Faculty
Brenda K. Fann, M.D., FAAFP
Director, Rush-Copley Family Medicine Residency Program, Assistant Professor, Rush Medical College
Dr. Brenda K. Fann is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and has always had an enthusiastic interest for teaching medical students and residents. Except for a two-year hiatus, Dr. Fann has been at our residency program and Assistant Professor at Rush Medical College since 2001.
Prior to that, she was Assistant Clinical Professor of Biomedical Sciences at the University of California in Riverside, California. There, her medical students awarded her the "Best Clinical 5th Year Professor". Inpatient medicine, case-based teaching rounds, interactive didactic lectures and evidence-based medicine are just a few of Dr. Fann's interests.
Besides her work in the residency program, Dr. Fann is Chair of the Credentials Committee for the hospital and was chosen by her peers to receive the Medical Staff Leadership Award for her work on this committee. Also active in her community, she is currently an Honorary Board Member after having served for years on the Board of Directors at a local free medical clinic. There, she created three chronic care clinics emphasizing education and compliance for asthmatic and hypertensive patients and was honored with the YWCA Women of Distinction Award and the Daily Points of Light Award for those accomplishments. Dr. Fann has also given several presentations to a variety of community groups on topics such as women and heart disease, alternatives to hormone replacement therapy, preventive medicine, well childcare, and cold & flu self-management.
Dr. Fann graduated in 1995 from the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford with Alpha Omega Alpha Honors. After completing her internship at St. Michael Hospital Family Practice Residency in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she graduated from Kaiser Permanente Family Practice Residency in Riverside, California.
Spending time with her family, reading, watching the St. Louis Cardinals and quilting are some of Dr. Fann's personal interests.
Majad Ali, M.D.
Family Medicine Faculty, Rush-Copley Family Medicine Residency Program
Dr. Ali has been at Rush-Copley since 2001, where he first started as a Family Medicine resident. He was selected as “Resident Teacher of the Year” by his fellow residents and medical students. Dr. Ali is one of our part-time adjunct faculty and has his own private practice. Dr. Ali likes performing in-office procedures such as joint injections and minor surgical procedures, which complement his interest in musculoskeletal medicine.
Dr. Ali graduated from UTESA (Universidad de Technologica de Santiago) and he is fluent in Spanish.
He is board certified in Family Medicine and is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
This year Dr. Ali was awarded the “Teacher of the Year” by the residents and he received the “2011 Nursing Award for Physician of the Year.”
Brett Cassidy, M.D.
Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty, Rush-Copley Family Medicine Residency Program
Dr. Cassidy is a board-certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist who has been practicing over for 10 years. Born in Madison, Connecticut, he received his undergraduate degree from Bucknell University and his medical degree from Emory University. Dr. Cassidy performed his residency at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago. He practiced as an Obstetrician in the United States Air Force and was stationed in Charleston, South Carolina for four years.
Dr. Cassidy has been practicing in Sandwich and Yorkville for two years. He resides in Yorkville with his wife and two daughters.
Natalie Choi, M.D.
Family Medicine Faculty, Rush-Copley Family Medicine Residency Program, Assistant Professor, Rush Medical College
Dr. Natalie Choi is a board-certified family physician who enjoys practicing full scope family medicine. She graduated from Southern Illinois University and completed her family medicine residency at the University of Missouri-Columbia. After graduation, she spent time practicing and teaching at both the University of Missouri and the University of Florida prior to coming to Rush-Copley.
Her clinical interest is women’s health, including prenatal care, gynecologic office procedures, and preventative medicine. A member of Society of Teachers for Family Medicine, she enjoys teaching residents and medical students both in the inpatient and outpatient setting. Dr. Choi is also interested in resident learning/education and how to best prepare future physicians as family medicine evolves as a specialty.
When not at work, she can be found relaxing at home with her husband, son, and 3 dogs. She enjoys running, cooking and traveling.
Nicole N. Costello, M.D.
Family Medicine Faculty, Rush-Copley Family Medicine Residency Program
Nicole N. Costello, M.D. is a board-certified family physician and member of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Born in Hinsdale, Illinois, she received her Bachelors Degree from Western Michigan University. She then matriculated from Ross University School of Medicine with High Honors and completed her residency at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital, serving as Chief Resident in her third year of residency. Upon completion of residency, she received the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine award for teaching of medical students and fellow residents.
Dr. Costello enjoys minor procedures, women’s health, prenatal care and preventative medicine. She holds certifications in CPR, ACLS, NRP and PALS. She enjoys educating medical students, residents and her patients. Some of her personal interests are spending time with her husband, playing with her dog, traveling and reading.
James Hawkins, D.O.
Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty, Rush-Copley Family Medicine Residency Program
Dr. Hawkins is a board-certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist who has been practicing over 19 years. Born in Evergreen Park, Illinois, he received his undergraduate degree from Illinois Benedictine College and his medical degree from Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Hawkins performed his Obstetrics & Gynecology residency at Cook County in Chicago.
He has been practicing in Sandwich and Yorkville for over 5 years. He resides in Yorkville with his wife and seven children.
Neha Kapil, M.D.
Family Medicine Faculty, Rush-Copley Family Medicine Residency Program
Neha Kapil, M.D., completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago and earned her medical degree from St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine in 2009. She graduated from the Rush-Copley Family Medicine Residency Program in 2012 where she served as Chief Resident during her final year.
Dr. Kapil currently practices with Yorkville Primary Care as a private attending physician offering the full scope of family medicine. She has a special interest in women’s health, preventive care and pediatrics. Dr. Kapil believes creating a sound rapport with patients and family keeps patients involved in their healthcare and healing process. She has an interest in teaching and enjoys working with the residents.
Garrett Katula, D.O.
Family Medicine Faculty, Rush-Copley Family Medicine Residency Program
Dr. Katula completed his undergraduate at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. He graduated with Honors from Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1993 and completed his residency at LaGrange Family Medicine Residency, where he was their Chief Resident.
Dr. Katula has been on the medical staff of Rush-Copley Medical Center since 1996 and has been a teaching attending on the inpatient medicine service since the inception of the resident program. Recently, Dr. Katula has been a part-time preceptor in our Family Medicine Center. Dr. Katula is currently the Department Chair of Family Medicine at Rush-Copley since 2009 and also is the Medical Director at the Yorkville Primary Care Center.
Dr. Katula is active in youth sports, coaching baseball and football. He serves as the medical advisor for the Yorkville Youth Tackle Football team.
Maria Lasher, D.O.
Family Medicine Faculty, Rush-Copley Family Medicine Residency Program
Dr. Lasher practices broad spectrum family medicine with the exception of obstetrics, and is board certified in family medicine. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Purdue University in 1980 in Industrial Management. After a successful career in business, she returned to school and earned her medical degree from Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2002. Dr. Lasher completed her residency in family medicine at Rush-Copley Medical Center where she was Chief Resident. She has been a faculty member since 2005, except for a 2 year hiatus when she worked as a locums physician in various clinic and hospital settings.
Dr. Lasher was honored as the recipient of the 2012 Physician Promise Award. She was nominated by her peers for exemplifying the Rush-Copley Promise which demonstrates respectful, kind and compassionate care to patients, families, and colleagues.
Dr. Lasher is a professional member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and holds certifications in Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Advanced Trauma Life Support. She is interested in all aspects of family medicine, especially preventative medicine, women’s health and rural medicine.
Dr. Lasher continues to travel to clinics in rural locations of the western United States where she also works as a locum tenens physician.
Lorna H. London, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist, Rush-Copley Family Medicine Residency Program
Dr. London received her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Iowa in 1989 and her Ph.D. in Clinical-Community Psychology from the University of South Carolina. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Institute for Juvenile Research at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she received extensive training in child and family therapy. She received her post-doctoral training at the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago, and later served as their Director of Behavioral Medicine.
Dr. London, a licensed clinical psychologist, has experience in the areas of pain management, behavioral medicine, psychological assessment, multicultural counseling and individual and family therapy.
She has co-authored articles which have been published in Advanced Medicine Journal, Headache Quarterly, Current Pain and Science Reports, and the Journal for Prevention and Intervention in the Community. She recently edited a chapter in the Pearls of Wisdom: Family Medicine Board Review. She is a member of the American Psychological Association and the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA). Dr. London is currently the Project Director for the B-HIP program, a pediatric mental health program funded by the Illinois Children's Healthcare Foundation.
Dr. London provides mental health services to patients in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation unit, and on other units at Rush-Copley. Dr. London is a regular presenter at regional and national conferences, and also offers lectures to the community to promote health and wellness. Dr. London brings to Rush-Copley years of experience as an educator and clinician, and coordinates the behavioral science and community medicine curriculum for our residency. She regularly contributes to the educational lecture series, conducts Balint Group sessions, supervises residents and psychology practicum students, and organizes ongoing clinical experiences in the community to enhance the behavioral medicine experiences for the residents.
Dr. London enjoys baking, cycling, scrapbooking and spending time with her husband and three young children.
Tina Mattera, M.D.
Psychiatrist, Rush-Copley Family Medicine Residency Program
Tina Mattera, M.D., is a board-certified Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatrist. She provides psychiatric care for children, adolescents and adults covering a broad range of diagnoses.
Dr. Mattera completed her adult psychiatry training at NYU/Bellevue Hospital (intern year) and Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center. Her Child and Adolescent Fellowship was completed at the University of Chicago. During her Fellowship, she worked with Catherine Lord, Ph.D., Bennett Leventhal, M.D. and Edwin Cook, M.D., in a specialty clinic for Autistic Spectrum Disorders. She also received extensive experience in the assessment of very young children.
A long time believer in community service, Dr. Mattera has worked in various capacities to promote public, general and mental health both locally and internationally for twenty-four years. She is on the Medical Board of Directors for Amigos de las Americas, a nonprofit public health organization based in Texas. She provides mental health consultation for volunteers who work with this group. As a high school and then a college student, she spent four summers in Latin America working with various Ministries of Health on behalf of Amigos.
In her free time, she enjoys cooking, yoga, squash and spending time with her husband and four children.
Gregory Milani, M.D.
Family Medicine Faculty, Rush-Copley Family Medicine Residency Program
Dr. Milani completed his undergraduate studies at University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana and subsequently graduated from Loyola University Medical Center in June of 1992. Dr. Milani is an advocate for finding ways to improve the care of our patients and remains active in several hospital committees. He currently serves as the Chair of the Medication Safety Committee and has been a teaching attending for the Rush-Copley Family Medicine Residency program since its inception.
Dr. Milani has been with Rush-Copley Medical Center for over 13 years. Currently serving as the Medical Director of Rush Copley Primary Care Associates, Dr. Milani’s interactive, good-natured and friendly personality keep patients devoted to his practice. From pediatrics to general medicine and health maintenance, he has the tools and expertise to care for the entire family.
In 2001 and 2009, Dr. Milani received the “Teacher of the Year” award and recently was the recipient of the “2011 Medical Staff Quality/Safety Award.”
Danielle Novella, M.D.
Family Medicine Faculty, Rush-Copley Family Medicine Residency Program
Dr. Novella is a Board Certified Family Medicine Physician with the Rush-Copley Medical Group. As such, he specializes in treating people of all ages. This includes newborns, the elderly, and women's health. He graduated medical school from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine in 2009 and graduated from the Family Medicine Residency Program here at Rush-Copley Medical Center in 2012.
Deepak S. Patel, M.D., FAAFP, FACSM
Director of Sports Medicine, Rush-Copley Family Medicine Residency Program
Dr. Patel is board certified in family medicine and primary care sports medicine. Prior to joining Rush Copley, Dr. Patel was Associate Director at Flower Hospital Family Medicine Residency and The Toledo Hospital Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship in Ohio.
Dr. Patel was honored as the recipient of the 2012 Julius S. Newman, M.D. Education Award which honors outstanding commitment to the education of physicians as exemplified by the late Julius S. Newman, M.D. by his dedication to the continuing education of fellow physicians and healthcare professionals.
He enjoys many aspects of family medicine and sports medicine, including his special interests in evidence based medicine and preventive medicine. He has authored, mentored, and served as section editor for several publications and textbooks on family medicine, but more often on sports medicine topics. He lectures on sports medicine topics at the annual AAFP Scientific Assembly in addition to local and regional CME events. He maintains a private practice in family and sports medicine in Yorkville. Currently, he is also the team physician for Plano and Oswego High Schools. Throughout his career, he has served as team physician for High Schools, Division-I Universities, and Semi Professional sports teams.
He completed his family medicine residency at University of Illinois College of Medicine in Rockford and also served as chief resident. Subsequently, he completed his primary care sports medicine fellowship at University of Michigan. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, education committee member of American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, member of the American College of Sports Medicine, and Assistant Professor at Rush Medical College. He also serves as Chair of the CME committee for Rush-Copley Medical Center.
