Shikha Jain

Shikha Jain

Hematologist, Medical Oncologist

Gastrointestinal Oncology, Neuroendocrine oncology

University of Illinois Chicago

Location USA, Chicago

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Dr. Shikha Jain is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), where she also serves as Director of Communication Strategies in Medicine and Associate Director of Oncology Communications and Digital Innovation at the University of Illinois Cancer Center. A medical oncologist with clinical expertise in gastrointestinal cancers, immunotherapy, and neuroendocrine tumors, she is equally recognized as a national leader in healthcare communication, digital innovation, gender equity in medicine, and health disparities. She is the founder and chair of the Women in Medicine Summit, an annual national CME conference that has drawn attendees from across the United States and internationally, and the founder of The Gender Moonshot, a national gender equity initiative. She is co-founder and CEO of IMPACT (Illinois Medical Professionals Action Collaborative Team), a coalition of physicians and health professionals dedicated to combating health misinformation and addressing disparities in Illinois communities. A prolific public communicator, she is a sought-after media commentator, podcast host of Oncology Overdrive, and contributor to national outlets including the New York Times, CNN, USA Today, Scientific American, and JAMA Internal Medicine. She is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, a Medscape Rising Star (2020), and a Modern Healthcare Top 25 Emerging Leader (2019). She is fluent in English and Hindi, and conversant in Spanish.

Current Positions

  • Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Illinois Chicago, 2020–present
  • Director of Communication Strategies in Medicine, University of Illinois Hospital, 2020–present
  • Associate Director of Oncology Communications and Digital Innovation, University of Illinois Cancer Center, 2020–present
  • Co-Founder and CEO, IMPACT (Illinois Medical Professionals Action Collaborative Team), 2021–present
  • Founder and Chair, Women in Medicine Summit, 2019–present
  • Consulting Medical Editor, Healio Women in Oncology, 2020–present
  • Editorial Board Member, Healio HemOnc Today, 2020–present
  • Women’s Networking Center Task Force Lead, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), 2020–2021
  • Council on Communications and Membership Advocacy, Illinois State Medical Society, 2019–present

Education

  • B.A., Biological Sciences (Honors), University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 1999–2003
  • Interdepartmental Medical Sciences Program, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 2003–2004
  • M.D., Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, East Lansing, MI, 2004–2008

Postgraduate Training

  • Residency, Internal Medicine, University of Illinois Hospital, Chicago, IL, 2008–2011
  • Fellowship, Hematology-Oncology, Loyola University Chicago Hospital, Chicago, IL, 2012–2015

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Internal Medicine, 2011
  • American Board of Internal Medicine — Hematology, 2015
  • American Board of Internal Medicine — Oncology, 2015

Professional Experience

  • Hematologist/Oncologist, Health System Clinician, Clinical Sciences Tract, Northwestern Memorial Hospital / Lurie Cancer Center, Chicago, IL, 2015–2018
  • Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Cell Therapy; Director of Social Media and Communications; Co-Founder and Co-Chair, Rush Center for the
  • Advancement of Women in Healthcare, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 2018–2020

Research Activity

  • GI oncology and clinical trials: Principal investigator on multiple national cooperative group phase II and III trials in colorectal cancer (COMMIT/NRG GI004, SOLARIS/A021703, PACES/S0820, COBRA/NRG-GI005, DECREASE/EA2182), hepatocellular carcinoma (RTOG 1112, EMERALD-1, AB7 Trial/BTCRC GI20-457), biliary tract and gallbladder cancers (S1815, BTC Study, OPT-IN/EA2197), esophageal cancer (KEYNOTE-181), neuroendocrine tumors (CABINET/A021602), anal cancer (EA2176), pancreatic cancer (A021806), and peritoneal surface malignancies (TEMPO)
  • Neuroendocrine tumors and PRRT: Co-author on validation of a clinical score for well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumor patients being considered for Lu-177-DOTATATE therapy (Endocrine-Related Cancer); development and implementation of outpatient PRRT/Lutathera programs at UIC and Rush University
    Cancer immunotherapy: Senior author on review of the evolution of cancer immunotherapy (Cancer Vaccines and Immunotherapy, 2021); ongoing research on BESPOKE ctDNA-guided therapy in colorectal cancer and vaccine response in cancer patients
  • Healthcare communication, social media, and misinformation: Co-author on gender differences in physician use of social media for professional advancement (JAMA Network Open, 2021); personal attacks and sexual harassment of physicians on social media (JAMA Internal Medicine, 2021); documenting social media engagement as scholarship (Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2020); ongoing collaboration on breast cancer misinformation and social media with University of Nebraska-Lincoln; machine learning to improve HCC patient health-related quality of life
  • Gender equity in medicine: Extensive peer-reviewed research on women’s representation in academic oncology leadership (JAMA Network Open, 2020); unconscious bias in speaker introductions at oncology conferences (Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2019); gender-specific conferences as support structures for female physicians (Journal of Women’s Health, 2019); male allyship in medicine (Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 2020); COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on women in medicine (Academic Medicine, 2020; Journal of Women’s Health, in press); use of the CV to promote gender equity during COVID-19 (PNAS, 2020); co-wrote and helped pass Illinois State Medical Society resolutions on mitigating gender bias in medical research (passed AMA May 2019) and advancing gender equity in medicine (passed ISMS October 2019)
  • COVID-19 public health and health disparities: Co-founder of IMPACT, a multi-institutional coalition addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and equity through social media; multiple SGIM and NNLM oral presentations on IMPACT; senior author on Society of Behavioral Medicine policy brief on telehealth payment parity; ongoing R01 on communication strategies and healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic (est. 2022, collaboration with University of Chicago)
  • Cancer health disparities and clinical trial access: Gateway Discovery Grant to Address Cancer Disparities in Clinical Trials (ASCO Foundation, LOI approved April 2021); P20 Cancer Disparities Pre-SPORE grant on disparities in hepatocellular carcinoma; collaboration with University of Washington on multi-platform profiling of biliary tract cancer biospecimens

Honors and Awards

  • Richard M. Weber, MD A.C.E. Award (Altruism, Compassion, Excellence), University of Illinois, 2021
  • 21 Best Medical Podcasts to Subscribe to in 2021
  • Medscape 25 Rising Stars, 2020
  • Women in White Coats Hero Award, 2020
  • Women Leaders in Oncology (Nominee), 2020
  • Modern Healthcare Top 25 Emerging Leaders, 2019
  • LEAD Rising Star Award (Leadership, Empowerment, and Development: Enriching Experiences for Women in Hematology and Oncology), 2019
  • Fellow, American College of Physicians (FACP), 2019
  • Indian American Medical Association Golden Stethoscope Research Award, 2014
  • University of Illinois Hospital Class Act Award, 2009
  • Tom M. Johnson, M.D. Award for Physician Leadership, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, 2008
  • 50 Best Doctors on Instagram to Follow in 2020
  • 500 Women in Medicine, #500WIMspotlight, 2019
  • ASCO Connection Best of ASCO Connection Blogs, 2019

Memberships / Affiliations

  • American College of Physicians (ACP) — Member, Fellow
  • American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) — Member; Women’s Networking Center Task Force Lead 2020–2021; Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce 2020–present
  • Illinois State Medical Society — Council on Communications and Membership Advocacy; COVID-19 Advisory Group
  • University of Chicago Alumni Association
  • Cancer Wellness Magazine, Advisory Board Member

Areas of Specialization

  • Gastrointestinal oncology — colorectal cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, biliary tract cancers, pancreatic cancer, anal cancer
  • Neuroendocrine tumors and PRRT
  • Cancer immunotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors
  • Healthcare communication and digital innovation
  • Social media and medicine
  • Gender equity in healthcare
  • Health disparities and health equity
  • Clinical trial leadership and cooperative group oncology research
  • Narrative and advocacy writing in medicine
  • Medical education and physician leadership development

Publications

Select Peer-Reviewed Publications:

Woitowich N, Arora VM, Jain S, et al. “Gender Differences in Physician Use of Social Media for Professional Advancement.” JAMA Network Open, May 13, 2021. (Senior author)

Khan M, Maker A, Jain S. “The Evolution of Cancer Immunotherapy.” Cancer Vaccines and Immunotherapy 9:614, 2021. (Senior author)

Jain S, Arora V, Manning K. “March On: Diversity in the Face of Adversity.” New England Journal of Medicine, December 16, 2020. (First author)

Pendergrast T, Jain S, et al. “Personal Attacks and Sexual Harassment of Physicians on Social Media.” JAMA Internal Medicine, January 4, 2021. (doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.7235)

Arora V, Jain S, et al. “Using the Curriculum Vitae to Promote Gender Equity During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” PNAS, September 17, 2020. (Senior author)

Jain S, Englander MJ, Gebhard RE, Moeschler S, Sharkey KM, Silver JK. “Disparities in Equity and Inclusion May Impact Professionalism and Adversely Affect Senior Women in Medicine.” Journal of Women’s Health, May 21, 2020. (First author)

Chowdhary M, Jain S, et al. “Women’s Representation in Leadership Positions in Academic Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology and Surgical Oncology Programs.” JAMA Network Open, March 11, 2020.

Jain S, Madani K, Flint F, Swaroop M, Liu H, Varghese T, Sinha M, Silver J. “What Does It Mean to Be a Male Ally? Implementing Meaningful Change in Gender Representation in Medicine.” Journal of the American College of Surgeons, January 17, 2020. (First author)

Duma N, Durani U, Woods CB, Jain S, et al. “Evaluating Unconscious Bias: Speaker Introductions at an International Oncology Conference.” Journal of Clinical Oncology, October 11, 2019.

Das S, Du L, Schad A, Jain S, et al. “A Clinical Score for Neuroendocrine Tumor Patients Being Considered for Lu-177-DOTATATE Therapy.” Endocrine-Related Cancer. doi:10.1530/ERC-20-0482.

Jain S, Clark JI. “Ipilimumab For the Treatment of Melanoma.” Melanoma Management 2(1):33–39, 2015. (First author)

All information is sourced from publicly available materials.