Research Training

We recognize that fellows enter our fellowship program with varied research experience. We have developed an immersive yet collegial training program to prepare fellows for a career as bench or clinical investigators, clinician-educators, and leaders. The Fellowship Program Directors and Director of Research Training Program work closely with second year fellows to begin the process of identifying their career goals, aspirations, and clinical interests. Together, they help to develop the experiences for research training and assist in identifying a research mentor and a meaningful, collaborative research project.

Fellows can elect to pursue a 12-month research experience (clinical scholar pathway) tailored for more clinically-focused careers, or a 24-month experience (academic scholar pathway) for those interested in investigative careers or roles in academic leadership. This includes support from our Institutional National Research Service Award (T32 Award) from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, one of the largest and longest-standing awards in respiratory medicine. This mechanism provides generous and flexible support for a wide variety of outstanding research experiences and opportunities to develop in-depth clinical and educational experiences within the Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, or other departments within the University of Chicago. The research program is designed to provide guidance and support, giving trainees the opportunity to launch successful careers in academic medicine. Notable elements include a Research Advisory Committee that monitors and reviews progress at six-month intervals, a weekly Proposal and Grant-Writing Workshop, and a weekly Research in Progress conference. Relevant coursework and degree programs, such as the Master of Science for Clinical Professionals (MSCP), Master of Bioinformatics, and Master of Public Health, may also be supported by the T32 training grant.

Basic science research training opportunities exist in the following areas:

• Airway immunology
• Airway pharmacology
• Ischemia/reperfusion injury
• Smooth muscle cell biology
• Asthma genetics
• Airway epithelial repair, apoptosis and remodeling
• Endothelial biology and function in acute lung injury
• Signaling mechanisms controlling growth and differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) and pulmonary fibroblasts
• Costimulatory and accessory receptors in T-Cell activation and function in Th2-mediated inflammatory responses
• Genomic determinants of risk for and mechanisms of severe sepsis and acute lung injury

Current clinical investigations include:

• Sedation in the ICU
• Sleep in the ICU
• Novel therapies for Interstitial Lung Disease
• Impact of sleep loss on endocrine and metabolic function
• Epidemiology and health services research of asthma and COPD
• Patient-ventilator interactions
• Early physiotherapy in the ICU
• Vasoactive medications in the ICU
• Outcomes from critical illness
• Strategies to improve functional recovery after acute illness
• Medical education and critical care ultrasound

For more details about our research programs, please visit the Section website.