NQUIRES Research Fellowship

Northwestern University’s Northwestern Quality Improvement, Research & Education in Surgery (NQUIRES) offers a funded, two-year, onsite fellowship in surgical outcomes, health services, and health policy research for surgical residents to pursue during their research years. Applications are rolling and reviewed as they are submitted. We typically seek to recruit and interview fellows 12 to 24 months ahead of the planned start date.

The goal of the research fellowship is to help prepare surgical residents for a successful career in academic surgery by developing an expertise in surgical health services and outcomes research. Research fellows will spend a minimum of two years with the NQUIRES research team conducting research, taking advanced degree courses, and working on developing a robust, meaningful research agenda. Research fellows will earn a Master’s or PhD degree that bests suits their needs through one of the programs offered at Northwestern. The advanced degree tuition will be fully funded. Applicants are not required to enroll in degree programs if a similar-level degree has already been achieved.

Prior fellows have had very successful research experiences, including numerous presentations (e.g., American Surgical Association, American College of Surgeons), first-author publications (e.g., JAMA, Annals of Surgery), and successful grant acquisitions (e.g., NIH, American Cancer Society).

The work done during the fellowship has launched successful research careers and has helped residents secure coveted clinical fellowships, faculty positions and funding. The NQUIRES Research Fellowship is a unique opportunity that allows the surgical resident to gain firsthand experience in outcomes and health services research methodology as well as in practical quality and process improvement work. The program also prepares the fellow for a career in academic surgery with a focus on national surgical healthcare issues. Strong preference will be given to candidates with prior research experience. One-year fellowships will not be considered. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or residents.

For questions or inquires about the application process, Please contact NQUIRES’s Administrative Operations Coordinator Julianna Doll at julianna.doll@northwestern.edu.