Our Team
Lauren Broucek, APN, FNP-BC
Lauren is an Adult Nurse Practitioner supporting the outpatient vascular surgery team. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Grand Valley State University and Masters of Science in Nursing from Northern Illinois University. A fun fact about Lauren: she went to college on an athletic scholarship for softball and was a pitcher for 12 years.
Katy Carey, MSN, APN
Katy is an Adult Nurse Practitioner who supports the inpatient vascular surgery team. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from ISU and Masters of Science in Nursing from University of Illinois at Chicago. Her current interests include astrology/astronomy.
Allison Chapman, APRN
Allison is an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner who supports the inpatient vascular surgery team. She received her Bachelors of Nursing from Winston Salem State University and her Doctorate of Nursing Practice from the University of Illinois Chicago. She is an avid swimmer and runner and loves to bake.
Christina Dailey, BSN, RN
Christina is a Registered Nurse who supports the outpatient vascular surgery team. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Winona State University. Christina is a proud dog mom and loves spending time with her pup, Rowdy!
Phyllis Donnan, RN
Phyllis is a long-time nurse, working in Vascular wearing many hats over the past 49 years, and graduated from Wesley Passavant School of Nursing. When not at work, she enjoys spending time with her 2 children and 3 grandchildren, cooking, reading, and staying active by sailing and cycling.
Kara Easton, MSN, APRN
Kara Easton, MSN, APRN, is an Adult Nurse Practitioner with the Vascular Surgery team at Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital. She earned her BSN from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and her MSN from North Park University, building extensive experience as an operating room nurse, nurse clinician, and vascular surgery nurse before joining Northwestern Medicine. Kara provides inpatient and outpatient care for patients with a wide range of vascular conditions and also specializes in sclerotherapy treatments.
Rita Herm-Barabasz, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC
Rita is an Adult Nurse Practitioner who supports the inpatient vascular surgery team. She earned multiple nursing degrees and certifications, including a Doctor of Nursing Practice, and joined Northwestern after working with a private GI/Biliary specialist before returning to surgical services. Rita has been a dedicated member of the vascular surgery team, providing expert inpatient care as one of the division’s nurse practitioners.
Sonam Kumar, PA-C, MS
Sonam is a Physician Assistant who supports the outpatient vascular surgery team. She received a Bachelor of Science in Physiological Science from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Master of Medical Science in Physician Assistant Studies from Tuft University School of Medicine. Sonam enjoys reading, crafting, and hiking with her family.
Kevin J Lapp, PA-C
Kevin is a Physician Assistant who supports the inpatient vascular surgery team. He received his bachelor's degree in molecular and cellular biology from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and his master's of Medical Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies from Dominican University. Kevin enjoys cycling around the Chicagoland area and in 2023 he rode his bike across Iowa.
Sawyer Lutz, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC
Sawyer is an Adult Nurse Practitioner supporting the outpatient vascular surgery team. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Kentucky and her Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Rush University. Originally from North Carolina, she has called Chicago her home since 2015. Her interest includes traveling and cooking.
Brianna Martinek, BSN, RN
Brianna is the aortic nurse coordinator supporting the vascular surgery team. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Valparaiso University.
Matt Meador, MSN, APN
Matt is an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner supporting the outpatient vascular surgery clinic. He received his Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Masters of Science in Nursing from University of Illinois at Chicago.
Bolica Ok, BSN
Bolica earned her BSN from the University of Memphis and started her nursing career at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare before joining St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Bolica's background includes BMT, pre-op, and PACU nursing, and she's excited to continue growing her career in vascular surgery. When not at work, Bolica is usually spending time with family, trying a new recipe, discovering new places, or going to the movies.
Jennifer Schroeder, MSN, APN
Jennifer is an Adult Nurse Practitioner supporting the inpatient vascular surgery team. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Northern Michigan University and Masters of Science in Nursing from University of Illinois at Chicago.