The fellow will also experience a robust research experience. Established in 1996, the NorthShore Research Institute serves more than 1,000 research projects and more than 150 externally funded research faculty. Priority areas for research are medical genetics, cancer, advanced imaging research and outcomes research. Fellows have the opportunity to focus on a unique outcomes-based research program that has been cultivated at NorthShore by facilitating access to the Chicago-based American College of Surgeons offices and the National Cancer Database (NCDB). The fellow will select a faculty-mentored project at the outset of the fellowship and routinely present and refine this data to a broad audience at biweekly laboratory meetings. We expect this experience to cultivate the requisite skills to develop hypothesis-oriented research projects, and to prepare abstracts and manuscripts for presentation at national meetings and publication in peer-reviewed journals. Fellows are mentored to finalize projects and are expected to have at least two manuscripts published or ready for publication prior to completing the fellowship.
Research Goals:
- Training in research techniques, experimental design and data interpretation
- Learn the principles of successful grantsmanship and scientific writing
- Gain experience in clinical trial methodology, clinical epidemiology and biostatistics as well as protocol and consent form writing
- Become facile with clinical research with regard to clinical trial design, development, accrual and outcomes analysis
- Develop the expertise to critically analyze scientific literature and assign an appropriate level of evidence supporting the conclusions drawn from those manuscripts
NorthShore currently offers a robust list of clinical trials in breast cancer, and our team meets monthly to review all trials that are actively enrolling patients. Our meetings are attended by medical oncologists, breast surgeons, radiation oncologists, as well as Kellogg Cancer Center and Breast Surgery research staff. Trial objectives, eligibility criteria, current enrollment and accrual goals are reviewed, in addition to other clinical trials being considered in the future.
Ongoing Clinical Trials at NorthShore