Fellowship In Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine
McGaw Medical Center/Feinberg School of Medicine

Message from the Fellowship Program Leadership

Welcome to the web page for the Fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University. The Northwestern Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Program is committed to providing outstanding clinical training in all aspects of pulmonary and critical care medicine, in conjunction with rigorous investigative training in basic mechanisms of lung disease and/or patient-oriented/translational research. The fellowship experience is designed to prepare trainees achieve successful, independent careers in academic pulmonary and critical care medicine. Our clinical and research facilities are state-of-the-art, our faculty is dynamic and diverse, and our programs have undergone substantial growth in recent years. The Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Northwestern is dedicated to providing the best possible fellowship experience, and to fostering the success of our trainees. We invite you to review the information that follows to learn more about our program. 

Please note that applications for fellowship training at Northwestern will be accepted exclusively through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). To apply to our fellowship program, please go to the ERAS website at www.aamc.org/audienceeras.htm. Applications and related documents submitted without the use of ERAS will not be accepted. The deadline for receipt of the completed ERAS application and all supporting documents is February 15, 2008. Additional information about the fellowship application process is provided below.

We appreciate your interest in our training program and look forward to receiving your application.

Peter H. S. Sporn, MD Program Director	Alejandro P. Comellas, MD Associate Program Director

Introduction

The fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University provides both a broad-based clinical experience and rigorous research training. Completion of the three-year fellowship fulfills the requirements for certification by the American Board of Internal Medicine in both Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine. Additional training beyond three years is encouraged for those seeking a career in basic science or clinical research. The program is designed to prepare physicians for careers in academic medicine.

The training program is based at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center. Northwestern Memorial Hospital is the principal teaching hospital for Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and serves as the primary site for clinical training in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Program. Northwestern Memorial Hospital has 750 total beds and 125 intensive care unit beds, and features comprehensive, state-of-the-art medical and surgical programs, including bone marrow and solid organ transplantation, cardiac surgery and trauma care. The Jesse Brown VA Medical Center is a 250-bed facility with 31 intensive care beds. Clinical experience is also provided at the 180-bed Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. The research laboratories of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine are located at the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University, directly across the street from Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Clinical Program

Pulmonary Disease

The fellow on the Pulmonary Consultation Service at each hospital is responsible for all initial consultations, daily follow-ups, in-patient bronchoscopies and other procedures. The fellow interacts closely and rounds daily with a faculty attending physician. The fellow also plays a major role in supervising residents, interns, and medical students rotating on the Service.

At Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the fellow sees 60-90 new consults and performs 20-30 bronchoscopies per month. At the Jesse Brown VA, the fellow sees 30-40 new consultations, performs 15-20 bronchoscopies each month, and is responsible for interpretation of pulmonary function tests. Patients seen by the consultation services at both hospitals exhibit a broad range of clinical problems encompassing all aspects of pulmonary disease.

Critical Care Medicine

Fellows rotating through the Medical Intensive Care Units function as senior members of the team with primary responsibility for patient care and responsibility for performing or supervising all procedures with housestaff and students. Rounds are made daily with a faculty attending physician.

Northwestern has a 23-bed Medical Intensive Care Unit with an average of 150 admissions per month, encompassing a wide variety of acute conditions. The Jesse Brown VA has a 12-bed combined Medical Intensive Care/Coronary Care Unit with an average of 80-100 admissions per month, encompassing patients with both acute critical illness and acute complications of chronic disease. Fellows also rotate through the Trauma Surgical Intensive Care Unit and Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Outpatient Pulmonary Medicine

One half-day per week throughout the first and third years and two half-days per week throughout the second year are devoted to outpatient pulmonary medicine. Outpatient experience is provided in the offices of the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation (the Feinberg School of Medicine faculty practice), the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, and the Chicago Department of Health Englewood Tuberculosis Clinic. In addition, during the first year of training, fellows spend one month on an Out-Patient Pulmonary Medicine Block, which includes experience in the Sleep Disorders Clinic, COPD Clinic, Interstitial Lung Disease Clinic, Adult Cystic Fibrosis Clinic, Neuromuscular Disease/Non-invasive Ventilation Clinic, and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Clinic.

Pulmonary Function Laboratory

Exposure to physiologic testing and interpretation of pulmonary function tests takes place during dedicated rotations in the Pulmonary Function Lab at Northwestern Memorial Hospital during the first and third years of training, and in conjunction with the Pulmonary Consultation Service rotation at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center. This includes in-depth experience in performance and interpretation of both basic and specialized pulmonary function tests, including cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Second and third year fellows rotate responsibility for performance of cardiopulmonary exercise tests at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and interpret these studies in conjunction with the director of the Pulmonary Function Laboratory.

Research Program

Active participation in research is an integral part of fellowship training at Northwestern. A wide array of opportunities exists for involvement in basic investigation in lung biology and in translational/patient-oriented research. The accompanying list of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and other Lung Biology Training Program Faculty includes an overview of numerous ongoing research programs, all of which are available for fellows to choose among for research training.

Fellows are introduced to ongoing research activities early in the course of their training. Each fellow selects a research area and mentor(s) from among the faculty of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine or other divisions and departments participating in the National Institutes of Health-funded Northwestern Training Program in Lung Biology. Fellows receive guidance in choosing mentors and research projects from the Fellowship Program Director and the Chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. With the assistance of the mentor(s), fellows prepare and present a research proposal at the beginning of the first research year. Fellows receive guidance during their research training from their individual mentor(s) and a Mentorship/Career Development Committee constituted specifically for each trainee.  Although traditionally the first fellowship year has been has been devoted primarily to clinical training, followed by second, third, and optional fourth years focused mainly on research, the option of starting the fellowship with research in the first year is also available. Fellows are strongly encouraged to apply for individual national fellowship research training awards from the National Institutes of Health or other agencies, and are guided in this process by the research mentor(s) and Mentorship/Career Development Committee. Fellows are expected to discuss their research projects and data periodically at Divisional Research-In-Progress Conferences, to present their work at local and national scientific meetings, and ultimately to submit their results for publication in the peer-reviewed biomedical literature.

Conferences

Pulmonary and Critical Care Core Curriculum

Weekly didactic lectures by Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine faculty and fellows, as well as invited speakers, covering key clinical topics in pulmonary disease and critical care medicine.

Pulmonary and Critical Care Morning Report

Brief presentations and discussion of new pulmonary and critical care cases held Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.

Pulmonary and Critical Care Grand Rounds

Bi-weekly conference with clinical case presentations by fellows emphasizing clinical, physiologic, radiologic and pathologic findings.

Fellows Clinical Problems Discussion Series

Bi-weekly literature-based round-table format meetings with fellows and a key faculty member to explore specific clinical topics, including diagnostic and treatment dilemmas.

Multidisciplinary Thoracic Oncology Conference

Weekly discussion of diagnosis and management of chest tumor cases with participation of faculty, fellows, and residents from Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Medical Oncology, Radiology, Radiation Oncology, Thoracic Surgery and Pathology.

Critical Care Journal Club

Monthly interdisciplinary discussion of current critical care literature with participation of faculty, fellows and residents from Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Cardiology, Anesthesiology and General and Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Pulmonary and Critical Care Basic Research Conference

Weekly conference featuring current basic lung biology research by Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine faculty, fellows, other Northwestern faculty, and eminent scholars from other institutions.

Pulmonary and Critical Care Clinical Research Conference

Weekly conference focusing on ongoing clinical/patient-oriented and translational research by Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine faculty and fellows.

Department of Cell and Molecular Biology Research Seminars

Weekly seminars in basic cell and molecular biology research featuring faculty from the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and other Departments at Northwestern University, as well as eminent researchers from elsewhere in the U.S. and around the world.

Training Program Overview

Year One

Fellows spend approximately 8 months on in-patient rotations, including the Pulmonary Consult and MICU Services at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center. Outpatient experience (one half-day per week) is at in the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation Pulmonary Office and the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center Pulmonary Clinic.  During the final two months of the year, fellows begin research training.

Year Two

Fellows spend approximately 11 months conducting research and two to four weeks on in-patient services. Outpatient experience (two half-days per week) is at in the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation Pulmonary Office, the Jesse Brown VA Pulmonary Clinic, and the Chicago Department of Health Englewood Tuberculosis Clinic.

Year Three

Fellows spend 7-9 months doing research and 3-5 months on clinical rotations, including the Pulmonary Consult Service, MICU Service, Trauma Surgery ICU, Neurosurgical ICU and Thoracic Surgery Service, all at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Outpatient experience (one half-day per week) is at the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation Pulmonary Office and the Jesse Brown VA Pulmonary Clinic, with elective options including the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation Sleep Disorders Clinic, Adult Cystic Fibrosis Clinic, and the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Clinic at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

Year Four

An optional fourth year of training is strongly encouraged to provide additional research experience for fellows seeking an academic career. The structure of the fourth year experience will be determined on an individual basis depending on the fellow's career goals and availability of extramural funds.

Call Schedule

Weekend coverage is distributed among fellows in all three years of the basic training program, resulting in approximately one weekend of call every 6 weeks (averaged over 3 years of training). Night-time coverage during the week is provided (largely as “beeper call” from home) by the fellow rotating on each clinical service, respectively.

Compensation and Benefits

Salaries for the first, second and third years of fellowship are $53,179, $55,928 and $58,266, respectively, during the 2007-2008 academic year (this scale is adjusted annually). Fellows receive three weeks of paid vacation during each year of training. Individual membership in the house staff group health insurance plan is provided at no charge to fellows; family membership is also available. Group life insurance and disability insurance are available as well.

Parking is available at $75 per month to those who live two miles or further from the Medical Center.

Membership fees for the American Thoracic Society, American College of Chest Physicians, and Chicago Thoracic Society are paid for all fellows throughout training.

Each first year fellow receives a $250 allowance for purchase of books, journal subscriptions, etc. Second, third and fourth year fellows are provided support to attend one or more national scientific meetings during each of these years of training. E-mail and Internet access are provided for all fellows through Northwestern University.

For additional information on stipends, benefits, policies and procedures, please see the Northwestern McGaw Graduate Medical Education website at http://gme.northwestern.edu.

Application Information

Please note that all fellowship positions for 2008 have been filled. We are currently accepting applications for positions starting in July 2009.

Applications for Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine fellowship training at Northwestern are accepted exclusively through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). To apply, please go to the ERAS website at www.aamc.org/audienceeras.htm, 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 the completed ERAS application and all supporting documents is February 15, 2008.

To complete your application, the following documents are required:

1.   A letter of recommendation from your Internal Medicine Residency Program Director or Department Chairperson.

2.   At least 2 (but not more than 4) 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.

3.   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.

4.   Your curriculum vitae.

5.   Original reports of your USMLE (or COMLEX) scores.

6.   Medical school dean’s letters and transcripts are not required.

Since we participate in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Medical Specialties Matching Program, fellowship applicants must also register with NRMP (www.nrmp.org) and plan to participate in the NRMP Match. 

The Northwestern program provides combined training in pulmonary and critical care medicine, leading to eligibility for American Board of Internal Medicine certification in Pulmonary Disease and in Critical Care Medicine.  We do not offer single-specialty training in only pulmonary disease or only critical care medicine.

Please also note that the Northwestern University/McGaw Medical Center Program does not sponsor H-1B visas.

Timeline for the application process:

Contact Information

For additional information regarding fellowship application procedures, please e-mail or call:

Olga Garcia
Fellowship Program Coordinator
o-garcia@northwestern.edu

Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University
240 E. Huron St., McGaw Pavilion M-300
Chicago, IL 60611

Telephone:     312.908.7737
Fax:     312.908.4650

Page Updated: 12/01/2007