About the BIGG ELIMINATION TRIBUTE PROJECT

The Caring Ambassadors Program was initially awarded a grant in July 2019 from the Chicago Department of Public Health to develop the  curriculum and train Chicago-based healthcare providers. In partnership with the Chicago Recovery Alliance, the Caring Ambassadors HCV Program team developed and refined the curriculum with a particular focus on harm reduction.

Photo: Nigel Brunsdon

The Caring Ambassadors Program worked with Dan on HCV elimination advocacy and education and chose him as the program tributary. Dan was a fierce advocate for HCV elimination and was the Executive Director of the Chicago Recovery Alliance for 25 years before he died in August 2018. In 2017, Dan was awarded Chicagoan of the Year and was known as the godfather of naloxone. It is with Dan’s spirit in mind that this curriculum was built – nothing about us without us. We miss you, Dan.

Our Presenters

Andrew Aronsohn, MD – Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Chicago Medical Center

Andrew Aronsohn is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Center for Liver Diseases at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Dr. Aronsohn is also a faculty member at the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago. Aronsohn is the co-principal investigator of HepCCATT, a CDC funded initiative to diagnose, link to care and treat HCV in the Chicago area. This project utilizes telehealth technology to expand HCV management into the primary care setting.  Dr. Aronsohn is the co-lead of the treatment experienced section of the AASLD / IDSA HCV guidance writing committee as was a member of National Academies of Medicine committee which wrote “A National Strategy for the Elimination of Hepatitis B and C”.  He also has a busy clinical practice, which includes both general and transplant hepatology.

Jill Wolf, LCSW – Hepatitis C Program Director, Caring Ambassadors Program

Jill Wolf is the Hepatitis C Program Director with the Caring Ambassadors Program and works to empower people and communities to be ambassadors for their health. Jill engages with key hepatitis C players including politicians, patients, and their families, providers, and system administrators to understand and respond to the challenges posed by the virus at the individual, community, state, and national levels. For the past five years, Jill has served as Addiction Consultant on the University of Chicago’s telehealth ECHO (Extension for Community Health Outcomes) program and helped train over 250 providers in hepatitis C care in the Chicagoland area. Jill holds a Master of Social Work degree from the Catholic University of America and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker clinically trained in treating survivors of trauma and provides holistic approaches to healing through her private practice

Acknowledgements

• Dan Bigg
• Karen Bigg
• Chicago Recovery Alliance
• Melissa Hernandez
• Sarah Stolz
• Peter Moinichen
• Cheri Curry
• Cliff Sanchez
• Alex Mathiesen
• Laura Fry
• Luke Tomsha
• Peter McLoyd
• Juanita Dupree
• Mental Health America of the North Shore