Resident Research Training Program

All resident physicians at the Rehabilitation Institute are expected to participate in the Resident Research Program and are required to produce a research paper of publishable quality in order to qualify for graduation from their three-year training program. Research projects may explore a variety of rehabilitation related topics in the form of a detailed literature review, case study, innovative device design, retrospective study, prospective study or a basic laboratory investigation. Residents are urged to use the most comprehensive research design possible in order to gain the widest research experience and maximize the quality of their research project within realistic budget and time constraints. Presentation of projects at national research meetings and publication within peer reviewed journals is strongly encouraged to further enhance the resident's experience and career advancement, but are not required for graduation.

Didactic research education is provided through two venues. Research papers from the published literature are presented and critiqued by resident physicians at a weekly Journal Club under the supervision of attending physicians with expertise in the topic area and the Director of Resident Research. Resident physicians also attend an annual Research Training Seminar covering basic stastical analysis, clinical research design, data management techniques, research ethics, scientific writing and critical review of scientific literature. This course provides practical information that will help residents design, implement and complete their individual research projects. During the course all PGY 2 residents will have the opportunity to present research ideas orally and receive feedback as they develop their projects.

The Resident Research Committee, chaired by the Director of Resident Research, acts to support resident researchers and their mentors by providing resources for research activities and overseeing the Resident Research Program. All residents are required to submit a research proposal to the committee for review within the first nine months of residency. The committee provides written feedback and recommendations to each resident that may help improve the quality of research projects.

• Individual statistical consultation is available to all resident physicians as are personal computer facilities equipped with word-processing, spreadsheet and statistical software packages. Medline searches of medical literature are also available through the RIC Learning Resources Center. Time is provided to work on research projects during all clinical rotations throughout the residency program. Some residents choose to use elective time for the purpose of conducting research under the supervision of a research mentor and the Director of the Resident Research Program.

The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago Research Day is held annually and provides an opportunity for all residents to present their research projects to the Rehabilitation Institute and Medical School community.

A.   All residents are required to submit a completed research paper of publishable quality to the medical education office prior to completion of residency training.

B.   The research paper must be on a topic in physical medicine and rehabilitation in any of the following forms:

• Case study with comprehensive literature review of the topic
• Comprehensive literature review of a rehabilitation topic
• Innovative device design
• Retrospective chart review
• Prospective clinical study
• Basic laboratory study

C.    The research paper must be written by the resident.  It is understood that the mentor may be first author on the manuscript, but there should be evidence that the resident had a significant contribution to the project.

D.     Though presentation of papers at national meetings or publication is encouraged, it is not a requirement.

Questions regarding Resident scholarly activity at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago can be addressed to Richard L. Harvey, MD, Director of the Resident Research Training Program (r-harvey@northwestern.edu).

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