The Scholars Exchange

The Scholars Exchange is a quarterly conversation series that highlights early-career and rising faculty whose work advances health equity through research, education, and community engagement. 

At its core, The Scholars Exchange defines scholarship as the intentional creation, application, and dissemination of knowledge that contributes to a more just and equitable health system. By elevating emerging scholars whose ideas reflect a deep commitment to improving health outcomes, engaging communities, and producing impactful scholarship, this series aims to foster dialogue, promote learning, and strengthen our collective ability to advance health for all.

This series focuses on:

  • Spotlighting early-career scholars driving meaningful change in health outcomes and communities.

  • Leveraging scholarship to create, apply, and share knowledge that builds a more just and equitable health system.

  • Encouraging knowledge as action, highlighting work that leads to tangible impact.

  • Fostering dialogue and collaborative learning to strengthen efforts toward advancing health for all.

Upcoming Dates

Dates for these 60-minute in-person sessions will be held throughout the academic year. This calendar will be updated as new dates are added. Admission is complimentary, but advance registration is required, as space is limited.

A table showing dates, times and details for sessions
Dates and Times Session Details

Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025

1:00 - 2:00 PM

Searle Seminar Room

Intersections of Equity: Rural Cancer Health as a Model for Collaborative Solutions

Featuring:

Marquita Lewis, PhD; Assistant Professor, Medical Social Sciences and Co-Assistant Director, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center

This interactive discussion explores how health equity research can advance through innovative collaborations. Drawing from Dr. Lewis’s rural health research, she will share models that have successfully fostered cross-sector partnerships to conduct health equity research. With the audience, Dr. Lewis will reflect on the institutional resources and supports needed to strengthen and expand rural health research across the university, fostering a more coordinated and sustainable approach to advancing rural health research at Northwestern.

Monday, Jan. 26, 2026

2:00 - 3:00 PM

Simpson Querrey Auditorium

Register to attend!

Advancing Cardiovascular Health from People to Places to Populations

Featuring: 

Nilay Shah, MD, MPH; Assistant Professor of Cardiology, Preventive Medicine, and Medical Social Sciences; preventive cardiologist in the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern; and Gilbert S. Omenn Fellow at the National Academy of Medicine

Heart health is shaped not only in clinical settings, but also within communities and across populations. In this session, Dr. Shah will share his research group’s approach to advancing cardiovascular health across individuals, neighborhoods, and populations through community partnerships, policy evaluation, and evidence-based interventions.

Add this event to your calendar.

Questions

For more information about the Scholars Exchange, please contact us at feinberghealthequity@northwestern.edu.