The Distinguished Alumni Awards and Campbell Alumni Service Award are presented every two years to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to Rush Medical College and the field of medicine. These awards recognize alumni for their accomplishments in medical research, clinical excellence, leadership, and service to the Rush community. Congratulations to our 2024 award recipients.
Distinguished Alumni Award for Medical Research and Education
Brett Levine, MD
GME
Brett Levine, MD, began his journey toward a career in medicine in college, when he volunteered at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. The hospital subsequently hired him as an orthopedic technician, which eventually led him to a career as an orthopedic surgeon. He secured a Presidential Scholarship to American University, where he completed a Bachelor of Science in chemistry and graduated with honors in 1995. After a one-year master’s program in physiology and biophysics, he enrolled at Georgetown University School of Medicine for his doctorate in medicine. He completed his residency at New York University Langone Orthopedic Hospital, formerly NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases. At this point, he knew he ultimately wanted to pursue a career in academic medicine. After a fellowship in adult reconstruction at Rush University Medical Center, he joined a private practice in Peoria before returning to Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, where he has focused on primary and revision hip and knee arthroplasty.
Dr. Levine served as associate residency director for three years and residency program director for three years. He has been an active participant in research and resident and student education, and he served as faculty liaison for the orthopedic interest group at Rush from 2008-2020. Nothing brings him greater pleasure than to see M1 Rush students return as his partners in practice. In addition to serving as an educator, he completed the Surgical Leadership Program at Harvard Medical School and has served as a leader at several professional organizations. He has been chair of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons’ patient education committee and the Mid-America Orthopaedic Association, or MAOA, education committee. He has been deputy editor for Arthroplasty Today for the last five years and will assume editor in chief in January 2025. He is an active member of the American Osteopathic Association, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Hip Society, Knee Society, MAOA and Orthopaedic Research Society.
Distinguished Alumni Award for Clinical Excellence
Donald M. Jensen, MD, FACP, FAASLD
GME
Donald M. Jensen, MD, FACP, FAASLD, is the Richard B. Capps Emeritus Professor of Medicine, a hepatologist and past section chief of hepatology at Rush University and University of Chicago. He returned to Rush in 2016. He completed his residency training at Rush, followed by a chief residency and liver fellowship at King’s College Hospital in London. He has a national and international reputation, not only for his clinical skills but also for his many landmark accomplishments in hepatitis C therapeutics. He has served as associate editor for hepatitis C manuscripts for the premier liver journal HEPATOLOGY and founded the first online hepatitis C practice guidelines due to rapid advances in the field. He was the first Richard B. Capps Endowed Professor at Rush; he helped establish the Rush liver transplant program with Dr. James Williams in 1986 — the sixth oldest in the country; and has been the recipient of numerous teaching and mentorship awards at both Rush and University of Chicago.
For his many years of advocacy and education for patients with liver disease, the American Liver Foundation awarded Jensen its highest honor, the Legacy Award, in 2022. The premier academic society for hepatologists, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, presented him with its highest and oldest award in 2021, the Distinguished Service Award. In 2008, Jensen was chosen by his peers as a Chicago Magazine Top Doc and featured with a cover photo and an article describing his care of patients with hepatitis C. He was regarded as an amazing educator, particularly among residents and fellows, and imparted his knowledge of liver disease not only on clinical rounds but also in weekly conferences. In recognition of this, the Rush Digestive Disease Section established an annual award for the fellow with the greatest skills in hepatology: The Donald M. Jensen Transplant Hepatology Award.
Distinguished Alumni Award of Leadership, Service and Innovation
Robert A. Winn, MD
GME
Robert A. Winn, MD, is the director of VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, where he leads efforts in advanced cancer care, innovative research and community engagement. He is pioneering a 21st-century model of equity in cancer science and care, inviting the community to collaborate on research that addresses disparities and improves access to treatments for all.
A physician-scientist, Dr. Winn manages a basic and translational research laboratory focused on molecular mechanisms and novel therapeutic approaches for lung cancer and the association between society and biological factors that may lead to disparities. His research has advanced the field of health equity.
Dr. Winn has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and serves as principal investigator on several large-scale grants, including a Stand Up to Cancer health equity team science award and a National Cancer Institute-funded Planning Specialized Programs of Research Excellence award for health equity in lung cancer. He co-founded Facts & Faith Fridays, a series that invites dialogue among science, community and faith leaders to address medical mistrust. Prominent guests have included Jill Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Francis Collins.
In recognition of his work, Dr. Winn is the namesake of the Robert A. Winn Diversity in Clinical Trials Award Program, which aims to increase diversity in clinical research. He has also contributed to the American Association for Cancer Research, or AACR, Cancer Disparities Progress Report and served as lead editor for the 2024 edition.
Dr. Winn holds key leadership roles, including as the first African American president of the Association of American Cancer Institutes and chair of the National Cancer Policy Forum. He has received multiple honors, including the AACR-Minorities in Cancer Research Jane Cooke Wright Lectureship and the National Cancer Institute's CURE Program Lifetime Achievement Award.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Michigan Medical School. Dr. Winn completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center.
Campbell Alumni Service Award
LaMenta S. Conway, MD, MPH
Class of 1998
LaMenta “Sweetie” Conway, MD, MPH, was born and raised in Chicago’s Englewood community. After completing her master’s in public health, she pursued her medical degree at Rush Medical College while raising three young children. She trained in both internal medicine and pediatrics at the University of Illinois and has since enjoyed a 26-year career teaching at top academic hospitals across the Midwest.
Known for her warm bedside manner and infectious personality, Dr. Conway currently serves as deputy chief of medicine for the Illinois Department of Corrections. She oversees the medical care of more than 30,000 incarcerated individuals and has led groundbreaking initiatives, including the state’s first gender-affirmation surgeries for incarcerated individuals and a diabetes-management program that has improved care outcomes. She is also developing a dementia-friendly prison pilot to support aging inmates.
Motivated by personal tragedy, Dr. Conway founded the I Am Abel Foundation in 2015 after one of her teenage cousins was wounded and another was killed in gun violence. The foundation is dedicated to mentoring and preparing young people from marginalized communities for careers in medicine. The organization’s mentees have been accepted to medical schools such as Rush University, University of Chicago, Yale University, Northwestern University, University of Michigan, Washington University, Ohio State, University of Illinois, Wayne State, William Carey University, Southern Illinois University, Case Western Reserve University, Howard University and more.
I Am Abel Foundation’s annual conference at Rush University attracts over 1,300 students and partners with major academic institutions to provide clinical and research opportunities for students. Dr. Conway’s work is focused on reducing gaps in diversity and enhancing health equity in medicine by nurturing the next generation of health care professionals.
Dr. Conway lectures nationwide on health care in the correctional system and continues to advocate for compassionate, equitable medical care for vulnerable populations.