SQLIFTS Health Education Program
Our structured programs will put scientists and physician-scientists from all backgrounds on paths to successful careers in lung health.”
Director, SQLIFTS Health Education Program
Ernest S. Bazley Professor of Pulmonary Sciences
Professor of Medicine (Pulmonary & Critical Care) and Cell & Developmental Biology
Our Mission
The Simpson Querrey Lung Institute for Translational Science (SQLIFTS) Education Program seeks to train the next generation of scientists that will make discoveries to improve care for patients with lung disease. Our structured programs in SQLIFTS will guide scientists and physician-scientists along paths to successful career development awards and through the K to R and R to R transitions.
SQLIFTS is committed to enhancing the diversity of scientists focused on lung disease, creating a scientific workforce that reflects the patient population we serve. To this end, our training programs will establish a pipeline of opportunities extending from the high school to assistant professor levels.
Pulmonary Training Programs
- Kimberly Querrey Summer Research Program for high school and college students
- Research Intensive Scholarly Emphasis (RISE) Program for Feinberg MD students
- Driskill Graduate Program for interdisciplinary PhD students
- Internal Medicine Residency Program
- Pulmonary Disease & Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Program
- Physician Scientist Training Program in Medicine for residents and fellows
- Simpson Querrey Fellowship in Data Science for postdoctoral fellows
Meet Our Director
The program is led by Karen Ridge, PhD. The Ridge Lab has made critical discoveries about the mechanisms by which the lung repairs after injury, in particular viral pneumonia. Her laboratory discovered a key signaling role for intermediate filaments in the activation and regulation of inflammatory cell pathways during lung repair, opening the door to a new class of therapies.
Long devoted to education, Ridge has served as PI of the Northwestern University Lung Sciences Training Program, supported by a T32 award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, for 15 years. In this role she has supported the development of numerous investigators who have gone on to successful careers in academic medicine.
In addition, Ridge leads the Kimberly Querrey Summer Research Program. This program, generously endowed by Northwestern trustee Kimberly Querrey, offers high school and college students the opportunity to participate in research, with outreach focused on students in schools where resources for science, technology, engineering and math training is limited. Ridge also directs the Cugell Fellowship, supported by a gift from David Cugell, the first chief of Pulmonary Medicine at Northwestern. The Cugell Fellowship supports postdoctoral training for a fellow seeking training at Northwestern laboratories from abroad.
Request Information on Lung Science Training Programs at Northwestern
If you are interested in our educational opportunities, please email our director, Karen Ridge, PhD, or contact the institute.