Family and Community Medicine to host Nixon Lecture
Join the Department of Family and Community Medicine as they host the Sam and Elizabeth Nixon Lectureship in Family Medicine at 1 p.m. May 13 in MSB 2.135 and via Zoom.
Zoom Meeting Number: 161 688 4156
Zoom Password: 339830
Keynote speaker for the 2026 lecture is Evelyn Figueroa, MD, professor of family and community medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago. Figueroa will present on “Extending Beyond Medical Dispositions: Exploring and Utilizing Your Community’s Safety Net.”
In addition to her role, Figueroa serves as the founder and executive director of the Figueroa Wu Family Foundation, an antipoverty organization that operates the Pilsen Food Pantry as its largest program. The program provides access to food, clothing, medical supplies, and more to nearly 200,000 local households.
In 2023, Figueroa supported new emergency Chicago shelters and profoundly expanded her nonprofit services. Together with a team of physicians, healthcare students, and additional volunteers, the Mobile Migrant Health Team was created and provided more than 9,000 medical assessments in just seven months.
Over the course of her career, Figueroa has received numerous awards for her teaching and advocacy work. In 2023 she was named one of the Chicagoans of the Year by Chicago Magazine, and in 2024, she was honored with an Illinois Academy of Family Physicians President’s Award.
Figueroa earned her medical degree from the University of Illinois Chicago in 1999 before completing residency training in family medicine at Lutheran General Hospital. In 2007, Figueroa completed the University of Illinois Chicago Scholars for Teaching Excellence Faculty Fellowship.
The lecture is named in honor of Dr. Sam Nixon and his wife Elizabeth. Nixon was a distinguished family physician, educator, and national leader in medical education. Following military service in the U.S. Army Medical Corps during the Korean War, Nixon spent two decades practicing family medicine before joining the faculty at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston in 1977.
Throughout his distinguished career, Nixon would serve in key leadership roles, including director of the Division of Continuing Education and assistant dean for continuing education, helping shape physician training and lifelong learning. A past president of both the Texas Medical Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians, he was widely recognized for his contributions to medical education, public health, and advocacy.