Marita Kametas

Marita Kametas, DNP, MPH, MSN, APN, COCN is an IBD and Ostomy Specialist at UChicago Medicine, where she provides expert care to adults living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A nationally recognized leader in advanced practice provider (APP) education and program development, she serves as Advanced Practice Provider Program Director for the UChicago IBD Center, Director of the IBD APP Fellowship Program, and Manager of Gastroenterology APP Services at the University of Chicago.
Marita is deeply committed to advancing health and gender equity through clinical care, education, and systems-level innovation. She has earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice and a Master of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, with a focus on women’s leadership, health equity, and food insecurity—key drivers of disparities in chronic disease outcomes.
As the Founding Director of ChatAPP: IBD Case Series by APPs for APPs, Marita has created a globally accessible, interactive case-based learning platform that democratizes high-quality IBD education for APPs across the globe. Through this initiative and her national mentorship work with the Crohn’s and Colitis APP community, she is expanding access to specialized knowledge and empowering clinicians to deliver more equitable, patient-centered care.
She has been recognized with numerous honors, including Distinguished APP at the University of Chicago (2023, 2024), the National APP Week Rising Star Award (2024), Illinois Nurses Foundation 40 Under 40 (2025), and Outstanding APP Innovator at the University of Chicago (2025) and the American Gastroenterology Association Beacon of Hope: Gender and Health Equity Award in 2026.

Dr. Jennifer Cao completed her medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine, followed by an Internal Medicine internship at Carolinas Medical Center, and ophthalmology residency at the University of Colorado. She then completed a fellowship in Uveitis and Ocular Immunology at the Massachusetts Eye and Surgery Institution (MERSI) with Dr. Stephen Foster, who is widely regarded as the “father” of modern uveitis care.
Dr. Cao is a board certified ophthalmologist and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. She is one of the rare uveitis specialists whose practice is 100% comprised of uveitis and ocular inflammatory disease patients, and who also manages the full spectrum of immunomodulatory therapies for her patients.

Marita Kametas, DNP, MPH, MSN, APN, COCN is an IBD and Ostomy Specialist at UChicago Medicine, where she provides expert care to adults living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A nationally recognized leader in advanced practice provider (APP) education and program development, she serves as Advanced Practice Provider Program Director for the UChicago IBD Center, Director of the IBD APP Fellowship Program, and Manager of Gastroenterology APP Services at the University of Chicago.
Marita is deeply committed to advancing health and gender equity through clinical care, education, and systems-level innovation. She has earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice and a Master of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, with a focus on women’s leadership, health equity, and food insecurity—key drivers of disparities in chronic disease outcomes.
As the Founding Director of ChatAPP: IBD Case Series by APPs for APPs, Marita has created a globally accessible, interactive case-based learning platform that democratizes high-quality IBD education for APPs across the globe. Through this initiative and her national mentorship work with the Crohn’s and Colitis APP community, she is expanding access to specialized knowledge and empowering clinicians to deliver more equitable, patient-centered care.
She has been recognized with numerous honors, including Distinguished APP at the University of Chicago (2023, 2024), the National APP Week Rising Star Award (2024), Illinois Nurses Foundation 40 Under 40 (2025), and Outstanding APP Innovator at the University of Chicago (2025) and the American Gastroenterology Association Beacon of Hope: Gender and Health Equity Award in 2026.

Hannah Rodriguez, MPAS, PA-C is a dermatology Physician Assistant (PA) working outside of Philadelphia at Pennsylvania Dermatology Group. Hannah completed her undergraduate studies at The University of Kentucky, and received her Master of Physician Assistant Studies at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in 2014.

Hannah previously served as President of the Pennsylvania Dermatology Physician Assistants, and prior to this role she served as Secretary/Treasurer for 4 years. She has also been on the Board of Directors for the National Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants (SDPA) serving as Director at Large. In 2019 she was voted “Committee Chair of the Year” by the SDPA after serving as Legislative Committee Chair where she organized a day on Capital Hill for Dermatology PAs.

She has been published in academic journals, lectured for national conferences and educational podcasts, as well as developing a regional CME Conference to educate the Advanced Practice Dermatology Providers of the Tri-State area of Philadelphia.