Message from the Program Director

Welcome to the residency training program in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.  The goal of our program is to provide residents with broad based comprehensive training in all aspects of our specialty.  While centered at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, training also occurs at our outpatient facilities including the Spine and Sports Rehabilitation Center, and the Chronic Pain Outpatient Center and affiliated hospitals including Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, Illinois Masonic and the Jesse Brown Veterans Administration Hospital.

To provide residents with the knowledge and experience necessary for the successful practice of PMR, we offer trainees a highly structured didactic and clinical curriculum.  Residents have didactic offerings daily which include lectures, grand rounds and journal club.  The lecture series covers topics felt to be “core” information necessary to the practice of our specialty.  These core lectures are supplemented by the anatomy, physical examination, electrodiagnosis and administrative series which rounds out the formal educational offering.

Clinically residents rotate through all inpatient units at the RIC including pediatrics and participate in a number of outpatient rotations providing trainees with a balanced clinical experience and exposure to all major disabilities.

The strength and success of our residency program is the result of the dedication and commitment of our faculty members and staff and the loyalty and hard work of our trainees.  I hope you find this website useful and informative.  If you should have additional questions about our training program please feel free to contact our Office of Medical Education.

Sincerely,

James Sliwa, DO

James A. Sliwa, DO  Director of Residency Training

Message from the Chief Residents

Thank you for your interest in the PM&R Residency Program at Northwestern!  We invite you to learn more about our program, which provides training at a world-class rehabilitation hospital, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, alongside a dedicated group of professionals committed to our education. 

As residents, we have been privileged to have the opportunity to care for patients from a wide variety of backgrounds and age groups and with a broad range of medical conditions and injuries.  Our inpatient rotations at RIC include orthopedic, general, pediatric, spinal cord, stroke, and brain injury rehabilitation.  All residents also do a rotation at a local community hospital, either Evanston Northwestern Hospital or Illinois Masonic Medical Center.   Outpatient rotations include training in pain management, arthritis care, and musculoskeletal medicine.  We also receive extensive training in electrodiagnosis (EMG and nerve conduction studies) and spasticity management, and our ample elective time and close relationship with other clinical departments at Northwestern provide opportunities to pursue further education in areas that are of interest to us.

In addition to the outstanding “bedside teaching” we receive, we also benefit from a very strong didactic program.  Our weekday noon-time lectures given by faculty members cover a wealth of rehabilitation topics and are further supplemented by weekly Chairman’s Rounds and Grand Rounds.  We also have a year-long Sports & Spine Lecture series, in addition to anatomy lab sessions, a physical exam workshop series, and an administrative lecture series.  Residents also have the chance to attend a number of highly-rated conferences and courses hosted at RIC throughout the year. 

Fulfilling your required scholarly (or research) project is easy at RIC.  We are surrounded by some of the foremost rehabilitation researchers in the country and have great resources available to us.  Our residents frequently present their research at national conferences.

Our residents are some of the best and brightest from across the nation.  We are also a very supportive group who enjoy spending time together outside the hospital.  Resident activities include picnics, holiday parties, happy hours, and the like.  Graduates of this program leave well-prepared to provide exceptional rehabilitation care.  Those who have pursued fellowships have been very successful in obtaining positions at highly competitive programs.

We hope to have the opportunity to meet you in person soon.  Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thanks,

Chris Janssen, MD Co-Chief Resident Class of 2008

Lauren Shapiro, MD Co-Chief Resident Class of 2008

Residency Program

Requirements for specialty certification by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation include four years of postgraduate medical education with one year of broad-based clinical training and three years of specialty training. An osteopathic internship is acceptable for the PGY-I year of training.

The Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Northwestern University offers two fully accredited residency programs, a categorical program and a specialty program. Several months of each program are available for electives that can be designed to fulfill the needs and special interests of individual residents involved in ongoing outpatient management through weekly clinics. Residents evaluate and manage acute and chronic pain syndromes in outpatients.

Our broad-based educational program prepares resident physicians for a career in either an academic setting or private practice. Additional information is available on the topics listed below.

• Application information
• Benefits information
• Didactic component
• Elective rotations
• Scholarly activity requirement

QUESTIONS?  Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

For more information, please contact the Office of Graduate Medical Education (312) 503-7975