Illinois

The University of Chicago

5841 S. Maryland Ave.
Chicago, IL 60637

General Clinical Research Center

5841 S. Maryland Ave.
MC 7100, AMB W-5
Chicago, IL 60637
http://gcrc.bsd.uchicago.edu/
(773) 702-6980
rweiss@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu
Directors: Drs. Fred Coe, Ron Thisted, and David Meltzer

Degrees Offered
MSc, PhD

Eligibility
Residents, fellows, junior faculty

Duration
1-3 years

Thesis Requirement
Yes

Goals
Perform independent translational research

Northwestern University

633 Clark Street
Evanston, IL 60208

Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI)

Department of Preventive Medicine
680 N. Lake Shore Drive
Suite 1102
Chicago, IL 60611-4402
http://www.clinicalinvestigation.northwestern.edu/
(312) 503-5291
n-schelhas@northwestern.edu
Director: Lewis J. Smith, M.D

Degree Offered
Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI)

Eligibility
Most students are residents, fellows, and junior faculty of Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine, although we have 2 pharmacists from Northwestern Memorial Hospital and 2 employees from local pharmaceutical companies (Abbott and TAP) currently in the program. The requirement for admission to the program is a doctoral degree in a healthcare-related field. This includes MDs, DOs, PharmDs, and PhDs.

Duration
Can be completed in 2-3 years. The program is part-time with courses offered in the evenings. Most students take one course per quarter.

Thesis Requirement
No thesis required. Students must complete a mentored research project.

Goals
The program is designed for students seeking to acquire the fundamental skills needed for a successful career in clinical investigation. The program provides rigorous education in quantitative and ethically sound methods that are necessary for the design, implementation, analysis, and publication of clinical research studies. Students take required courses in epidemiology, biostatistics, ethics, and medical writing.

They are offered elective courses such as clinical trials, drug development, molecular epidemiology, cancer epidemiology, and cardiovascular disease epidemiology among others to further enhance their skills in patient-oriented translational or clinical epidemiology research. The culmination of the degree experience is the completion of a mentored research project.

University of Illinois at Chicago

School of Public Health
1603 W. Taylor Street, M/C 923
Chicago, IL 60607

Clinical Research Training Program

1603 W. Taylor Street, M/C 923
Chicago, IL 60607
http://www.uic.edu/depts/ovcr/hrpc/projects/45.html
(312) 996-1062
jzwanzig@uic.edu
Director: Dr. Jack Zwanziger

Degree Offered
MS in Public Health (Clinical Research Concentration)

Eligibility
Program is designed specifically for applicants with previous clinical training, especially those in fellowship programs in the health sciences, postdoctoral training positions, or junior clinical faculty.

Duration
2 years full-time, but part-time options are available

Thesis Requirement
Sixteen credits of research must be completed in 2 to 3 semesters of full-time work leading to the completion of a publishable paper and a research proposal. The research must be completed under the supervision of an approved clinical investigator and with the approval of a mentorship committee selected specifically for each student

Goals
Graduates will understand the basic analytical tools used by biostatisticians and epidemiologists, know the basic concepts and theories of the social and behavioral sciences relevant to clinical research, and realize how their particular area of research is related to the broader dilemmas facing the US health care system

They will also be able to communicate their insights effectively, to write well-conceived and persuasive grant applications, and to ensure the ethical treatment of their subjects. Finally, as apprentice clinical investigators, they will learn how to participate in a broader multidisciplinary research community that includes basic and social scientists, as well as clinicians from other areas of clinical practice.