Pulmonary Disease & Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Program

Our fellowship program provides rigorous training in clinical pulmonary and critical care medicine and in cutting-edge basic lung biology and translational/clinical investigation. The program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The accredited program is three years in length; extended training beyond this term is available for those seeking academic careers focused on research.

The first year of the program is devoted to clinical training, encompassing inpatient and outpatient pulmonary medicine and intensive care medicine. During the initial year, fellows receive extensive training in pulmonary procedures, including but not limited to, bronchoscopy, thoracentesis, chest tube placement, airway management, right heart catheterization, ECMO management, and performance and interpretation of pulmonary function tests. The second year of the program is devoted to original research, which the fellow performs under the direction of a faculty mentor and other research advisors. The third year of training involves a mix of continued research and advanced clinical training, tailored to the fellow’s individual career trajectory. Each fellow maintains a continuity outpatient clinic for one-half day per week for the duration of the fellowship.

The program also includes a robust didactic curriculum. Our conferences include pulmonary and MICU morning reports, journal clubs, M&M, grand rounds, ICU quality outcomes, research conferences, and subspecialty specific conferences such as for ECMO and interstitial lung disease. We have a robust faculty-led Academic Half Day once monthly for which all fellows are relieved from clinical service to attend. These sessions are interactive and cover various core topics within the specialty. Fellows have protected time to attend and present at our clinical and research conferences throughout the three years.

Simulation is also an important component of our fellowship. We provide simulation training for bronchoscopy, mechanical ventilation, point-of-care ultrasound, thoracentesis, chest tube placement, airway management, and massive hemoptysis. We also use simulation training for communication skills and team training. Additionally, our fellows attend a number of hands-on formal courses external to our institution. To learn more about the Northwestern Simulation Center, click here.

To broaden the educational experience of our fellows, we also offer clinical scholar programs in bioethics, global health, health equity and advocacy, and medical education. Additional information is available here. We support fellows who wish to pursue advanced degrees including a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation, a Master of Science in Health Services and Outcomes Research, and a Master of Science in Health and Biomedical Informatics. Finally, we offer structured training in quality improvement through the Academy for Quality and Safety Improvement.

Approximately 75 percent of clinical training takes place at the Feinberg-affiliated Northwestern Memorial Hospital, 20-25 percent takes place at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, and up to five percent occurs at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. The demographics of the patient populations at the three institutions differ, as do their prevalent clinical problems, providing for a rich and varied training experience.

Fellows spend time on a wide variety of clinical rotations. An example of the clinical rotations by year is available here.

Additional program highlights:

• Each fellow completes at least 8 weeks on an Interventional Pulmonary/Chest Procedure Service rotation, developing expertise in bronchoscopy and pleural procedures. 
• Fellows rotate through multiple outpatient subspecialty clinics including Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Pulmonary Hypertension, Interstitial Lung Disease, Lung Cancer, Sarcoidosis, Sleep Medicine, Neuromuscular Disease/Non-invasive Ventilation, Occupational Lung Disease, and Lung Transplantation.
• We have a busy lung transplant program. 
• Fellows provide consultative care for patients receiving V-V ECMO.
• Fellows gain expertise reading pulmonary function tests and CPETs
• Our NSICU, CTICU, and SICU provide a robust experience in non-MICU critical care. 
• Fellows learn airway management through simulation, time in the OR, and as members of the Airway Team. 
• The VA provides opportunity for longitudinal continuity clinic and inpatient care for our veterans. 
• The SRAL, a state-of-the-art rehabilitation hospital, offer opportunity to learn management of chronic respiratory failure for patients as they transition from acute care to home. 

Our Medical ICU provides high-acuity critical care for patients with a wide depth and breadth of illness. Our fellows work on teams with residents, medical students, and advanced practice providers. We provide in-house night coverage of the MICU with fellows and/or faculty. Fellows work a limited number of mandatory night shifts. Additional night shifts are compensated at a competitive moonlighting rate. Except for approximately 4 weeks spent at the VA, fellows do not take call from home.

Fellows maintain continuity clinics at both Northwestern and the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center. Fellows attend one half-day of clinic each week, alternating between Northwestern and the VA, throughout the three-year training program. 

Scholarship is an integral part of fellowship training at Northwestern. Our training program works to create individualized mentorship and career development plans aligned with each fellow's scholarly interests and professional goals. This process begins during the first year of fellowship and is guided by frequent meetings with the Fellowship Program Director.

For physician scientists, the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine is home to numerous grant-funded research programs in both basic investigation in lung biology and translational/patient-oriented research. Interested fellows are encouraged to join our Lung Sciences Training Program, which provides multifaceted longitudinal research training. A sampling of recent publications from training program faculty is available in the faculty profiles section of this website.

For fellows interested in quality improvement, structured training is available through the Academy for Quality and Safety Improvement. Fellows pursuing careers in medical education are encouraged to complete the Feinberg Academy of Medical Educators Medical Education Certificate Program and take advantage of the wide range of teaching opportunities available through the Feinberg School of Medicine.

Northwestern offers numerous advanced degree programs which can be integrated into a fellow’s career development plan. These include a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation, Master of Science in Health Services and Outcomes Research, and a Master of Science in Health and Biomedical Informatics.

All of our fellows are expected to be active members of both the local and national scientific community. This includes presentations at Divisional academic conferences, participation in national meetings, and publication of manuscripts in the peer-reviewed scientific literature.

Qualified candidates must successfully complete training within an ACGME-accredited Internal Medicine residency program and must be eligible for or have passed the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) examination. All fellowship candidates must secure full medical licensure in the state of Illinois prior to starting their fellowship. The fellowship program will consider a limited number of applicants who are J-1 or H1B visa holders. If applicable, applicants must possess a valid visa and ECFMG certification. 

The fellowship program provides combined training in pulmonary disease and critical care medicine, leading to eligibility for American Board of Internal Medicine certification in both specialties.  We do not offer single-specialty training in only pulmonary disease or only critical care medicine. In collaboration with our Division of Nephrology, we offer a limited number of positions in combined Nephrology-Critical Care Medicine.

Eligibility is based on preparedness, ability, aptitude, academic credentials, communication skills, and personal qualities such as motivation, integrity, and professionalism. We do not discriminate with regard to sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, disability, or veteran status. Fellows must be able to perform the requirements of the training program which include but are not limited to bedside rounds, physical examination, electronic documentation, invasive procedures, physiologic testing, radiographic interpretation, call from home, and overnight call.

Applications to the Northwestern Pulmonary Disease & Critical Care Medicine Fellowship are accepted exclusively through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). To apply, please visit the ERAS website and follow the directions for Fellowship Applicants. Applications and related documents submitted without the use of ERAS will not be considered. The deadline for receipt of applications for training beginning in July 2026 (positions to be filled in the December 2025 Match) is July 16, 2025. The Northwestern Fellowship Program participates in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Medical Specialties Matching Program. Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine fellowship applicants must register with National Resident Matching Program and agree to the terms of the NRMP Match.

To complete your application, the following documents are required:

• A letter of recommendation from your Internal Medicine Residency Program Director or Department Chairperson.
• At least two (but not more than four) additional letters of recommendation. These should be from clinical faculty and/or research mentors who know you and your work well. Ideally, at least one letter should be from a senior member of the faculty in pulmonary and critical care medicine at your institution.
• A personal statement describing who you are, why you have chosen to pursue training in pulmonary and critical care medicine, and your current thoughts about your future career path.
• Your curriculum vitae.
• Original reports of your USMLE (or COMLEX) scores.
• Medical school dean’s letter and medical school transcripts.

Applicants selected for interview will be invited by email. Interviews for positions to be filled in the December 2025 Match will be conducted during September and October 2025.

Learn more about the benefits of training at a world-class academic medical center in the diverse and vibrant city of Chicago. Further program details, including the Department of Medicine housestaff manual and a sample training contract, are available on the McGaw Medical Center Graduate Education website. Learn more via the links below. 

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Class of 2025

• Jose Castellanos, MD - Post-doctoral Fellow/Instructor Co-Terminus, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
• Scott Laurenzo, MD - Attending Physician, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center, Des Moines, IA
• Emily Olson, MD - Senior Associate Consultant, Pulmonary and Critical Care, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
• Ashley Smith-Nuñez, MD - Post-doctoral Fellow/Instructor Co-Terminus, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
• Alison Szabo, MD - Sleep Fellow, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL

Class of 2024

• Thomas Bolig, MD - Post-doctoral Fellow/Instructor Co-Terminus, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
• Amy Ludwig, MD - Post-doctoral Fellow/Instructor Co-Terminus, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
• Elen Gusman, MD - Sleep Medicine Fellow, University of California, Los Angeles, CA
• Tim Rowe, MD - Assistant Professor, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
• Ted Cybulski, MD, PhD - Post-doctoral Fellow/Instructor Co-Terminus, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL

Class of 2023

• Alexandra Hanrahan, MD - Associate Medical Director, Immunology Clinical Development, AbbVie, North Chicago, IL
• Sydney Hyder, MD - Attending Physician, John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, IL
• David Kidd, MD - Attending Physician, The Oregon Clinic, Portland, OR
• Romy Lawrence, MD - Attending Physician, Essentia Health, Duluth, MN
  
• Kaitlyn Vitale, MD - Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Class of 2022

• Joseph Bailey, MD - Assistant Professor, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
• Cathy Gao, MD - Assistant Professor, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
• Anthony Joudi, MD - Post-doctoral Fellow/Instructor Co-Terminus, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
• Gabrielle Liu, MD - Assistant Professor, University of California, Davis, CA
• Daniel Meza, MD - Assistant Professor, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
• Taylor Poor, MD, PhD - Medical Officer, NIAID, NIH, Rockville, MD