Women's Health Track

The Women’s Health Track has been developed to provide clinical and research experience in women’s health and gender-based medicine.  Residents in this track will receive this education in conjunction with the usual training in the categorical program.  Upon completion of the curriculum, graduates will be well prepared for pursuing academic careers in women’s health, including further specialty training.

The women’s health clinical experience begins in the PGY-1 year.  Each PGY-1 trainee in the track will begin a half-day general medicine continuity clinic at the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation (NMFF). This will be supervised by a faculty member in the Division of General Internal Medicine with expertise in the prevention, evaluation and treatment of ambulatory conditions of particular importance for women.  A one month women’s health block will also be offered during the PGY-1 year. During this month, interns will rotate through a variety of subspecialty clinics which focus on women’s health.  These clinics include but are not limited t osteoporosis, breast cancer, menopause disorders, gynecology, breast oncology, musculoskeletal disorders in women, polycystic ovarian disease, and cardiovascular health.  During the PGY-2 and 3 years, residents will add a second weekly continuity clinic at NMFF or another site where they will have significant exposure to women’s health. In addition, they will have the opportunity to do 1-2 additional women’s health block rotations.

Each resident in the Women’s Health Track will have a 2-month research block, usually in the PGY-2 year. During the fall of their internship year, trainees will meet with Women’s Health Track faculty to assess interests and review research opportunities.  Faculty will assist interns in finding an appropriate research mentor and project. Areas of research include but are not limited to the five areas that have been selected by Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health program (BIRCWH) http://www.nubircwhonline.com.These areas were based on the strength of mentors, scientific focus and translational studies: Differences in Cardiovascular Disease Risk, Ovarian Biology, Obstetric and Gynecologic Disorders, Sex Differences in Sleep, and Sex Differences in Rheumatology & Osteoporosis.

Conferences that will be offered as a part of the track include: a monthly Women’s Health Journal Club, a didactic Women’s Health Lecture series taught by BIRCWH faculty, and Introduction to Research in Women’s Health conference offered during the PGY2 training year. In addition, funds are available to help residents attend conferences in women’s health.

Faculty Mentors

Sonja Boone, MD

Nancy Dolan, MD

Andrea Dunaif, MD

Beatrice Edwards, MD

Aparna Priyanath, MD MPH

Diane B. Wayne, MD

Interested applicants should apply to the categorical program and contact the program director for any further information.

Sample Research Topics For Women's Health Track

  • Breast cancer risk assessment
  • Breast and cervical cancer screening
  • Breast cancer prevention
  • Breast cancer epidemiology
  • Osteoporosis
  • Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
  • Early detection of ovarian cancer
  • Gestational diabetes
  • SLE
  • Heart disease in women
  • Peripheral artery disease and women
  • Musculoskelatal disease in pregnancy

Sample topics from Women's Health Journal Club

  • Effects of Raloxifene on Cardiovascular Events and Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women
  • Gabapentin, estrogen, and placebo for treating hot flushes: a randomized controlled trial
  • HRT and the Women's Health Initiative
  • Risk-Reducing Salpingo-Oophorectomy in Women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation
  • Randomized double-Blind Trial to Compare the Efficacy of Teriparatide with Alendronate in Postmenopausal Women with Osteoporosis
  • Comparison of C-Reactive Protein and Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels in the Prediction of First Cardiovascular Events
  • Results of a randomized trial on the management of cytology interpretations of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance. The ASCUS-LSIL Study Group.
  • Randomized Trial of Letrozole in Postmenopausal Women after Five Years of Tamoxifen Therapy for Early-Stage Breast Cancer
  • A Randomized Trial of a Low-Carbohydrate Diet for Obesity
  • Effects of conjugated equine estrogen in postmenopausal women with a hysterectomy: The women's health initiative randomized control trial.
  • Famciclovir suppression of asymptomatic and symptomatic recurrent anogenital herpes simplex virus shedding in women: a randomized, double-blind,  double-dummy, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, single-center trial.
  • A Randomized trial of Low-Dose Aspirin in the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Women.