Research at Rush University

Research is thriving at Rush University. We’re invested in clinical, basic science and community-based research to advance our understanding of how diseases work and how best to treat them, which can improve care for patients at Rush and around the globe.

Here you can learn more about research efforts across Rush: our laboratories and collaborations, facilities and services, and technologies for licensing.

Rush Research Portal

Research Profiles

ITM @ RUSH

Institute for Translational Medicine

Rush partners with the University of Chicago and other local hospital systems to help drive research breakthroughs and bring those discoveries into the real world to improve health.

Departmental Research

Every day Rush University researchers are working to fight disease and improve health outcomes.

Research Collaborations

We embrace collaboration among our departments, as well as with other institutions and organizations.

Core Facilities

Our robust core facilities are available to faculty and offer opportunities for researchers outside Rush.

Research Affairs

We support faculty to propose studies, seek funding, negotiate contracts, secure patents and licensing, and much more.

Services for Investigators and Sponsors

We provide a wide range of services to researchers and research sponsors.

Innovation and Technology Transfer

Rush University helps connect faculty inventors to those interested in using their technologies.

Regulatory Compliance

We promote a culture of high-quality research, compliance and research integrity.

Vice Provost for Research

Under the leadership of Joshua J. Jacobs, MD, vice provost for research, Rush University is embarking on an exciting new phase of our research enterprise.

Meeting Autism in the Middle

Lauren Little, PhD, develops occupational therapy programs to help autistic children while considering the circumstances of their families.

College of Health Sciences researcher Sandra Gomez-Perez, PhD, RD, LDN

Ignore the Role of Fat in Health? VAT Chance

Clinical nutrition researcher Sandra Gomez-Perez, PhD, RD, LDN, seeks to understand how abdominal fat contributes to disease.

Making Research a Part of Spiritual Care

Over the course of his career, George Fitchett, DMin, PhD, has become a national leader in raising the importance of research in the work of health care chaplains.

Research News

Rush Leads in Fight Against Substance Misuse

The National Institute on Drug Abuse recently awarded Rush a $2 million grant to establish a research center to improve the delivery of scientifically based treatments to substance misuse patients.

Reprogramming Pancreatic Cancer

Findings published today in the journal Science Translational Medicine suggest that a type of white blood cell called tumor associated macrophages that have been deceived by pancreatic cancer cells into not attacking them can be “reprogrammed” by a specially designed molecule that activates a protein found on their surfaces.

Scam Susceptibility May Be Early Sign of Dementia

Decreased scam awareness among older adults may be a warning sign of future cognitive decline or dementia, according to researchers with the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center.

Cohn Fellowship Fosters Junior Faculty Research Initiatives

Six junior faculty members at Rush University will receive grant support for their research.

Researchers Define Alzheimer’s-like Brain Disorder

A brain disorder that mimics symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease has been defined with recommended diagnostic criteria and guidelines for advancing future research on the condition.

Structural Racism Case Study

While medical professionals identify race as a risk factor for many diseases, the authors argue that racism also be identified as a root cause of health inequities. This article examines how one woman’s breast cancer battle illustrates the impact of structural racism: the convergence of social, cultural, economic and institutional forces to perpetuate racial group inequity.