As a physician, certified health education specialist, and instructor at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria, Dr. Gauri K. Shevatekar is involved with teaching, community service and research focused on population and community health. She works closely with program directors and faculty to tailor curricula to program-specific needs and serves as a consultant for the Rural Student Physician Program, focused on helping physicians become leaders in population-based research, advocacy and policymaking.
Within the Department of Graduate Medical Education, Dr. Shevatekar developed a unique curriculum on health and healthcare disparities which she has been teaching to residents since August 2019. She also designed the community health elective, a two-week, immersive community engagement experience to improve residents’ understanding of the population they serve, and initiated a monthly newsletter as part of the curriculum. Within the Department of Family and Community Medicine, she is focused on expanding research and scholarship. Along with developing her own projects, she leads the Departmental Research Committee and assists faculty members, residents and students in formulating and implementing research studies.
In addition to co-authoring articles on the opioid epidemic and trends in overweight and obesity reporting, Dr. Shevatekar has been a volunteer abstract reviewer for the American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting and Expo and a film reviewer for its Global Public Health Film Festival. She has also volunteered in an initiative to prevent domestic violence against women.
In 2019, Dr. Shevatekar was the founding and organizing member of Peoria’s first-ever Community Baby Shower, an event designed to provide resources, education and support to new and would-be parents. She was one of 12 members of Cohort 10 for the 2020-21 Caterpillar Faculty Scholars Fellowship Program and is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in public health at Georgia Southern University, where she has consistently been recognized for academic excellence. PM
