Research Experience

Our mission is to train and prepare leaders in academic medicine. Whether it be careers in research, medical education, quality improvement, advocacy and service or healthcare administration, graduates of our residency will cultivate the skills needed to excel in their chosen field. We offer a robust environment for residents to be successful with research skills and scholarship opportunities.

Research Time

Residents have two months in PGY-2 for research electives, with an additional block possible in PGY-3. PGY-2 and PGY-3 also include substantial elective time.

Mentorship & Project Opportunities

Residents receive career planning advice, including identifying research mentors, starting in their intern year. This guidance comes from 1:1 meetings with faculty advisers and the program director, as well as through the Near Peer program, chief residents and subspecialty interest groups.

Subspecialty groups offer panels and faculty contacts, and research projects are widely advertised in our weekly newsletter.

Data & Funding Support

We offer a Conference Travel Fund of up to $1,500 for residents with first-author abstracts accepted at conferences. This supports scholarly writing and participation in subspecialty societies.

Additionally, all residents can access our GME-sponsored data analysis fund to use the Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW), a comprehensive research database that encompasses all clinical and education data throughout Northwestern Medicine and its affiliates.  

Annual Research Day

Our residency alumni Landsberg Society hosts an annual research day for residents who completed research electives. This half-day event celebrates residents' work, provides training in poster preparation and presentation, and includes mentors, faculty and peers with food and prizes.