northwestern university clinical research

Clinical Trials

As part of an academic medical center, the Department of Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine aims to improve the human health through scientific research.

About Clinical Trials

Clinical trials test or study drugs, surgical procedures, medical devices or interventions with human subjects. They look to determine their safety and effectiveness in relation to treating specific diseases. Clinical trials are part of clinical research and are at the heart of all medical advances.

Department of Medicine Clinical Trials

The following searchable list includes all Department of Medicine clinical trials currently looking for participants.

Please feel free to contact us with inquiries about any of our ongoing research.

Clinical Trials

Scientists at the medical school are conducting hundreds of clinical trials daily. Learn more about all our work via the Feinberg Office of Research Clinical Trials page .

Our current active protocols are listed below, searchable by disease or condition. If you have any questions about the particular study protocol, please contact the study coordinator.  For more information about the research or participation in general, please call 312-695-8643.

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Clinical Trials

As part of an academic medical center, the Department of Preventive Medicine aims to improve the human health through scientific research, and clinical trials play a major role. Clinical trials test or study drugs, surgical procedures, medical devices or interventions with human subjects. They look to determine their safety and effectiveness in relation to treating specific diseases. 

Browse our active clinical trials below, and visit the   Clinical Trials Frequently Asked Questions page   for more information.

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Clinical and Interventional Research

The department conducts a wide range of clinical and intervention research. Broadly, this work aims to develop and test the efficacy of biomedical and behavioral interventions and clinical assessment tools as well as to identify risk factors for a wide range of psychiatric conditions, including major depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder and psychotic disorders.

  Tina Boisseau, PhD Tina Boisseau leads the SOAR Lab, which strives to examine the emotional and behavioral factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety disorders.

Tina Boisseau, PhD, focuses on designing interventions to improve the long-term treatment and outcome of patients with emotional disorders, with particular emphasis on OCD and anxiety disorders. Boisseau leads the SOAR Lab, which focuses primarily on two intersecting areas: 1) the hypothesis-driven development and adaptation of empirically-supported treatments and 2) the use of translational research methods to identify critical, transdiagnostic mechanisms of dysfunction and barriers to recovery. A secondary focus of the laboratory is on eating disorders, particularly as they relate to other OC spectrum conditions.

Currently, in collaboration with researchers at Brown Medical School, the lab is investigating harm avoidance and incompleteness as dimensional endophenotypes in anxiety and obsessive-compulsive spectrum conditions (R01 NIMH R01 MH110449). They are also analyzing data from our naturalistic, prospective study of OCD.

676 North Saint Clair Street Suite 1000 Chicago, IL 60611

For inquiries about this research, please contact  [email protected] or visit the lab site .

  Inger Burnett-Zeigler, PhD Inger Burnett-Zeigler leads the M-Body lab (embody mind body wellness) which is focused on developing, testing, and implementing culturally relevant mental health interventions in community-based settings in service of health equity.  

Inger Burnett-Zeigler, PhD , focuses on disparities in mental illness and treatment, developing, testing, and implementing culturally tailored mental health interventions in community-based settings. In 2014, she received the Northwestern University Patient-Centered Intervention and Engagement Training (NU-Patient) K12 Faculty Scholar Award where she led a series of pilot studies that examined the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary effectiveness of a mindfulness-based intervention (M-Body) for Black women in a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). In 2018 she received a Third Coast Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Pilot Award to adapt the mindfulness intervention for low-income, racial/ethnic minority pregnant women living with HIV and prepare for implementation in an enhanced case management program. She has also been funded by the Veterans Health Affairs (VHA) and by the Greer Family Foundation. She is currently the PI on a R01 funded by NIH/NIMHD (R01MD012236-02) to conduct a randomized controlled clinical trial to examine the effectiveness and implementation of a mindfulness intervention on reducing depressive symptoms among racial/ethnic minority adults in a federally qualified health center. The M-Body lab is generally interested  in addressing the impact that the disproportionate burden of chronic stress and trauma exposure has on the mental and physical health of racial/ethnic minority and other marginalized groups by developing accessible interventions to address these factors in order to achieve health equity. Other research interests include examining the impact of trauma, racism, and other social, cultural, and environmental factors on mental health and wellness.

For inquiries about this research, please contact [email protected]  or visit The M-Body Lab site to learn more.

  Allison J. Carroll, PhD Allison Carroll is a clinical health psychologist and a core faculty member in the Building Relationships/Research for Implementation and Dissemination to Generate Equitable Systems (BRIDGES) Program. Her research focuses on implementing effective behavioral interventions to promote psychological, behavioral, and physical wellbeing.  

Allison Carroll, PhD, is part of the BRIDGES team  and is a collaborator on a number of research studies focused on implementation science, community-engagement, behavioral interventions, chronic disease prevention and management, and health equity. Some projects with which she is involved include:

• CIRCL-Chicago
• Collaborative Behavioral Health Program
• Healthy Hearts for Michigan (HH4M)

750 North Lake Shore Drive Suite 1000 Chicago, IL 60611

For inquiries about this research, please contact [email protected]   or   visit the Bridges Program webpage

  Diane Chen, PhD Diane Chen’s programmatic research focuses on advancing evidence-based affirming care for transgender and nonbinary (TNB) youth and youth with differences of sex development/intersex variations (DSD/I). Her work examines outcomes of gender-affirming medical/surgical interventions for TNB youth, experiences of stress, stigma, and resilience in TNB youth and youth with DSD/I, reproductive health and fertility preservation in TNB and DSD/I youth populations, and medical decision-making. More recent efforts have also focused on intervention development and adaptation to address the unique medical and mental health needs of TNB youth.

The Center for Gender, Sexuality, and HIV Prevention is the behavioral research arm of Lurie Children’s Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine . Diane Chen, PhD ’s current/recently completed projects include:

• Trans Development Study (R01 MH123746; MPI). This study aims to define the impact of pubertal suppression treatment in transgender youth on mental health trajectories and underlying neural systems.
• Gender Journey Project (R01 HD097122; MPI). This study establishes a national cohort of prepubertal TNB youth and their parents to longitudinally assess gender development, mental health, and psychosocial functioning over time.
• Trans Youth Care Study (R01 HD082554; Co-Investigator). This is the first US-based cohort of transgender youth initiating pubertal suppression treatment and gender-affirming hormones. Currently in the second 5 years of funding, this study will elucidate physical and psychosocial outcomes 6 years after starting medical treatment.
• Project AFFRMED (R21 HD097459; PI). This study developed and tested the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a patient-centered  A id  F or  F ertility- R elated  Me dical  D ecisions (AFFRMED) targeted for transgender youth facing decisions about fertility preservation. 

1440 North Dayton Street Suite 300 Chicago, IL 60642

For inquiries about this research, please contact  [email protected]

  Hongxin Dong, MD, PhD Hongxin Dong's research focuses on the interaction of genetic and environmental influences on neurodevelopment and aging and their relevance to the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders, particularly Alzheimer’s Disease (AD).

Hongxin Dong, MD, PhD , has focused on a continuous and integrated program of investigating genetic alterations and environmental effects on neurodevelopment and aging, and their relevance to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders, particularly Alzheimer’s disease. Ongoing NIH funded projects to discover novel molecular genetics and epigenetic mechanisms underlying neuropsychological disorders, using human antemortem clinical assessments and postmortem tissues, as well as animal models. The findings from the translational work will help in the development of new therapeutic strategies to slow disease onset and prevent progression.

303 East Chicago Avenue Ward 7-103 Chicago, IL 60611

For inquiries about this research, please contact [email protected]

  Sheehan D. Fisher, PhD Sheehan Fisher’s research career focuses on the effects of perinatal and subsequent parental mental health on infant/child health outcomes, with a specialization in the emerging field of father's mental health.  His aim is to reconceptualize parental mental health research to integrally involve fathers to differentiate parents’ impact on child medical and mental health.   Ultimately, the goal of his research plan is to optimize the health and effectiveness of the parental team to positively influence the child health trajectory starting during pregnancy. 

The current research projects led by Sheehan Fisher, PhD , focus on the role of evidence-based prevention interventions that target perinatal depression. By tending to the needs of underserved populations, this research team hopes to implement and evaluate effective interventions that promote health equity and improve quality of life.   

Current Projects  

Prevention of Perinatal Depression in Birthing People with a History of Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Type 2 Effectiveness Implementation Trial (PPD-ACE)  

This randomized trial aims to evaluate the evidence-based Reach Out, Stand Strong, Essentials for New Mothers (ROSE) protocol as a prevention intervention. The research team will evaluate whether ROSE improves perinatal depression (both symptom trajectories and dichotomized perinatal depression) among low-income pregnant people with a history of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and will evaluate mechanisms by which ROSE may improve perinatal depression. The study will also examine the acceptability, appropriateness, cost, feasibility, and fidelity of ROSE. This proposal will generate key data to inform the conduct of a full-scale cluster randomized trial of ROSE that will answer the key questions of how to effectively and equitably prevent perinatal depression.  

Team Members: Emily S. Miller, MD, MPH (co-PI), Clare Wongwai, BA

African-American Social Support Effectiveness Treatment-Partners Alleviating Perinatal Depression (ASSET-PPD)   The African-American Social Support Effectiveness Treatment- Partners alleviating Perinatal Depression (ASSET-PPD) protocol targets the fathers’ support of the mothers’ mental health treatment and their active engagement in the family to reduce maternal stress. The ASSET-PPD intervention is designed to have 4 active modules that address key factors to reduce maternal stress during the prenatal period and 2 postpartum review sessions.  This randomized intervention study aims to collect pilot data to evaluate the efficacy of the ASSET-PPD protocol as a supplemental perinatal depression (PND) treatment.

675 North Saint Clair Street Suite 14-200 Chicago, IL 60611

For inquiries about this research, please contact [email protected]

  Tamar D. Gefen, PhD Tamar Gefen directs the Laboratory for Translational Neuropsychology which investigates neurodegenerative disorders and trajectories of aging (both abnormal and successful). Her work integrates deep clinical neuropsychological phenotyping with postmortem microscopic neuropathology found at autopsy

Tamar Gefen is an academic clinical neuropsychologist and Associate Director of Clinical Neuropsychology in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern. She Co-Directs the Clinical Core of the NIA-funded (P30) Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) housed within the Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease. Her Laboratory for Translational Neuropsychology studies neurodegenerative disorders and trajectories of aging (both abnormal and successful) through the integration of antemortem features during life and postmortem neuropathology at autopsy. Her clinical work is focused on the careful characterization of dementia syndromes and age-related disorders. She is passionate about mentorship, teaching, and collaboration.

320 East Superior Street Tarry Building, 8th Floor Chicago, IL 60611

For inquiries about this research, please contact g [email protected]  or visit  https://www.brain.northwestern.edu/ and www.NU-GefenLab.com

  Jacqueline Gollan, PhD Jacqueline Gollan leads the Biobehavioral Experimental Therapeutics Research (BETR) Lab focuses on: Behavioral activation and cognitive behavioral psychotherapy, with particular focus on identifying mechanisms to improve patient outcomes in mood disorders. Strengthening patient learning and decision-making in treatment. Computational models of learning to predict course of treatment.

Jacqueline Gollan, PhD , seeks to discover therapeutic mechanisms that help people recover from depression. Using an experimental therapeutics approach in which the team identifies and interrupts processes associated with depression, they apply this knowledge to build new neuro-informed behavioral treatments for depression to serve the community here in Chicago and beyond. Other interests include (a) building the lab’s capabilities to leverage neuroscience discoveries, specifically that of reinforcement learning in decision-making to optimize women’s health and (b) collaborating with researchers to provide clinical training and consultation on behavioral interventions in collaborative care and community mental health programs.

The BETR Lab is part of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences located at the Asher Center for the Study and Treatment of Depressive Disorders. The lab has space for private clinical interviews, neurocognitive tests, implicit stimulus presentations and data analyses of neuroimaging (SPM) and psychophysiological protocols.

The lab is a training setting that actively supports the research careers of undergraduates, PhD and MD trainees, and postdoctoral fellows. For example, they mentor the Asher Center's Women’s Behavioral Health Psychiatry fellows, provide an annual course on cognitive behavioral therapy for Northwestern graduate trainees and mentor undergraduate students in Northwestern University Multicultural Affairs Summer Research Opportunity Program.

For inquiries about this research, please contact  [email protected] .

Visit the Biobehavioral Experimental Therapeutics Research Lab (BETR) site .

  Evan Goulding, MD, PhD Evan Goulding leads the LiveWell research group focuses on developing and testing smartphone-based self-management interventions for bipolar disorder with the goal of improving access to evidence-based techniques derived from existing psychotherapies for bipolar disorder. In addition, using self-report, application utilization and behavioral data, the group seeks to elucidate endophenotypes and trajectories to facilitate timely delivery of personalized interventions as means to improve clinical and recovery outcomes for individuals living with bipolar disorder.

Evan Goulding, MD, PhD , and his group have been developing a smartphone-based self-management intervention for bipolar disorder called LiveWell, which consists of a smartphone application, coaching support, a secure server and website. The development of LiveWell utilized a person-centered, intervention mapping approach during which the group obtained feedback from individuals with bipolar disorder, their mental health providers and the group's coaching staff. Based on this development process, they have created a behavior change framework integrating user feedback with information from empirically supported psychotherapies for bipolar disorder, health psychology behavior change theories and chronic disease self-management models. This behavior change framework allows labeling of intervention content in terms of outcomes (e.g. time to relapse), targets (e.g. early warning sign management) and determinants (e.g. self-efficacy, intention, planning, monitoring) addressed by the behavior change techniques delivered during application use (tracked via the application) or coach calls (recorded and transcribed). This provides a means to examine relationships between changes in outcomes, targets and determinants, along with exposure to behavior change technique content and tool use delivered to impact determinants of specific behavioral targets (e.g. medication adherence).

In addition, collection of behavioral data such as activity levels and sleep duration (actimetry), location (GPS) and social interactions (texts and calls) provides an opportunity to identify features correlated with clinical status and may improve the ability to determine what content to deliver when to a specific individual to improve treatment. Overall, the goal of the LiveWell intervention is to assist individuals in staying well while also serving as a platform for data collection that provides insights into treatment mechanisms and trajectories to allow iterative development and improvement of the intervention.

680 North Lake Shore Drive Suite 1520 Chicago, IL 60611

For inquiries about this research, please contact  [email protected] .

  Sarah A. Helseth, PhD Sarah  Helseth  is a health services researcher, licensed clinical psychologist, and core faculty member of the Center for Dissemination and Implementation Science ( CDIS ).  Her research seeks to reduce the impact of behavioral health problems through intervention design, dissemination, and implementation. 

Sarah Helseth, PhD  seeks to increase equitable access to and utilization of effective interventions and health services, particularly among underserved populations and high-risk youth. Recent NIH-funded work includes: 

• TECH: Design and test an adjunct mobile app to help court-involved youth reduce marijuana use ( K23DA048062 ; PI:  Helseth ).  
• Parent SMART: Pragmatic randomized trial of an intervention for parents of youth returning home from residential care ( R37DA052918 ; PI: Becker).   
• FreSH: Hybrid Type I trial delivering a smoking cessation intervention during routine dental visits ( 4UH3DE029973 ; PI: Japuntich).  

633 North Saint Clair Street Suite 2000 Chicago, IL 60622

For inquiries about this research, please contact [email protected]

  Cassandra Kisiel, PhD Cassandra Kisiel is an Associate Director of the Mental Health Services and Policy Program, and she co-leads the Center for Child Trauma Assessment, Services and Systems Integration, a federally funded Center of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). She is part of a team that focuses on building and supporting trauma-informed practices within child welfare and juvenile justice settings. Her research and areas of interest focus on complex, developmental trauma, dissociation, strengths and protective factors, transition age youth, trauma-informed assessment, and evaluation of trauma-informed systems.

Cassandra Kisiel, PhD, works with the  Center for Child Trauma Assessment, Services and Systems Integration (CCTASSI) which has been funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as a Treatment and Service Adaptation Center of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). The Center offers national expertise on both assessing and addressing the complex, developmental effects of trauma for system-involved youth and developing trauma-informed, child-serving systems and agencies. The Center's focus includes the development, adaptation, and widespread dissemination of trauma-focused training curriculum and resources within targeted service settings across the country, with a particular emphasis on child welfare, juvenile justice, and behavioral health. The team includes both faculty and project staff from a variety of disciplines, and doctoral and master’s students from the Clinical Psychology Program within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. An innovative feature of the Center’s work includes the development and dissemination of several public awareness films, focused on complex trauma, transition age youth, and race and trauma. The Center's research and evaluation efforts include assessing the use and impact of our resources and training and implementation programs on provider attitude, knowledge, skill, and practice change, and the utility and impact of our resources on family partners and community members. The Center has utilized a variety of techniques, including analysis of large scale data sets to identify trauma-related needs and strengths within our target populations; use of quality improvement data to inform ongoing service needs and the need for adaptations to existing training and implementation approaches; collection of both survey and qualitative data (e.g., focus groups, interviews, other narrative data) from providers and family partners to identify key needs, translate findings into the development of practical resources for providers, and consolidate these findings for dissemination and publication.

710 North Lake Shore Drive Suite 1200 Chicago, IL 60611

For inquiries about this research, please contact [email protected]  or visit the Center's websites  https://cctasi.northwestern.edu/ & https://www.cctassifilms.org/

  Herbert Meltzer, MD Herbert Meltzer's research focuses on cognitive and movement disorders in psychiatric patients (clinical and preclinical). He leads the Translational Neuropsychopharmacology Laboratory.

Herbert Y. Meltzer, MD , is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Pharmacology and Physiology and Director of the Translational Neuropharmacology Program at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL.  He leads The Laboratory of Translational Neuropsychopharmacology which  is in its 11 th  year at the Feinberg School of Medicine after previous stints at the University of Chicago, Case Western University and Vanderbilt University.     It is celebrating its 54 th  year of continuous activity and funding      The laboratory utilizes a mix of preclinical research, biological studies of patients, and clinical trials to develop new knowledge about the     etiology, pathophysiology and treatment of schizophrenia, in particular, with some focus on major depression and bipolar disorder and the drugs used to understand and treat these illnesses.    It recently licensed a novel drug    platform based upon serotonin (5-HT) 2C agonism with potential    numerous applications,    including schizophrenia, anti-psychotic induced weight gain,    and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The lab has recently begun studies in rodents with    psilocybin and related compounds to understand the psychedelic and psychotomimetic basis for their action, using microdialysis, behavioral and biochemical methods to contribute to the development of drugs which are selectively psychedelic. It is also studying the biological basis for neutraceutical drug, e.g. curcumin, efficacy. 

303 East Chicago Avenue Ward 7-101 Chicago, IL 60611

For inquiries about this research, please contact [email protected] or

Visit the  Translational Neuropsychopharmacology Laboratory webpage .

  Jeffrey Rado, MD, MPH Jeffrey Rado, a primary clinical researcher in the Clinical Trials Unit, focuses on the study of new medication treatments for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression. The program aims to use research to advance new evidence-based treatments in areas of high unmet need, including cognitive impairment and negative symptoms in schizophrenia. He has a particular interest in the study of novel approaches to prevent weight gain and metabolic derangements associated with antipsychotic medications.

Jeffrey Rado, MD, MPH , has nearly 20 years of experience conducting clinical trials. His work focuses on improving the lives of individuals with serious mental illness. His research interests include prevention and management of weight gain and metabolic derangements associated with antipsychotic medications.

The Clinical Trials Unit has a long history of conducting clinical research studying innovative treatments for a variety of psychiatric disorders, particularly syndromes where currently available treatments are inadequate. We have conducted industry-sponsored trials in treatment-resistant schizophrenia, treatment-resistant major depression, negative symptoms in schizophrenia, cognitive impairment in schizophrenia and in bipolar disorder and the use of long-acting injectable antipsychotic medication for early phase treatment of schizophrenia in young adults.

Current Projects

• Assessment of ERG components to discriminate between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder type I: study of electroretinography as a means to diagnostically differentiate between schizophrenia and bipolar I
• TWAIN 1: TAAR-1 partial agonist in patients with negative symptoms of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder: clinical trial of ralmitaront to address apathy, asociality and affective flattening in schizophrenia
• A Randomized, Double-Blind Controlled Comparison of NRX-101 to Standard of Care for Patients with Moderate Bipolar Depression with Subacute Suicidal Ideation and Behavior: clinical trial of lurasidone plus D-cycloserine to treat depressive symptoms in bipolar disorder.

Recent work: A recently completed trial focused on testing a new medication to reduce the cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. We also completed a study of the antidepressant fluvoxamine to prevent clinical worsening of COVID-19. Their team participated in a multi-center trial of olanzapine-samidorphan for the prevention of weight gain in young adults with newly diagnosed schizophrenia.

Their senior research coordinator is Ankit Jain, MS.

The team has collaborated with other Northwestern basic science and clinical investigators including Herbert Meltzer, MD; Mehmet Dokucu, MD, PhD, and James Reilly, PhD, as well as others across the country.

680 North Lake Shore Drive Suite 1500 Chicago, IL 60611

For inquiries about this research, please contact [email protected]

  Tali Raviv, PhD Tali Raviv's research program focuses on promoting mental health and resilience for children and communities impacted by poverty, toxic stress and trauma, and racism. The program conducts school- and community-based intervention research in partnership with school and community leaders. The program work examines the effectiveness, implementation, dissemination and sustainability of school- and community-based interventions, with the goal of improving access to culturally relevant and evidence-informed prevention, early intervention, and mental health treatment programs and reducing health disparities.

At the Lurie Children’s Center for Childhood Resilience (CCR) , Tali Raviv is dedicated to promoting access to mental health services for youth. CCR develops, evaluates, and disseminates programs to promote systems change, increase access and reduce mental health disparities.

680 North Lake Shore Drive Suite 13-084 Chicago, IL 60611

For inquiries about this research, please contact [email protected]

  James Reilly, PhD James Reilly's research in the Reilly Lab focuses on the evaluation of neurocognition in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders (psychosis, affective disorders) and acquired conditions, such as mild traumatic brain injury, with an aim to bridge the basic cognitive and clinical neurosciences in this research.

Work in the lab of James Reilly, PhD , focuses on understanding how cognitive control processes — those processes that help guide thought and behavior based on internally generated goals — are altered in individuals with or at risk for various forms of psychopathology and those with acquired conditions, and how these processes are altered by various treatments. They use neuropsychological and translational laboratory and fMRI approaches adopted from the cognitive neurosciences to study the functional neural networks involved in the control of attention, working memory and behavioral responding and how these are altered in a range of clinical populations. They use these same approaches to evaluate impact of novel interventions (pharmacological or behavioral) targeting cognition and functional neural systems among healthy and clinically affected individuals, with the aim towards identifying promising treatments for cognitive impairment to bring to clinical populations. Students in their lab have the opportunity to learn diagnostic and clinical assessment procedures, standard neuropsychological methods for evaluating cognitive functioning and laboratory and fMRI based acquisition and analysis of neurophysiologic data.

710 North Lake Shore Drive Suite 1315 Chicago, IL 60611

For inquiries about this research, please contact  [email protected] .

  Stewart Shankman, PhD The Northwestern Emotion and Risk (NEAR) Lab, led by Stewart Shankman, conducts multi-method research to examine (a) the relation between mood and anxiety disorders, (b) risk factors and familial transmission of emotional disorders and (c) novel treatments for individuals suffering from emotional disorders. The research program integrates clinical and epidemiological approaches with methods from neuroscience and mobile technologies.

Led by Stewart Shankman, PhD , the NEAR Lab's research focuses on the relation between depression and anxiety disorders and on novel treatments and risk factors for these difficult-to-treat emotional disorders. Depression and anxiety (aka "internalizing psychopathologies") are serious and prevalent public health problems with an economic burden of hundreds of billions of dollars that has been increasing in recent years. While moderately efficacious treatments have been developed for these conditions (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapies, SSRIs), treatment response is very heterogeneous. The group’s research attempts to (a) improve the understanding of internalizing psychopathologies and their risk factors, (b) identify specific targets for intervention and prevention efforts for specific individuals and (c) develop more effective interventions and preventative strategies to help people suffering from these conditions. The lab came to Northwestern in 2019 and is currently conducting multiple NIH-funded projects utilizing a variety of methods (e.g., fMRI, electrophysiology, laboratory behavioral paradigms, treatment development). Recently, their two largest R01s have focused on psychomotor disturbance in adults with depression, as well as social processes and smartphone use in adolescence with depression.

680 North Lake Shore Drive Suite 1532 Chicago, IL 60611

For inquiries about this research, please contact  [email protected] .

For more information on what the NEAR Lab is currently working on and their list of staff, visit their website .

  John T. Walkup, MD John T. Walkup's work covers three main areas of innovation and investigation. His work with movement disorders, specifically Tourette syndrome, uniquely spans psychiatry, child psychiatry and neurology.  His expertise in child and adolescent psychiatry clinical trials focuses on the development and evaluation of psychopharmacological and psychosocial treatments and lastly, he has been involved in developing and evaluating interventions to reduce the large mental health disparities facing Native American youth, specifically drug use and suicide prevention. Over his career, Dr. Walkup has been awarded over $30 million in grants and contracts to support his research. including current funding from Patient Centered Outcome Research Institute and the Kellogg Foundation.

John T. Walkup, MD , current research focuses on his long term interest in the treatment of anxiety disorder in the pediatric population.  While cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) is the initial treatment of choice, CBT results in only a 35% remission rate as compared to a 65 % remission rate of combined CBT and antidepressant medication.  It is imperative for families and providers to know if CBT remission rates can be improved as compared to combined treatment by intensifying exposure tasks (the key ingredient in CBT) adding more family sessions to reduce parental accommodation and extend treatment duration to 24-weeks.  Building on his long history of engagement in community based participatory research Dr. Walkup and others at Lurie Children’s have formed a collaboration with Communities United to engage and train youth to be social justice advocates.  The program Healing Through Justice builds on the observation that when youth who have experienced systematic racism come to terms with their personal. family and community experience of racism and then work to advance systems change they experience healing of themselves while working to heal their families and communities.  This project will train 3000 youth in the Chicagoland community over the next 7 years.

225 East Chicago Avenue Box 10 Chicago, IL 60611

For inquiries about this research, please contact  [email protected]  for anxiety research or  [email protected]  for community based participatory research

  Sandra Weintraub, PhD, ABPP Sandra Weintraub's research focuses on different cognitive aging trajectories and how they relate to age-related changes in the brain. She has developed cognitive testing instruments that are used throughout the NIH Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers Program and also led the Cognition domain team for the NIH Toolbox for Neurological and Behavioral Assessment, an NIH Blueprint project that provides common instruments for researchers to use across disparate studies.

Sandra Weintraub studies the determinants of “outlier conditions”, namely, unusually successful memory aging ( Northwestern SuperAging Program ) and of unusual forms of dementia (Primary Progressive Aphasia, behavioral variant Frontotemporal Dementia) that help elucidate resistance or regional brain vulnerability, respectively, to age-related neurodegenerative diseases. She collaborates with multidisciplinary researchers at Northwestern, nationally, and internationally on topics related to diagnosis of age-related cognitive decline.

For inquiries about this research, please contact [email protected]

  Jill Weissberg-Benchell, PhD, CDCES Jill Weissberg-Benchell is a pediatric psychologist and a certified diabetes care and education specialist with over 30 years of research experience and clinical work with children, adolescents and families with diabetes and their families. She has published research articles and offered workshops and lectures addressing issues such as improving self-management behaviors, family adaptation and coping, building adolescent resilience, the use of technology (CGM, Pumps and the Artificial Pancreas), and transitioning from pediatric to adult care. She is a co-author of two books, one that focuses on transitioning from pediatric to adult care, and another that focuses on working with adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

Jill Weissberg-Benchell has shaped her career according to the scientist-practitioner model. Consistent with this model, she has focused her work on integrating the provision of clinical care and clinically applied research. Specifically, her research program is informed both by the literature and by her clinical experiences. The lessons learned from her patients and their families lead to the most relevant translational research questions. Similarly, her knowledge of the research literature guides her provision of clinical care. She has contributed significantly to the clinical care of children, teenagers, and their parents with diabetes and have developed a highly productive research program as well. While pursuing the scientist-practitioner model, she has also had the great fortune to work with physicians, nurses, and other psychologists nationally and internationally in the diabetes community.

Dr. Weissberg-Benchell has a strong history of working on multi-site intervention studies funded by the NIH (Family Management of Diabetes funded by NICHD, Supporting Teen Problem Solving funded by NIDDK, and Effectiveness Trial of an E-Health Intervention To Support Diabetes Care in Minority Youth, funded by NIDDK. She has also worked on other multi-site studies (Psychosocial Aspects of Automated Insulin Delivery Systems funded by the Helmsley Charitable Trust and The Impact of Diabetes Camp also funded by Helmsley). She has worked with the automated insulin delivery team for the Bionic Pancreas (BP) for many years, and we have published manuscripts in peer reviewed journals regarding the psychosocial impact of the BP. I am the only psychologist on an NIDDK funded U grant (UC4 DK108612) for the BP’s pivotal trial, as 16-site study. She's the principal investigator on a JDRF-funded study aimed at improving family coping and adaptation during their first year post-diagnosis (Teaming up for T1D with Telehealth: Triple T). She has been the mentor for JDRF-funded post-doctoral fellowships (6 consecutive year of funding) focused on building the number of psychologists with research and clinical excellence in diabetes care.

Dr. Weissberg-Benchell has authored or co-authored almost 70 publications that have been cited over 2100 times with a h-index of 23 (Scopus). One older study, a meta-analysis of the metabolic and psychosocial impact of insulin pumps , is not only cited 438 times and is among the top 2% of publications of similar age and fields of study (Scopus), but also resulted in the decision by Germany’s national health system to approve funding for insulin pumps. It is highly unusual for a psychologist’s research to influence an entire country’s access to medical devices.  Her team developed the gold-standard measures to assess diabetes-specific emotional distress in teens and their parents, as well as in children and their parents. These measures are now recommended in the 2022 standards of care from the American Diabetes Association for psychosocial screening measures. She also co-created the only FDA-approved Patient-Reported Outcome measure (PRO) in diabetes technology, the INSPIRE measure .

225 East Chicago Avenue, Box 10 Chicago, IL 60611

For inquiries about this research, please contact  [email protected]

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Clinical Trials Office

The Lurie Cancer Center Clinical Trials Office (CTO) provides a centralized resource to facilitate the development, conduct, quality assurance monitoring, compliance with regulatory agency requirements and evaluation of clinical research trials at the Lurie Cancer Center. As such, the office coordinates the majority of clinical research conducted in medical oncology, malignant hematology, gynecologic-oncology, neuro-oncology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology and chemoprevention.

• Getting Started These steps will help investigators and staff who are new to working with the CTO.
• Research Oversight Learn about our robust, committee-focused review and monitoring system.
• Clinical Trials Office Tools Get links to tools used by CTO staff and investigators.
• Collaborations We value our collaborations with other institutions; learn more about our affiliates.
• Contact Us Find out how to get in touch.
• Join our clinical trials team! Learn about roles in our Clinical Trials Office

• Clinical Trial Agreements

Clinical Research

What is clinical research.

Clinical Research is research that either directly involves a particular person or group of people or uses materials from humans, such as their behavior or samples of their tissue. Participants in clinical research are protected by guidelines and regulations such as FDA regulations, the World Medical Association’s Declaration of Helsinki ethical policy, and NIH Clinical Research Policy. The Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) is an independent nonprofit accrediting body, which promotes high quality clinical research. There are two types of clinical research: clinical research studies and (the more heavily regulated of the two) clinical trials.

What is a Clinical Trial?

Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human research participants that are designed to answer specific questions about novel health-related therapies, drugs, devices, vaccines, or ways of using known interventions.  The goal of these studies is to determine if a new approach is safe and effective.  Clinical trials conducted in the United States must comply with the regulations set forth by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) at 45 CFR 46 and the Food and Drug Administration at 21 CFR 50 and 56.  Research at Northwestern University that involves human research participants must also be reviewed and approved by the university’s  Institutional Review Board .

Federally-sponsored clinical trials

Submitting proposals.

All proposals for federally-sponsored clinical trials must be processed through Sponsored Research (SR) and require completing an InfoEd Proposal Development (PD) record and satisfying all other compliance requirements.  No study subject related activity can be initiated until appropriated IRB approval has been obtained and either a Notice of Grant Award is received or a subcontract agreement has been executed by Sponsored Research.

Budget Tips for Federally-sponsored Clinical Trials

• F&A rate:  The Federal sponsored research rate is applicable.  The on-campus or off-campus rate should be used as applies to the project.
• IRB fees:  IRB fees are not charged to Federally-sponsored projects.
• Per patient rates : If a per patient rate is provided, F&A must be backed out of the per patient rate.
• Multisite trials : If Northwestern University is the prime site for a proposed multisite trial, complete subcontractor information from all sub-sites must be submitted to NIH with the initial application.

Industry-sponsored clinical trials

Industry-initiated clinical trials and PI-initiated clinical trials, along with non-interventional clinical research, must meet certain criteria in order to qualify for the clinical trial indirect cost rate. Regardless of any tentative understanding between the principal investigator (PI) and the sponsor, all industry-sponsored clinical trial agreements (CTA) must be processed by Sponsored Research on behalf of the University.  Visit our page on Clinical Trial Agreements for more information about executing a CTA.

Resources for Northwestern PIs and staff

Advisory Council for Clinical Research (ACCR) The ACCR is dedicated to promoting compliant and responsible clinical research conduct through facilitating new ideas, promoting changes in organizational policies, and creating educational programming and relevant activities for the Northwestern Medicine clinical research community. ACCR serves the entire Northwestern Medicine clinical research community on the Chicago campus.

Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Science Institute (NUCATS) NUCATS functions as an integrated hub supporting and accelerating clinical and translational science across Northwestern University (including six schools), three nationally-renowned clinical partners, Chicago community and stakeholders, and the broad consortium of CTSA-funded institutions.

NUCATS – Center for Clinical Research (CCR)

CCR offers investigators a range of clinical research support services including budget preparation, regulatory and subject recruitment assistance, support for ClinicalTrials.gov, and general assistance with finding research resources.

Clinical Research Certificate Faculty, Northwestern University School of Professional Studies - Northwestern School of Professional Studies

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Clinical Research

Carol Beirne

Email Carol Beirne

Carol Beirne has over 27 years of experience at Abbott Laboratories in a variety of quality leadership roles, most recently as a senior manager in the Corporate Quality Organization. She has worked in both the pharmaceutical and medical device product areas. Beirne designed the management review procedure for the Diagnostics Division and represented the process and data to both internal and external auditors, including ISO and FDA. She has a bachelor of science in engineering that allowed her to be extensively involved in process improvements throughout her career. She led a division Quality Training staff in the Global Pharmaceutical Research and Development organization with employees in both Germany and the US. She has an ASQ Quality Manager/Operations Excellence Certification and has served in multiple roles in CAPA investigations. Beirne earned her International MBA from Keller Graduate College of Management.

Sheri Jacobsen

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Currently teaching: Essentials of Initiating Clinical Research

Sheri Jacobsen has over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical research industry, having held multiple roles across all levels of industry including the areas of site investigation, clinical research organization and biopharmaceutical sponsorship. Currently, Jacobsen is responsible for ensuring that all functions supporting global pharmaceutical development at AbbVie have the training needed to execute clinical programs while ensuring regulatory compliance. She has an MA in clinical psychology with a concentration in neuropsychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology and a nursing degree.

Nick McWilliams

Email Nick McWilliams

Currently teaching: Responsible Conduct of Research Drug and Biologics Regulations

Nick McWilliams has been in the pharmaceutical research industry since 2005. He has held roles within data management, clinical operations, and project management. His current position is Senior Clinical Project Manager at IQVIA Biotech, working on oncology studies with emerging biotech and non-profit industry sponsors. He graduated from the MSRC program in 2015 and is excited to bring his experience back to Northwestern to share with students.

Ruby Upadhyaya

Email Ruby Upadhyaya

Currently teaching: Medical Device Regulations

Ruby Upadhyaya presently serves as Vice President of Operations Quality & Regulatory Compliance McKesson, a leading healthcare company in medical devices & pharmaceutical supply chain. In her role, Ruby is responsible for driving end-to-end quality at both the distribution facilities as well as sites performing manufacturer services for McKesson's Medical-Surgical division. Ruby has experience in developing commercial regulatory capabilities, launching new products across multiple geographical regions and leading facilities to ISO certifications. In addition to healthcare, Ruby has spent several years in electronic manufacturing, institutional research & consulting organizations. Ruby has BS in electronics & communication Engg from North-Eastern Hill University & MS in an allied field of industrial engineering (majoring in planning & forecasting) from DAVV University. Ruby also has regulatory affairs certificate in medical devices & pharmaceuticals from RAPS, PMP from PMI and has earned multiple ASQ certifications (CBA, CMQ/OE, CQA, CQE, CSSBB) through the course of her professional career.

Lauren Wall

Email Lauren Wall

Currently teaching: Clinical Research Design and Methodology

Lauren has over 15 years of experience in Hematology/Oncology clinical research operations spanning industry and academic healthcare. Her primary responsibilities include planning, organizing, directing, and overseeing daily operations for over 300+ therapeutic clinical trials within a section that accrues approximately 1200+ patients a year to interventional trials. Lauren assists in developing and executing strategic and operational plans (including fully integrated network sites) for clinical research, including new business practices and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Lauren holds an MSc degree in Clinical Research Administration from George Washington University. In addition to her above-mentioned role, Lauren is an appointed Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Clinical Trial Scientific Review (CTRC) committee member at the University of Chicago. Prior to taking her role in the academic setting, Lauren worked at an Oncology CRO, Theradex, where she gained experience in clinical trial monitoring, auditing, and project management. Lauren traveled to several NCI-designated cancer centers to conduct site visit audits. Lauren has a strong passion for teaching and mentoring others about the exciting career opportunities in the field of clinical research.

Clinical Research, Center for

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There are two programs within the Center for Clinical Research: Clinical Research Support Program and Regulatory Support Program

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• Sharma, Leena (PD/PI)
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• Brown, C. Hendricks (Co-Investigator)
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Northwestern joins study of inflammation's effect on heart, brain.

Jon Asplund is a contributing reporter covering health care for Crain’s Chicago Business.

Northwestern University researchers will join scientists at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Michigan in exploring the role inflammation plays in cardiac and brain diseases.

The $15 million American Heart Association-funded study aims to better understand the body's response to inflammation and the "crosstalk between the heart and brain," Northwestern said in a press release.

The research will also look at how to prevent or treat inflammation-driven cardiovascular diseases.

While inflammation is important to a healthy immune response, "when the inflammatory process goes awry, called inflammatory dysregulation, it can fuel development of diseases," the press release said.

“Inflammation is a treatable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The challenge is that there are gaps in knowledge about how to recognize and treat inflammation that could fuel heart and brain dysfunction,” Dr. Joseph C. Wu, current volunteer president of the American Heart Association and director of the Stanford School of Medicine's Cardiovascular Institute, said in a statement. “There are so many diseases linked to inflammatory dysregulation, including myocarditis, heart failure, heart attack, dementia and cognitive impairment, pulmonary vascular disease and others. People with numerous types of heart and brain diseases will benefit from this research.”

The three universities make up one of the Dallas-based association's Strategically Focused Research Networks (SFRNs).

The heart association's SFRNs are given four-year grants to research novel and innovative ideas in areas of cardiovascular disease.

At Northwestern, Dr. Matthew J. Feinstein, director of the clinical and translational immunocardiology program at Northwestern’s Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, will lead a research team. The team will collaborate with a team from Chicago State University to undertake three different projects focused on inflammation in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), which accounts for more than half of heart failure cases in the U.S.

Half of all people diagnosed with HFpEF die within five years, the release said.

The researchers will aim to determine how inflammation may be targeted at a cellular level to prevent and treat HFpEF, focusing on immune cells, the release said.

The researchers will also investigate how existing and novel approaches targeting metabolism and immune cell function affect HFpEF onset and progression, it said.

The American Heart Association has invested $278 million to establish 16 Strategically Focused Research Networks, each aimed at addressing a key strategic issue identified by the association’s board of directors, the release said.

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Paclitaxel and Carboplatin in Combination with Low-intensity Pulsed Ultrasound for Glioblastoma

K.J. Habashy, C. Dmello, and L. Chen contributed equally to this article.

Clin Cancer Res 2024;30:1619–29

• Funder(s):  National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• Award Id(s): 1R01CA245969-01A1
• Principal Award Recipient(s): R. A.M.   Stupp Sonabend
• Award Id(s): P50CA221747
• Funder(s):  Lou and Jean Malnati Brain Tumor Institute
• Principal Award Recipient(s): A.M.   Sonabend
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Karl J. Habashy , Crismita Dmello , Li Chen , Victor A. Arrieta , Kwang-Soo Kim , Andrew Gould , Mark W. Youngblood , Guillaume Bouchoux , Kirsten B. Burdett , Hui Zhang , Michael Canney , Roger Stupp , Adam M. Sonabend; Paclitaxel and Carboplatin in Combination with Low-intensity Pulsed Ultrasound for Glioblastoma. Clin Cancer Res 15 April 2024; 30 (8): 1619–1629. https://doi.org/10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-23-2367

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We recently reported on clinical trials for patients with recurrent glioblastoma where low-intensity pulsed ultrasound and microbubbles (LIPU/MB) improved paclitaxel or carboplatin delivery into the brain. Here, we report variable local tumor control with paclitaxel at the maximal/target dose in our phase I trial (NCT04528680). To address this, we investigated the combination of paclitaxel with carboplatin in preclinical glioma models.

We performed MRI-based analysis to evaluate disease control in patients from our trial. We studied the cytotoxicity of paclitaxel and carboplatin against 11 human glioma lines as monotherapy and in combination at concentrations derived from human intraoperative studies. Synergy was assessed with the Loewe model and the survival benefit evaluated in two xenografts. We examined the effects on cell cycle progression, DNA damage, and apoptosis.

Patients treated with paclitaxel and LIPU/MB exhibited variable local tumor control, which correlated with overall survival. We observed limited cross-resistance to paclitaxel and carboplatin in glioma lines, with almost a third of them being exclusively susceptible to one drug. This combination led to susceptibility of 81% of lines and synergy in 55% of them. The combination proved more efficacious in two intracranial xenografts when administered with LIPU/MB, leading to complementary effects on cell cycle arrest.

Combining paclitaxel and carboplatin in gliomas may be more efficacious than monotherapy, as in other cancers, due to synergy and independent susceptibility to each drug. These results form the basis for an ongoing phase II trial (NCT04528680) where we investigate this combination with LIPU/MB.

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THE GRADUATE SCHOOL

Apply to attend the obi graduate student award symposium.

The O'Donnell Brain Institute (OBI) at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center invites you to apply for the inaugural OBI Graduate Student Award Symposium  to be held Thursday, October 17 – Friday, October 18 . Selected awardees will deliver invited talks at the symposium, engage with faculty and trainees, and learn firsthand about our vibrant neuroscience community. UT Southwestern is located in the Dallas metro area, one of the most diverse regions in the U.S.   The O’Donnell Brain Institute brings together basic, clinical, translational, and data researchers from across the UT Southwestern campus to investigate the biggest questions in brain science today. Brain disease research and clinical care are top priorities at UT Southwestern and that is evidenced by the investments made in the Institute including a new 265,000-square-foot neuroscience tower and research facilities such as the Cryo-EM Core, Whole Brain Imaging Core, and MERSCOPE Core.   In addition, the Institute is committed to recruiting and supporting scientists at all levels and the senior graduate student award symposium is part of these efforts. The two-day event will provide opportunities for selected applicants to explore postdoctoral positions with investigators, network with neuroscience graduate students and postdocs, and learn about the mentoring and funding programs developed to support early-career scientists.   Please note that travel, accommodation, and meal expenses will be covered. An honorarium will also be provided.   How to Apply:

• Online application: https://redcap.link/h0sars34  
• CV, including a list of publications and preprints, list of scholarships/fellowships/honors, employment history, professional organizations, and other relevant information.
• Personal background/experience
• Past research experience 
• Future postdoc expectations 
• Overall career goals 
• Research abstract (250 words) 
• Mentor letter of support confidentially emailed to [email protected]  

The deadline to apply is Monday, April 30. Questions regarding the program may be sent directly to Mary-Colette Lybrand ( [email protected] ).

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Trailblazing biochemist delivers kimberly prize lecture.

Influential biochemist Craig M. Crews, PhD, who pioneered the pharmaceutical field of targeted protein degradation, delivered the second Kimberly Prize in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics Lecture to a full auditorium of Feinberg faculty, staff, fellows and students on April 15.

Crews, the John C. Malone Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and a professor of Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Management at Yale University, was selected to receive the prize for leading the development of the anti-cancer drug carfilzomib (Kyprolis), used in the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

Crews also spearheaded the development of PROTAC (proteolysis-targeting chimeras) drugs, which use heterobifunctional molecules — molecular homing devices fused to cellular protein adapters — to target specific proteins for destruction by the cell’s proteasome. Crews is credited with bringing PROTAC-based drugs into clinical trials, which could be used to treat an array of human diseases, including cancer.

Ali Shilatifard, PhD , the Robert Francis Furchgott Professor and chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics and director of the Simpson Querrey Institute for Epigenetics, introduced Crews during the event.

“Now, we are able to go inside the cell, tag a specific protein, remove it, and ask what happened to those cellular processes. This has revolutionized biology,” Shilatifard said of Crews’s discoveries.

During his lecture, Crews detailed PROTAC therapies and outlined the future of the technology.

“What we’ve learned with PROTACs is now being applied to many other areas and new modalities,” said Crews, who is also executive director of the Yale Center for Molecular Discovery. “We know in this post-genomic era every conceivable drug target. The question is: ‘How do we naturally drug these 20,000-plus proteins?’”

Building off PROTAC technology, Crews and his laboratory developed PhosTACs, small molecule drugs able to mediate protein phosphorylation, a critical biological process which often goes awry in cancer. By utilizing ultra-targeted PhosTACs, the drug can kill cancer cells without inducing widespread side effects in healthy cells.

Similarly, Crews’s laboratory has also developed RIPTACs (Regulated Induced Proximity Targeting Chimeras), which target and kill tumor cells utilizing protein interactions without affecting non-tumor cells.

Because traditional theories of pharmacology require excess of a drug to be circulating, potentially causing damage to non-target cells, Crews argued the field requires a new, more precise model.

“What I would like to do is change the paradigm of pharmacology to what I call ‘event-driven pharmacology,’ whereby any nook or cranny on the surface of a protein could now be the attachment point for a new class of drugs that will recruit quality control machinery of the cell to now tag that protein for destruction, and once eliminated, the drugs then can do it again, and again, and again.”

About the Kimberly Prize

The Kimberly Prize in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics , the largest biochemistry award offered in the U.S., is given by Kimberly Querrey in honor of her late husband, Lou Simpson, a Northwestern trustee, alumnus and benefactor.

The award is given each year to a scientist who has made outstanding research contributions to understanding the molecular basis of life with a direct demonstrated link of their discovery into clinic for the betterment of humankind.

The inaugural prize was awarded in 2023 to Jennifer A. Doudna, PhD, the Li Ka Shing Chancellor’s Chair in Biomedical and Health Sciences and professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. Doudna, a co-winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, was recognized for her fundamental biochemical research providing molecular insight into the function of CRISPR/Cas9 systems as tools for genome editing and the application of her work to science and medicine.

Prize recipients are nominated and reviewed by the dean of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, the director of Simpson Querrey Institute for Epigenetics and other luminaries. The annual prize of $250,000 is given by the Simpson Querrey Institute for Epigenetics and administered by the Feinberg School of Medicine.

“When Lou passed away two years ago, Dean Neilson, Kimberly and I discussed how to celebrate his memory, and honor both Kimberly and Lou’s contributions and impact they have had on Northwestern and Northwestern Medicine,” Shilatifard said. “We decided to award this prize in his honor that celebrates their vision of excellence and impactful contribution to science, medicine and community, which they’re both very passionate about.”

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Clinical Research Coordinator Basic Training

Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC) Basic Training is a five-session, scheduled online training program for coordinators that provides practical information to get them "up and running" in the clinic, with many tools and templates to assist with study implementation.

The training covers a variety of topics, including informed consent, regulatory , procedures,   documents,  binders , study initiation and close-out visits, drug compliance/storage/documentation, IRB submissions and HIPAA, adverse events , and FDA audits and monitoring .

About the Program

  eligibility.

CRC Basic Training is designed for coordinators who have less than one year of experience or who have never received formal training. It is useful to anyone who requires a fast, thorough introduction to clinical research trial conduct, Good Clinical Practice and the federal regulations governing research.

This course is open to Northwestern University affiliates and external registrants.  There are no requirements needed prior to registering for this course. 

  Contact Hours

CRC Basic Training was approved by the Northwestern University Clinical & Translational Sciences Institute as a continuing nursing education activity. Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CPN 15198, for 11 continuing education contact hours. Course participants must attend all five class sessions in full to receive contact hours and certificate of completion.

The pilot program that runs in Canvas is currently under review and is not approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing or TransCelerate Biopharma.

The completion of this course will not provide students with certification as a CRC. One to two years of full-time work experience in the field is required before an individual is eligible to sit for the CRA or CRC certification exams offered through professional organizations like  ACRP  and  SOCRA .

  Dates & Deadlines (Zoom)

This is a first-come, first-served course offered regularly throughout the year. Course spots/seats cannot be reserved ahead of registration and payment. See cost and registration details.

This course includes approximately 20 hours of pre-session reading and assignments that must be completed prior to your first day of class. The pre-session assignments (pre-work packet) can be downloaded from NUCATS Online after you have registered for the course.

  Dates & Deadlines (Canvas Asynchronous)

This is a pilot program that runs in Canvas that will be slowly rolled out over the next year within CECD. As such, we are reviewing the continuing education contact hours and will announce how many CEUs you will receive, if any, soon. This course is not yet certified by TransCelerate Biopharma.

Participants who complete the asynchronous course will receive a certificate of completion from the NUCATS's Institute Center for Education and Career Development.

This is a Canvas course and will not require learners to meet in person or synchronously online and is completed by the learner on their own schedule. 

If you have any questions, contact Priya at [email protected]  

  Cost & Registration

Zoom synchronous cost and registration.

The cost for the Zoom CRC session is $199 per registration. If you are a Northwestern University employee, a Chicagoland CTSA employee or a Northwestern University affiliate employee, a discounted rate is available.  

When registering with a Northwestern University chart string, have your manager or department business administrator create an internal sales journal for payment. Follow the chart string instructions  and send the approval email to Priya Tripathi .

Canvas Asynchronous Cost and Registration

Currently, CRC asynchronous courses are being offered free of charge. Registration is capped at 25 individuals per session. Future sessions may have an associated cost.

  Cancellations & Transfers

Cancellation & transfer requests must be submitted in writing to Priya Tripathi .  All cancellations and transfers will incur a fee.

Read our full   cancellation and transfer policy   to learn more.

Northwestern University reserves the right to cancel any course prior to the course start date and will notify participants accordingly. In such cases, all fees are refunded.

Meet Our Team

Faculty director.

Sharon Rosenberg, MD Associate Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care in the Department of Medicine

CECD Assistant Director

Priya Tripathi [email protected]

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