NUCATS Offers Programs To Promote Interdisciplinary Research

The Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences (NUCATS) Institute is now offering two programs to promote interdisciplinary research between the McCormick School of Engineering and the Feinberg School of Medicine.

The goal of the programs is to accelerate novel discoveries and their availability for patient care by enhancing interdisciplinary collaborative innovation in engineering and medicine.

The Engineering into Medicine: Post-Doctorial Fellowship Program is a two-year fellowship that includes structured life sciences and medicine educational experiences. The fellowship includes co-mentored research that integrates engineering and life sciences/medicine and a one-year fellow salary and tuition for masters-level courses.

The Engineering into Medicine: Faculty Mini-Sabbatical Program aims to assist engineers in becoming interdisciplinary researchers and accelerate the movement of basic discoveries into clinical practice.

Faculty mini-sabbaticals can be taken in fall 2010, winter 2011 or spring 2011. Faculty selected will participate in a 10-week residence in a Feinberg School of Medicine faculty-led laboratory. Faculty will also have the opportunity to observe medical care and procedures in patient care areas with the goal of identifying unmet medical needs.

Faculty with diverse research interests such as biomaterials, informatics, tissue engineering, imaging, robotics, operations research, tribology, etc., are encouraged to apply.

Participants already chosen for the programs include:
- Hyung-Do Kim, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biological Engineering. Kim will be mentored by Phillip B. Messersmith, professor of biomedical engineering, and Vincent L. Cryns, professor in the Feinberg School of Medicine. Kim will focus on developing biomimetic hydrogels for the local delivery of proteasome inhibitors to solid tumors.
- Gordon Hazen, professor of industrial engineering and management sciences, will collaborate with professors Michael Abecassis and Daniela Ladner in the Feinberg School of Medicine on research into the impacts of transplant policy.
- Sanjay Mehrotra, professor of industrial engineering and management sciences, will collaborate with professors Michael Abecassis, Daniela P. Ladner, David M. Liebovitz and Mark V. Williams in the Feinberg School of Medicine to study both equitable organ allocation decisions and how to more efficiently manage hospital resources.

For more information on these programs, click here.