall exceptional with a near-perfect impact score of 12, on the competitive renewal of its Cancer Center Support Grant in 2018.

Dr. Platanias has been a member of the Association of American Cancer Institutes’ (AACI) Board of Directors since 2018. He co-chairs the AACI’s Conflict of Interest Task Force and has served on the association’s Annual Meeting program committee. Dr. Platanias is also an elected member of the Association of American Physicians.