This panel focuses on how to make the most of the Innovation Day experience as a jumping off point for your next exciting research project or creative endeavor. We will talk about practical ways to make connections, build collaborative teams, and seek out internal and external support for your ideas. 

Keynote Speaker and Moderator:
Sarah Weisz
Grant Writer Office of Research Services, DePaul University

Sarah Weisz is the Grant Writer in the Office of Research Services at DePaul. In that role, she offers grant writing support for the narrative portions of proposals to federal agencies and other governmental funders, with a special focus on projects that are multidisciplinary in nature or that involve partnerships between DePaul and other institutions. Sarah works directly with faculty and staff to develop innovative program and proposal ideas, and offers multiple grant writing workshops and support cohorts each year.

Panelist:
Maria Ferrera
Associate Professor
College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences 

Maria Joy Ferrera is an Associate Professor within DePaul University’s Department of Social Work and Co-Director of the Center for Community Health Equity (CCHE), a partnership between DePaul and Rush University to promote health equity. She is Co-Founder and interim Executive Director of the Coalition for Immigrant Mental Health (CIMH), a collaborative, community based and research informed initiative that is a partnership between immigrants regardless of status, mental health practitioners, community organizers, researchers, and allies. Her community-based research and practice focuses on health equity within black and brown communities and centers the narratives of asylum seekers, immigrant youth and their families. Dr. Ferrera is currently working with Documentary Filmmaker and Professor Anuradha Rana and Community Partner Johannes Favi from Illinois Community for Displaced Immigrants to employ documentary filmmaking within her research as a medium to promote immigrant rights. This work has been supported by DePaul’s Urban Community Collaborative Research Initiative, the Provost’s Collaborative Research grant, and the Social Transformation and Research Collaborative Professional Development Fellowship funded by the Mellon Foundation.

Panelist:
John Mazzeo
Associate Professor
College Science & Health

John Mazzeo is a medical anthropologist focused on addressing health inequalities through the lens of social determinants of health. His research spans diverse settings, including Chicago and international sites like Haiti, the Bahamas, and Zimbabwe. Collaborating with community-based partners, he aims to translate research findings into actionable solutions. In global health, Dr. Mazzeo’s work tackles critical issues such as food insecurity, HIV/AIDS, livelihood systems, and humanitarian assistance, particularly through field research in Haiti and Zimbabwe. In Chicago, he explores food insecurity and public health interventions, fostering partnerships with Sinai Health and Rush University. He has played an active role in health initiatives at DePaul University, helping to establish new collaborations with Sinai Health and Rush University, as well as contributing to the formation of the DePaul Health Committee for Faculty Council. Currently, Dr. Mazzeo is funded by an NSF grant that leverages community health worker insights to develop an AI system aimed at reducing emergency room readmissions by identifying patients at the highest risk.

Panelist:
Bamshad Mobasher
Professor
Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media 

Bamshad Mobasher is a professor of Computer Science and the director of the Center for Web Intelligence at DePaul University’s Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media in Chicago. He is also the founding director of the DePaul AI Institute, an institute with the mission to promote interdisciplinary research and educational programs surrounding the promises and challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence. Dr. Mobasher received his Ph.D. in Computer Science at Iowa State University in 1994. His general research interests include artificial intelligence and machine learning. In particular, he is considered one of the leading authorities in recommender systems and algorithmic personalization. He has published 5 books and over 300 scientific articles on topics related to the applications of AI and machine learning in predictive user modeling, automatic personalization, and recommender systems. As the director of the Center for Web Intelligence, he directs research in these areas and regularly works with the industry on various joint projects.