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Mentored Research

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Starting in May of Year 1, the fellows will attend a series of seminars to expose them to a variety of faculty mentors in the fields of clinical research, health outcomes research and basic cancer research. By September of Year 2, each fellow is expected to have interviewed with a number of potential mentors and have selected one mentor with which to continue studies. Between September and December of Year 2, fellows will meet periodically with the selected mentor to develop the research plan. In January of their Year 2 (Month 19), fellows are expected to begin a clinical or laboratory research project supervised by a faculty member from the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Feinberg School of Medicine, the Feinberg School of Medicine Institute for Healthcare Studies or another qualified mentor within Northwestern University including the faculty of Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering, The Kellogg School of Management, or Children's Memorial Research Center or Evanston Northwestern Research Institute The research plan is monitored by the fellow's faculty mentor and a committee consisting of two other faculty members including a) the Division Chief, Program Director or an Assistant Director and b) a third member of the faculty within or outside of the Division. With faculty guidance the trainees will be able to submit applications for extramural funding. Extensive support is available within the Division to identify fellowships such as those offered by the National Institutes of Health, American Cancer Society, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, American Society for Clincial Oncology, the American Society of Hematology as well as other foundations.

Clinical commitment in Phase II Includes a continuity Clinic at the NMFF or Jesse Brown VHA site for one half-day per week if laboratory research is pursued and 2-3 half –days if a clinical research track is pursued; fellows are encouraged to link this experience to their area of chosen research. In addition fellows take periodic weekend calls.

Fellows will be encouraged and supported to attend special AACR run workshops in either Methods of Clinical Cancer Research (if in the Clinical Research Track) or Molecular Biology of Clinical Oncology.  Fellows should note the due dates for these applications so they can carefully prepare their application materials with faculty guidance.

Each fellow, during their research training years, is also supported to attend one meeting per year, which may be ASH, ASCO, AACR or another meeting pertinent to their research program.

Clinical Research Track

The faculty of the Division include nationally and internationally-recognized clinical investigators known for their expertise in a various disease sites. These individuals are leaders who write the clinical practice guidelines promulgated by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and other organizations. Members of our faculty are leaders within the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group and other Cooperative Groups and have led pivotal clinical trials leading to changes in the way cancer medicine is practiced. Faculty members serve on the editorial boards of publications such as The Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Journal of Supportive Oncology, Clinical Breast Cancer and Cancer, Oncology, Clinical Cancer Research,Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. Faculty have the insight and ability to guide the trainee in identifying the critical clinical questions affecting patients, advice the trainee in the logistical issues involved in trial design, drug procurement and procedures and policies of the institutional review board and other regulatory agencies needed to actualize a clinical trial.

Clinical Mentors and Areas of Clinical Research

 
 
Breast Cancer
William S. Gradishar, MD
Mary Cianfrocca, DO
Jamie von Roenn, MD
 
Cancer Genetics
Virginia Kaklamani, MD
 
Chemoprevention
Raymond C. Bergan, MD
 
Gastrointestional Malignancy
Al Benson III, MD
 
Genito-Urinary Malignancy
Timothy Kuzel, MD
Gary MacVicar, MD
Head and Neck Cancer
Mark Agulnik, MD
 
Leukemia, Myelodysplasia and Myeloproliferative Disease
Elizabeth Eklund, MD
T-cell Leukemia/Lymphoma
Steven T. Rosen, MD
Timothy Kuzel, MD
 
 
Lung Cancer
Jyoti Patel, MD
 
Myeloma, Stem Cell Transplantation
Jayesh Mehta, MD
Seema Singhal, MD
 
Neuro-Oncology
Jeffrey Raizer, MD
 
 

Each fellow in the clinical research track is expected with faculty guidance to:

  • Develop a prospective or retrospective clinical research protocol
  • Pursue opportunities in advanced clinical research training, such as through the ASH-CRTI program and courses at the Northwestern University Graduate School, such as the Clinical Research and Regulatory Administration Certificate program. 
  •  Write a focused relevant review of the medical or scientific literature.
  • Prepare abstracts for presentation at national meetings.
  •  Submit applications for extramural funding.


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Basic Research Track

The Basic Research Program of the Division of Hematology/Oncology is robust and growing with nearly $10 million in research funding from the NIH, NCI, Department of Defense, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and other agencies. The divisional laboratories are located in the new Lurie research building as well as in the Olson Pavilion. Laboratories throughout the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, the School of Medicine and other Schools within Northwestern University are available to trainees. Mentors within the Division include internationally known basic researchers with a proven track record of development of physician-scientists. Members of the division serve as Editors and Editorial Board Members of Journals such as Oncogene, Blood and Cancer Research.

Divisional Basic Research Mentors

Raymond C. Bergan, MD - Invasion and Metastasis, Chemoprevention, Prostate Cancer

Chonghi, Cheng, MD, PhD - Fundamental mechanisms that govern breast tumor metastasis and recurrence
 
John Crispino, PhD - Transcriptional regulation of normal and malignant blood cell development

Elizabeth A. Eklund, MD - Signaling and Gene Regulation in Leukemia

Leo Gordon, MD - Induction of Apoptosis in Lymphoma

Jonathan D. Licht, MD - Aberrant Gene regulation in Hematological Malignancy, Molecular Biology of Cell
Signaling
 
Alexander C. Minella, MD - Cell cycle control mechanisms in normal and neoplastic hematopoiesis

Hidayatullah G. Munshi, MD - Molecular Basis of Invasion, Pancreatic Cancer

Leon C. Platanias, MD, PhD - Signaling pathways in leukemias and other hematological malignancies, Molecular Targeting in malignancies, Developmental Therapeutics

Steven T. Rosen, MD - Molecular Basis of Multiple Myeloma and CLL

Jindan Yu, MD, PhD - Genomic and epigenomic approaches to understanding prostate cancer regulation

Additional mentors include members of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and particularly participants in the NCI funded Oncology Training Program in Clinical Oncology Research. The Clinical Oncology Research Training Program (Steven T. Rosen, Program Leader, Robin Leikin, PhD- Administrative Director) of the Cancer Center enables four postdoctoral fellows per year to receive state-of-the-art training from mentors in five areas:

  • Cancer Biology
  • Viral Oncogenesis
  • Tumor Invasion, Metastasis and Angiogenesis
  • Hormones and Signal Transduction In Cancer
  • Cancer Genes and Molecular Regulation

    Each fellow in the basic research track is expected with faculty mentorship to:
  • Develop an independent laboratory research project
  • If needed for furthering goals of  research project, attend graduate courses in the Integrated Graduate Program of The Feinberg School of Medicine in Molecular and Cancer Biology
  • Publish research in peer-reviewed scientific journals
  • Prepare abstracts for presentation at national meetings
  • Submit applications for extramural funding
  • Participate in weekly seminar series in cancer biology, including a yearly presentation of their own work