Fall Event

Robert H. Lustig, M.D., M.S.L. is Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, and Member of the Institute for Health Policy Studies at UCSF. Dr. Lustig is a neuroendocrinologist, with expertise in obesity, diabetes, metabolism, and nutrition. He is one of the leaders of the current “anti-sugar” movement that is changing the food industry. He has dedicated his retirement from clinical medicine to help to fix the food supply any way he can, to reduce human suffering and to salvage the environment, by interacting with all stakeholders to bring them together around a common vision of metabolic health: protect the liver, feed the gut, support the brain. Dr. Lustig graduated from MIT in 1976, and received his M.D. from Cornell University Medical College in 1980.

He also received his Masters of Studies in Law (MSL) degree at University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 2013. He is the author of the popular books Fat Chance (2012), The Hacking of the American Mind (2017), and Metabolical (2021). He is the Chief Science Officer of the non-profit Eat REAL, he is on the Advisory Boards of the UC Davis Innovation Institute for Food and Health, the Center for Humane Technology, Simplex Health, Levels Health, Journeys Metabolic, and Myka Labs. He is also the Chief Medical Officer of BioLumen Technologies, Perfact, and Kalin Health.

Dr. Simion came to the United States as an International Medical Graduate in 1998, completed her training in anesthesiology at Advocate Illinois Masonic Center in Chicago. She then completed a pediatric anesthesia fellowship at Ann and Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital (formerly known as Children’s Memorial Hospital), obtaining double boarded certification.

Following more than 10 years experience at the above facility, Dr. Simion embarked in a new adventure, crossing the Pond, and working as a senior pediatric anesthesiologist at the newly open Sidra Medicine Hospital in Qatar. 

Upon returning to US in 2020, Dr. Simion continued to provide pediatric anesthesia care for patients at UIH/UIC with focus on pediatric dental procedures at the College of Dentistry. In addition, she provides office-based anesthesia for pediatric dental offices across the Chicago area.

Dr. Simion has a home in Northbrook with her family and enjoys cooking, baking, volunteering at Woodland barn and taking care of the new addition to the family, Ricky-the- Maltese.

Associate Professor and Residency Program Director,
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry

Michael Han, DDS, FACS is Associate Professor and Residency Program Director and the University of Illinois Chicago's Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Dr. Han received his DDS degree at University of California at Los Angeles, and his oral and maxillofacial surgery training at the University of Washington. Following residency he completed a fellowship at Dalhousie University, with a focus on orthognathic and temporomandibular joint surgery. Dr. Han maintains a full-scope academic practice. His specific clinical and research interests are centered around 3-dimensional imaging, analysis and surgical planning, including CAD/CAM in oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Dr. Azza Tagelsir Ahmed is a full-time Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Illinois Chicago and a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Dental Sciences with a focus on dental public health and is double-certified in Pediatric Dentistry, having completed advanced training at Ghent University and Ghent University Hospital in Belgium as well as at Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine.

Dr. Ahmed’s primary academic and professional responsibilities include teaching and mentoring pediatric dental residents and dental students, supervising graduate student research, conducting, and leading collaborative research initiatives, and fostering institutional partnerships both within the United States and internationally. She currently serves as a member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry’s Council on Clinical Affairs and has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications