I am a board-certified general internist and pediatrician, as well as a health services researcher. I see adults and children in the office, and provide care for hospitalized adults. My practice (and research) focuses on generation-spanning care that supports patients across life’s transitions (teen-to-adult, adult-to-parent, hospital-to-home). I have a particular interest in building support for new dads as they seek the best possible health for themselves and their families.
Dr. Wainwright sees patients of all ages for primary care at the University of Illinois at Chicago Health System (UI Health)
Chicago 'L' Train Advertisement by Oscar Rabe Hanson, 1926
Sam Wainwright, MD is an attending general internist and pediatrician at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UI Health). After studying Latin American History at the University of Michigan, he worked in Washington, DC as a health policy analyst for the New America Foundation. He returned to Chicago to attend medical school at UIC. He completed his Med-Peds residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, including a year as Chief Resident. He (again) returned to Chicago to complete the CLASS health services research fellowship, analyzing maternal-child health initiatives, Medicaid transitions to value-based purchasing, and the sustainable use of coordinated care programs. He supervises residents on the inpatient medicine service, sees patients of all ages in outpatient Med-Peds primary care, and cares for new moms, dads, and their babies in the UIC Two-Generation health clinic. Ask him about: the appropriate toppings for a hot dog, and his deep-seated love of the ACA.
Experience
Attending Physician, UIC
2021 – Present
Training
Residency Training - Harvard / Massachusetts General Hospital
Internal Medicine & Pediatrics
2017 – 2021
Health Services Research Faculty Fellow - University of Illinois at Chicago
Clinical Leaders and Academic Scholars (CLASS) program
2021 – 2023
Education
Bachelor of Arts, Michigan
Latin American Studies
2006 – 2010
Doctor of Medicine, UIC
2013 – 2017
Recent Work
Generative Fatherhood, and expanding the circle of Maternal-Child health improvement to consider the health of Dads.
Leading the UIC Dads Study, exploring the experiences of fathers before and after their child is born. We are particularly curious if the Obstetrical prenatal visit or the pediatric well-child check could be an effective venue for screening fathers for undetected cardiovascular disease.
This work builds upon the larger enterprise of the UIC Two-Generation Health Clinic, a team focused on tackling the maternal health crisis by creating new models of care to improve the health of mothers and babies on the South and West Sides of Chicago.
We’ve published the early results of this work in an article entitled, “Screening fathers for postpartum depression in a maternal-child health clinic: a program evaluation in a midwest urban academic medical center” in the journal BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth. (PDF here)
This research has resonated with many people, and we’ve been excited to see this important issue getting attention across Chicago. Dr. Wainwright was recently interviewed by WBEZ’s Reset and the Chicago Tribune (for Father’s Day!)
The declining health of men, a complex interplay of forces
Why is the U.S. life expectancy gap between men and women widening?
Dr. Wainwright interviewed about the worsening health of men on WBEZ’s Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons.
“Why is the gender that has the most resources having worse health outcomes? That confounding is where the interesting questions come from.”
Implementing postpartum depression screening for fathers
Abstract presented at the Society for General Internal Medicine’s (SGIM) Annual Meeting, May 12, 2023
Results: Of the 29 fathers contacted, 89% agreed to screening (n=26) and 79% completed screening (n=23). Mean age was 31 years old (range 19-48). 86% identified as belonging to a racial or ethnic minority group. Fathers self-reported low rates of stress and preexisting mental health conditions, but 30% screened positive for PPD on EPDS (score of 8 or higher). Gaps in health care were found, as one-quarter (23%) of fathers were uninsured and half (52%) did not have a primary care provider
Poster presented at the Society for General Internal Medicine Annual Meeting 2023.
Evaluating disparities in cardiovascular risk management in the emergency department and post-discharge aftercare
A race- and gender-equity focused health system quality improvement analysis, supported by the The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois Health Equity Pilot Program
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