Cesar
Barrabi
Cesar Barrabi
- Campus: IllinoisCOM
- Department: Medical Education
- Institution: The Chicago School
Biography
Cesar Barrabi, PhD, serves as an Assistant Professor of Physiology at the Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine at The Chicago School. He is the Course Director for the Cardiopulmonary Systems course and the Endocrine and Metabolism course. His teaching focuses on helping students connect physiology to clinical reasoning through active learning, clear expectations, and assessments that support success on COMLEX-USA.
Before joining IllinoisCOM, Dr. Barrabi taught physiology across multiple organ system blocks in an MD program and previously taught undergraduate anatomy and physiology. His scholarly work spans physiology education and public health, with particular interest in special populations and health and policy trends in the Caribbean. He continues to publish in these areas as part of his ongoing academic work.
Dr. Barrabi also serves as a reviewer for the American Journal of Physiology Advances, PLOS, and Cureus. He is committed to creating a supportive, structured learning environment where students can build confidence and thrive in the foundational sciences.
Education History
Degree Institution Year B.A. in Psychology Florida International University , Miami, FL 2016 PhD in Physiology Wayne State University , Detroit, MI 2022 Professional Memberships
Role Organization Committee member American Phsyiological Society Reviewer American Journal of Physiology Reviewer PLOS Global Public Health Reviewer Cureus Publications
Journal Barrabi, C., & Foster, C. (2025). Elevated cardiovascular risk factors and chronic disease mortality in the Caribbean: A Cross-Sectional Study. PLOS Global public Health, 5 (9), e0005209.
Barrabi C, Fowler A (2025). Caribbean Women Face Higher Obesity and Diabetes Amid Socioeconomic Struggles. Cureus, 17 (8), e91259.
Barrabi C, Adams C, Elci O C (2025). Understanding Diabetes and Obesity in The Bahamas Through International Comparison of Health, Economic, and Policy Indicators. Cureus, 17 (8), e91036.
Barrabi, C (2025). Redesigning medical education: inclusive strategies for nontraditional medical students in flipped classrooms and integrated curricula. Advances in Physiology Education, 49 (4),
Barrabi, C., & Derricott, H. (2025). Teaching renal physiology through a flipped classroom: Integrating active learning and clinical context in an organ system-based curriculum.. Advances in Physiology Education, 49(3) , 812–816.
Barrabi, C., Zhang, K., Liu, M., & Chen, X (2023). Pancreatic Beta Cell ER Export in Health and Diabetes. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 14 , 1155779.
Zhu, R., Li, X., Xu, J., Barrabi, C., Kekulandara, D., Woods, J., & Liu, M. (2019). Defective Endoplasmic Reticulum Export Causes Proinsulin Misfolding in Pancreatic β Cells. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, , 110470.