The Endeavor Health Department of Family Medicine will host a one-year postdoctoral fellowship for health scientists (MDs, PhDs, other clinical doctorate graduates) that will be one of the first programs of its kind, applying emerging technologies and research methodologies in precision medicine and artificial intelligence to a primary care and population health context to improve disease prevention and health promotion. Postdoctoral fellows will be clinically active or active in community service (if non-clinical) while learning and applying AI technology to precision medicine research.
The fellows who are accepted into the program will be to apply for training (NCATS/NIH TL1) or career development (KL2) grants through the University of Chicago-Rush University Institute for Translational Medicine (ITM) – our shared Clinical and Translational Science Award funding Endeavor and the five other ITM institutions (The University of Chicago, Rush University, Loyola University of Chicago, Advocate Health Care, and the Illinois Institute of Technology). The appendix lists master’s degree programs funded in part by the TL1 for fellows who choose to apply. The Fellow for the 2026-2027 will be eligible for one year of TL1 funding, given that it is the terminal year of the TL1 grant. Future cohorts will be eligible to apply for T32 one- or two-years of NCATS funding pending the outcome of future training grant applications.
Fellows who are clinically trained and licensed will see patients about one day per week in the Endeavor/University of Chicago Family Medicine Residency Program practice that serves a diverse patient population in Lake or Cook County, IL. Exceptions to the number of clinic sessions per week may be made to accommodate successful candidates who apply who are in other specialties and/or pay scales, with a goal of maintaining 70% protected time for research and scholarship. Non-clinical (e.g., PhD) fellows will do one day a week of community service/community engagement activities. Engendering a commitment to public service (clinical or community) will be an essential pillar of the training objectives.
Fellows are required to complete three Masters in Precision Health courses (https://precisionhealth.bsd.uchicago.edu/about/curriculum/), of which at least two of these courses will be from the list of core courses, and up to one course can be a concentration course or a Precision Health Capstone (mentored research project and presentation) ). Fellows have the opportunity to audit courses to meet their three-course requirement, but at least one course must be taken as an official student for letter grade status, using TL1 tuition funds, in order to qualify for the precision health certificate. Fellows will complete a structured didactic curriculum with Endeavor Health instructors to complement their clinical and theoretical training in precision medicine. All fellows will be required to do a Community Capstone Project working with mentors from community engagement programs that serve north Chicago or the Evanston/Skokie region. Fellows will receive a certificate of completion in Precision Health from the University of Chicago.
- MD/DO clinical residents or fellows, or new graduates (within 3 years of graduation) of accredited clinical GME programs based at a medical school, academic medical center, or community-based health system in the U.S. or foreign medical graduates who are eligible for U.S. Federally funded training programs. These might be residents or fellows currently in research years of their ACGME training or finishing their ACGME training.
- Candidates with doctoral level professional degrees (DNP, PharmD, DDS/DMD, etc.).
- MD candidates willing to enter the fellowship at a PGY-4 level following completion of an accredited residency program or PhD candidates willing to enter the fellowship at a postdoctoral year 4 level, consistent with the Federal National Research Service Awards (NRSA) stipend levels
- PhD recipients committed to careers in primary healthcare delivery. Candidates may apply externally or from an ITM institution.
1. Learn how to design research that utilizes artificial intelligence tools to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of precision medicine, including the formulation of research questions, study design, and data collection methods.
2. Develop skills in data management enabled by AI (e.g., curation of data derived from natural language processing) and quality control to ensure the integrity and reliability of precision medicine research data.
3. Gain a comprehensive understanding of the principles and practices of precision medicine, including its applications in various disease areas (e.g., pharmacogenomics, cancer/cardiovascular risk screening).
4. Gain a comprehensive understanding of the principles of structural competency and its impact on health, particularly in under-resourced communities.
5. Acquire proficiency in data analysis and interpretation techniques specific to precision medicine, such as bioinformatics and computational biology.
6. Gain experience in the ethical considerations and regulatory frameworks relevant to precision medicine, including privacy and informed consent.
7. Enhance critical appraisal skills (e.g., PM/AI journal clubs) and problem-solving abilities by actively engaging in interdisciplinary collaborations and discussions with experts in the field.
8. Improve scientific writing and communication skills by preparing research/review manuscripts, grant proposals, and presenting findings at conferences or scientific meetings.
9. Foster a mindset of innovation and creativity by exploring novel approaches and technologies that can advance precision medicine.
10. Cultivate leadership and project management skills by taking ownership of research projects and community initiatives, coordinating team efforts, and meeting project milestones and deadlines.
- CV
- Personal Statement describing their career goals, research interests, and how the training program will help the candidate reach these goals. Maximum 1800 words.
- Research Plan that describes how their research goals already align with Endeavor Health’s and the ITM’s goals of advancing translational science, and how the fellowship training will help the trainee align their research with these goals. In 1-2 pages, applicants should describe how their research goals align with advancing translational science, specifically in one of the three main public health goals of Health Chicago 2025 and the city of Evanston: 1. Improving health outcomes in under-resourced communities; 2. Improving mental and emotional wellbeing; 3. Strengthening climate resilience.
- Two letters of recommendation. Ideally, at least one letter should be from a faculty mentor from their home institution. Both letters should be from a faculty member who can speak to the candidate’s ability or promise in clinical and/or translational research that addresses application of AI tools to facilitate high-quality primary care informed by precision health tools.
- Undergraduate (BA, BS) and graduate (PhD, MD, etc.) transcripts. Unofficial transcripts are preferred at this stage for application processing and should be uploaded directly to the application system.
Please contact Sean David (SDavid@northshore.org) with any questions about the Precision Health/AI Fellowship.