Academic Pathways

The Women’s Health Track offers specialized clinical and research training in women’s health and gender-based medicine, integrated within the standard categorical residency program. There is no separate match for this track; residents express interest after matching into the categorical program. Upon completing the curriculum, graduates are prepared for academic careers in women’s health, including specialty training or primary care, and pursue diverse career paths.

Track Structure

Residents in the Women’s Health Track begin their specialized clinical experience during the PGY-1 year. Each PGY-1 trainee has a continuity clinic supervised by a faculty member from the Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, focusing on the prevention, evaluation and treatment of ambulatory conditions specific to women.

During the PGY-2 and PGY-3 years, residents add a second weekly continuity clinic dedicated to women’s health and complete two elective blocks in women’s health. Electives include rotations through subspecialty clinics such as osteoporosis, breast cancer, menopause disorders, gynecology, breast oncology, musculoskeletal disorders in women, polycystic ovarian disease, diabetes in pregnancy and cardiovascular health.

Research Opportunities

Residents are encouraged to begin research in women’s health during their PGY-2 or PGY-3 years. In the fall of their intern year, residents meet with the Women’s Health Track director to identify research topics and potential mentors. Residents can present their PGY-2 resident talk, a categorical program requirement, on a women’s health-related topic. During the PGY-3 year, residents present to the entire residency as part of the Women’s Health Journal Club.

Apply

Interested applicants should apply to the categorical program and contact the program director, Jordana S. Friedman, MD, for any further information.

Quality improvement and patient safety initiatives permeate the inpatient and outpatient setting that residents work in at Northwestern Medicine. The residency program has a strong focus on quality improvement and patient safety ranging from experiential learning through clinical care to unique quality projects and hospital committee work. 

A featured program for residents interested in quality improvement is the Academy for Quality & Safety Improvement (AQSI). AQSI is a six-month professional development program designed to equip healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively lead quality improvement.

Residents and fellows at any level are able to join teams focused on a particular clinical area. Individuals join teams of shared interest, participate in workshops and didactics and develop a quality improvement project over the course of an academic year. 

For residents set on a career path in quality improvement and patient safety, Northwestern offers a master’s degree in Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety.

For over 10 years, the Internal Medicine Residency has offered an international rotation in Bolivia. The rotation is based at the Centro Medico Susan Hou clinic in Palacios and the Hospital Japones in Santa Cruz. Through clinical and didactic experiences, residents care for patients in both urban and rural settings and manage conditions such as Chagas disease and its impact on heart failure, malaria, dengue fever, snake bites, anthrax and yellow fever. Given the high number of Spanish-speaking patients at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, this rotation serves as an excellent introduction to cultural competence and tropical medicine.

In 2014, the department launched the Global Health Clinical Scholars program, led by Ashti Doobay-Persaud, MD. Designed for residents seeking to pursue careers in global health, the program offers a competency-based curriculum covering foundational topics in global health, led by Northwestern experts, and includes journal clubs, simulation training and scholarly projects. An additional international rotation site was added in Belize at the Hillside Healthcare Clinic.

Global health initiatives at Northwestern extend into research opportunities across fields such as infectious disease, cardiology, surgery and oncology. A post-residency fellowship was established in 2015, and residents can also explore global health research training through the HBNU Fogarty Global Health Training Program. These investments in global health allow Northwestern and its residents to contribute meaningfully to global communities while providing residents with transformative educational experiences.

Learn more:

• Center for Global Health Education
• Havey Institute for Global Health

Our residency program is committed to ensuring our graduates are not only aware of inequities in medicine but are equipped with the skills and resources needed to serve patients from historically marginalized communities. Our residency program uses clinical experiences, curriculum and volunteer opportunities to address community health needs. 

Clinical Experiences

• Northwestern Memorial Hospital has been the second largest provider of charity care in Illinois for over 10 years. Our residents are part of interdisciplinary teams that include social workers, patient advocates and patient care coordinators who work together to address structural determinants of health. Interdisciplinary Rounds are used to help faciliate efficient, high-quality patient care.
• Residents with an interest in longitudinal clinical experiences addressing health inequities can elect to do their continuity clinic at the Erie Family Health Center in West Town, the Near North Clinic or at the Northwestern Transitional Care Clinic.
• The Transitional Care Clinic (TCC) focuses on addressing whole person needs — medical and psychosocial — with an onsite multidisciplinary team that includes physicians, nurses, social workers, therapists and patient advocates. Residents gain experience providing care for underserved patients, building on patient education skills and learning to navigate the healthcare system to provide additional resources for their patients. All residents are required to rotate in TCC as part of their PGY-2 schedule.

Curriculum

Health equity and advocacy are cornerstones of the IM residency curriculum. Our residents have the opportunity to participate in workshops, certificate programs, committees and conferences that equip them with the knowledge and skills to understand and address health inequities.

• Health Advocacy and Equity (HEA) Certificate Program: For residents with an interest in developing projects focused on health equity and advocacy, the HEA Certificate Program is offered to all PGY-2 and PGY-3 residents. In addition, all PGY-2 and PGY-3 residents can participate in the Health Equity and Advocacy Elective, which involves clinical experience with patients experiencing housing insecurity via Heartland's Mobile Van.
• Dedicated Health Equity & Advocacy conferences are held once per month as part of the HEA lecture series. 

Volunteerism

In partnership with several university and medical school master's programs, our residency program offers several certificate programs to postgraduate trainees. Certificate programs are one to two years with classes scheduled in the evening to allow busy physicians to attend. Certificate programs are substantially discounted for Northwestern trainees, with opportunities for full tuition coverage through division, department or training grants. Trainees that have typically participated have been PSTP, fellows and select PGY-3s who are extending their training time at Northwestern. 

• Master of Science in Clinical Investigation
• Master of Science in Health Services & Outcomes Research

Certificate program requirements are achieved by completing classes that are part of the core curriculum and are approximately 50 percent of the units required for the master's degree. Please inquire if you are interested in similar opportunities for biostatistics, humanities and bioethics.