Rush > Department of Internal Medicine Research

Welcome From the New Chairman of Medicine

I am very excited to be at Rush to produce better medicine. By this I mean making discoveries that impact the patient's life and treating patients that we never actually see by transforming medicine. The value of having research right where you deliver care is priceless and makes medicine better. That's what we want to do, and that's what is happening here already.

At a university medical center, we cannot separate clinical care from research and education. We need all three elements, and they are all equally important to produce the best physicians, have the best nursing program, train the best students, and make the best medicine

In my area of kidney disease, we made fundamental discoveries through work in the laboratory that we are now bringing to patients. This is something that is truly exciting, and it energizes many other researchers regionally and also across the nation and internationally to do better research. That is how we hopefully make better treatments, which to me is the ultimate goal of what any academic physician should thrive for. To bring my expertise to Rush complimented with the expertise that's already here is very rewarding to me.

Department of Internal Medicine Research

Clinical Research
Basic Science and Translational Research
Epidemiological Research
Research Facilities and Resources
Research Opportunities
Support Internal Medicine Research

Clinical Research

At Rush, we believe that clinical research is the foundation for advances in patient care. Through our leading-edge research programs, we are committed to helping patients with various diseases by developing new therapies and medical devices, as well as by expanding scientific and medical knowledge.

Watch this video to learn more about clinical trials at Rush, or find out what clinical trials are available now.

Basic Science and Translational Research

Researchers at Rush are engaged in a wide range of basic science research, studying cell biology, immunology, neurobiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, microbiology and genetics in organisms from bacteria to man. Rush fosters a collaborative research environment where scientists of all levels work together to address scientific problems of fundamental importance.

Translational research aims to facilitate the conversion of scientific discoveries to practical applications. This process relies on volunteers who participate in clinical trials. Kathleen Shannon, MD, explains, "If more people participate in trials, we could have new medications and new treatments available much more quickly."

Learn about clinical trials available now.

Epidemiological Research

The epidemiology team of researchers is dedicated to identifying dietary and lifestyle factors that optimize healthy aging. Their goals are:

To study the interconnected roles that nutrition and physical activity play in brain health and optimal function.
To translate new information into educational programs for clinical providers and the public to foster healthy eating and exercise behaviors.
To train healthcare professionals to better address the diverse health issues of aging.

They are committed to optimizing the health and well-being of older people of different ethnicities through innovative study of diet and physical activity, organ health and disease prevention. Our research, translated into education for individuals and health care professionals, has the potential to dramatically cut health care costs by reducing the incidence of Alzheimer's disease, cancer, cognitive decline, osteoporosis and heart disease.

Learn more about the Section of Nutrition and Nutritional Epidemiology.

Research Facilities and Resources

Rush University Medical Center has established an extensive array of core facilities to promote the success of research at Rush. These core facilities include flow cytometry, confocal microscopy, microCT/histology, proteomics, biomarkers analysis, imaging, molecular infectious diseases, miRNA and gene expression, and x-ray fluoroescence microscopy. These are centered in the Cohn Research Building (right) where the Principal Investigator's lab is located.

Learn more about research facilities and resources.

Research Opportunities

The Department of Internal Medicine recently developed an effective research mentoring program, and the Graduate College offers training and a Master of Science degree program in clinical research focused on the MD fellow or junior attending.

If you are intersted in research opportunities with the Department of Internal Medicine, please contact research_im@rush.edu.

Support Internal Medicine Research

Philanthropic support from donors allows the Department of Internal Medicine to conduct the most innovative research and provide the highest-quality patient care.

Learn more about how your gift can make a difference, or donate now.