The Pritzker School of Medicine Pediatrics Interest Group (PInG) on Tuesday received the 2025 Pediatric Interest Group of the Year Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
The annual award recognizes a pediatric interest group from a national candidate pool for its excellence in interest group programming and involvement in the AAP Section on Pediatric Trainees (SOPT) annual advocacy campaign. The group will be recognized in September at the AAP National Conference in Denver.
Advised by Lolita Alkureishi, MD, Poj Lysouvakon, MD, Erin King, MD, and Simon Parzen-Johnson, MD, PInG has expanded its programming in the past year to include state level pediatric advocacy, simulation experiences for medical students, increased mentorship opportunities, and connection with pediatric interest groups at other Chicago medical schools.
“The students on the board have worked so hard this year to build up their presence at Pritzker and beyond, and the opportunities they have created for themselves and peers to get more involved and learn about pediatrics have been outstanding,” Lysouvakon said. “As their advisors, we are so proud to see their hard work recognized with his award, and we’re even prouder of the incredible work they are doing to promote interest in pediatrics and to have a tangible impact on the pediatric population of the South Side and across the state.”
PInG is currently led by rising second-year students Daniel Chambers, Michelle Du, Alp Koksal, and Mahima Sinha.
In a significant first for the group in April, members of PInG joined the Illinois Chapter of the AAP to advocate at the state capital in Springfield. There they met with Illinois state representatives to support key children's health initiatives, including access to vaccines, safe firearm storage requirements, and funding for the Reach out and Read program, which promotes literacy and childhood development through book distribution.
In November of last year, PInG hosted a hands-on skills session at the UChicago Simulation Center to offer a pre-clerkship opportunity for first- and second-year students to gain exposure to pediatric resuscitation. Based on the response, the group plans to hold three more simulation experiences in the coming year.
PInG also cultivated opportunities for increased mentorship between UChicago pediatricians and Pritzker students through a faculty-student meet-and-greet event and this summer has launched PInG@Home, a series in which faculty will host small group dinners. Other initiatives in the past year have included a Pathway to Pediatrics panel featuring several pediatric specialists, a health fair for parents and children promoting home safety, nutrition, and vaccine access, and the Chicagoland Pediatric Interest Supergroup, a networking effort to connect and learn with fellow pediatric interest groups from across the city.