Sameer Vohra, MD

Sameer Vohra, MD, JD, MA, FAAP is the Founding Chair of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine’s (SIU SOM) Department of Population Science and Policy, a social mission focused research and policy academic department, aiming to improve health outcomes in central and southern Illinois. A general pediatrician, Dr. Vohra is also an Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Public Health, Medical Humanities, and Law. Dr. Vohra completed a residency in pediatrics at the University of Chicago. He earned a Master of Arts in public policy at the University of Chicago, a medical doctorate at SIU SOM, a juris doctorate, graduating first in his class, at SIU School of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Science in Human Culture with honors at Northwestern University.

Dr. Vohra has received several honors, including a United States Fulbright Scholarship in 2009, a 2014 American Medical Association Foundation’s Excellence in Medicine Leadership Award, named an Edgar Fellow in 2016, is one of 40 emerging political and policy leaders in Illinois, awarded a Friend of Education by the Illinois Education Association in 2018 and was named to the de Beaumont Foundation’s first national 40 under 40 list in public health in 2019. Most recently, Dr. Vohra was named a Presidential Leadership Scholar in 2020, chosen by the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the Clinton Presidential Center, the George and Barbara Bush Foundation, and the LBJ Foundation.

Dr. Vohra is a leader in state and national policy formation, having served on national committees for the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Medical Association, as well as on the Board of Trustees for the Illinois State Medical Society and the Chicago Medical Society. Dr. Vohra currently serves the state of Illinois as the Interim Chair of the Children’s Mental Health Partnership. He also serves on the Illinois State Board of Health, Medicaid Advisory Committee, the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council, and recently completed his term on the Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund Steering Committee. Closer to home, Dr. Vohra continues to be active in organized medicine, by sitting on the Sangamon County Medical Society Board of Directors.

Dr. Vohra enjoys spending time with his talented wife and two amazing daughters. They enjoy reading, watching movies, traveling, and rooting for their beloved Chicago sports teams.