McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University Program

Program Identity & Fit

Northwestern's dermatology residency is a top-tier academic program embedded in one of the highest NIH-funded dermatology departments in the country, with training spread across Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Lurie Children's Hospital, and Jesse Brown VA to deliver broad exposure across general, pediatric, surgical, and complex medical dermatology. The department's identity is built on subspecialty multidisciplinary clinics (Skin Cancer Institute, Inflammatory Skin Disorders, Center for Ethnic Skin and Hair, Women's Skin Health) and a large Clinical Research Unit supporting 200+ IRB-approved studies, reflecting an explicit mission to train future academic leaders and physician-scientists. A formal 2+2 research track, T32-funded physician-scientist pathway, and expectation that all residents complete a mentored research project with national presentation/publication signal that scholarly productivity is a structural expectation, not an optional add-on. The program values residents who thrive in a mentorship-driven, progressively autonomous academic environment and who are motivated toward subspecialization, leadership, or research careers rather than general community practice.