Dr. Chahla’s Research Team 2022 – 2023
Anjay Batra
Research coordinator
Anjay Batra is a research coordinator for Dr. Jorge Chahla and Dr. Nikhil Verma at Midwestern Orthopaedics at Rush, in the division of sports medicine. Anjay is originally from Houston, Texas, and is currently a medical student at Baylor College of Medicine and a business student at the Rice University Jones Graduate School of Business. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Houston Honors College, majoring in Biomedical Sciences and completing his honors thesis in healthcare policy. He has past research experience in computational biology, healthcare law, quality improvement in transplantation surgery, medical education, and orthobiologic interventions. Anjay pursues his passion for orthopedics and academic medicine through orthopedic research, and is particularly interested in quality improvement and high-value care studies, health economics, and novel orthobiologic interventions. In his free time, Anjay enjoys running, hiking, exploring Chicago, attempting to cook, and rooting for the Houston Rockets. He looks forward to improving patient quality of life both as an orthopedic surgeon and through his pursuit of quality improvement and high-value care initiatives at an institutional level.
Garrett Jackson
Research coordinator
Garrett Jackson is a clinical research coordinator for Dr. Nikhil Verma and Dr. Jorge Chahla at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush University, Department of Sports Medicine. He is a current fourth year medical student at the American University of the Caribbean and is an alumna of North Carolina State University where he was a member of the Track and Field team. Throughout medical school, Garrett has published numerous research articles in the field of orthopaedics. One publication titled Graft Augmentation of Repairable Rotator Cuff Tears: An Algorithmic Approach Based on Healing Rates, assists the orthopaedic community in selecting the appropriate surgical treatment for rotator cuff repairs based on patient specific healing rates. Prior to medical school, Garrett was a medical device regional sales manager with ZimmerBiomet. During that time, he facilitated surgical residents’ training and procedures during cadaver labs. In addition, Garrett founded a medical device distributorship in 2018, which he continued to manage throughout medical school. Aspiring to become an orthopaedic surgeon, Garrett is committed to providing outstanding patient care, while continuing to advance the field through innovation, education, and advocacy. As an east coast native from North Carolina, he is excited to explore Chicago. In his free time, Garrett enjoys hiking with his rescue dog, beach volleyball, and eating tacos with his wife.
Harry Jawanda
Research coordinator
Harry Jawanda is a clinical research coordinator for Dr. Jorge Chahla and Dr. Nikhil Verma at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush within the sports medicine division. He is currently between his third and fourth years of medical school at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine and is an alumnus of the University of Michigan, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Movement Science. His previous research includes examining the effects of aerobic exercise on the inflammatory response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, as well as determining the efficacy of mental skills training in ameliorating the stress experienced by surgical trainees. Harry’s current research interests include the application of orthobiologics for degenerative disease, biomechanical analyses, and postoperative outcomes. In his free time, Harry enjoys hiking/backpacking, playing a variety of sports, and volunteering with local dog rescues. As a result of personal experience with sports-related orthopaedic injuries, Harry is passionate about improving the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries and hopes to do so through research and a future career in orthopaedic surgery.
Zeeshan Khan
Research coordinator
Zeeshan Khan is a clinical research coordinator for Dr. Jorge Chahla and Dr. Nikhil Verma at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush within the sports medicine division. He graduated from The University of Chicago in 2021, where he obtained a Bachelor’s of Arts in Neuroscience with Magna Cum Laude honors. During his undergraduate career, Zeeshan was a research assistant within UChicago’s Operative Performance Research Institute within the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine. His research interests include cadaveric biomechanics, clinical outcomes, and healthcare delivery science. Zeeshan hopes to pursue a career in medicine in the future by building on this experience. In his free time, Zeeshan enjoys playing basketball and rooting for his Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Browns.