Research Resources

Children's Surgery Methodology And Research Training Program

The Children’s Surgery Methodology And Research Training (C-SMART) Program will develop the next generation of surgical scientists focused on pediatric-specific populations and diseases. The program will provide a robust two-year surgical research training experience curated by highly accomplished mentorship from researchers and clinicians. The C-SMART Program aims to be a national leader in increasing the pipeline of diverse and qualified pediatric surgeons and PhD scientists who will have successful research careers, mentor future generations of trainees, and make significant advances in the care of children.

The C-SMART program brings together the extensive expertise at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute, and Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine between two tracks:

  • Health Services and Outcomes Research (HSOR)
  • Basic and Translational Science (BTS) Research 

Each trainee will have an experienced and diverse mentor team (content and methodological experts), tailored to their training needs. The C-SMART program core curriculum will include courses in study design and analytic approaches, best practices and ethics in research, and career development. Trainees will participate in the workshops, seminars, and research training opportunities at Lurie Children’s, Manne Research Institute, Northwestern University, Lurie Children’s, and at relevant surgical and pediatric professional societies. Trainees will design and execute research projects that culminate in presentations at major national conferences and publications in high-impact journals. Options are available for select C-SMART trainees to enroll in master’s degree program in research. After completing our program, the trainees will be well-positioned to become independent, team-oriented future leaders and mentors in children’s surgical science.

2025 Candidate Application Cycle

To start July 2025. Ends July 2027.

  • Applications open July 1, 2024
  • Applications close September 30, 2024

Learn how to apply

Program Objectives

  • Training focused on the design and execution of ethical, cutting-edge research at the intersection of pediatric care and surgical science 
  • Multiple research projects (designed, executed and published) under the guidance of a team of mentors 
  • Career development including sponsorship through professional networking and mentorship to optimize long-term success as surgical scientists 

Eligibility

  • U.S. citizen or permanent residency status is required.
  • Surgical residents should be in good standing in an ACGME-approved surgery training program within the United States Typically, the resident will have completed 2-3 years of clinical, surgical training.
  • Applicants should have the ability to perform two consecutive years of full-time research. 
  • The applicant may not have already received more than one year of support from another T32 or an individual NIH award.

Salary and Expenses

Stipend levels are set by the number of years of postgraduate training and are updated by McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University. Health insurance, travel, and some training expenses are included. Department of Surgery funds are used for additional salary. Trainees may be eligible for financial support for formal coursework at Northwestern University. 

Leadership Team and Core Training Grant Faculty Members

MENTOR PRIMARY DEPARTMENT OR PROGRAM RESEARCH INTEREST
Hasan Alam Surgery- Trauma/Critical Care Hemorrhage, shock, sepsis, traumatic brain injury, novel treatments
Estella Alonso Pediatrics Health outcomes following pediatric liver transplantation and acute liver failure
Guillermo Ameer Biomedical Engineering Bioartificial organ systems, cell delivery and transplantation, tissue engineering
Earl Cheng Urology Pediatric urology including complex urinary tract reconstruction, surgical management of the neurogenic bladder, genital reconstruction and laparoscopy
Erica Davis Pediatrics Understanding rare pediatric genetic disease through diversity, discovery, and development, with an emphasis on rare syndromes such as the ciliopathies, neurodevelopmental disorders, craniofacial anomalies, and congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract
Robert Garofalo Pediatrics Research and clinical activities relate to the care of marginalized youth populations including HIV+ and LGBT young people
Ruchi Gupta Pediatrics Allergies, asthma, health policy, health services research, pediatrics, public health
Erin Hsu Orthopaedic Surgery To improve upon current clinically employed methods of bone regeneration by developing and testing novel technologies
Thomas Inge Surgery Investigating outcomes of surgical procedures in children, the health benefits of weight loss surgery performed in adolescence
Neil Jordan Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Identifying and implementing high-value services and systems of care for persons with complex chronic illness
Jami Josefson Pediatrics Maternal fetal programming: how metabolism and nutrition during pregnancy affect offspring neonatal and childhood metabolic health outcomes
Larry Kociolek Pediatrics Translational research of healthcare-associated pathogens, particularly Clostridium difficile infections
Daniela Ladner Surgery-Transplant Surgery Risk prediction in transplantation and cirrhosis, patient safety, medication adherence, access/allocation of organs
Sandi Lam Neurological Surgery Neurological Surgery
Monica Laronda Pediatrics Fundamental regenerative medicine questions through the lens of reproductive biology
Megan McHugh Pediatrics Health policy, health services research, healthcare quality; public policy
Mehul Raval Surgery Improving quality, outcomes and value for children’s surgical care
John Rogers Materials Science and Engineering Characteristics of 'soft' materials, such as polymers, liquid crystals, and biological tissues as well as hybrid combinations of them with unusual classes of micro/nanomaterials, in the form of ribbons, wires, membranes, tubes or related
Arun Sharma Urology Tissue engineering utilizing stem cells and aspects of material sciences
YouYang Zhao Pediatrics Lung and vascular biology to study the molecular mechanisms of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), pulmonary hypertension, and vascular diseases, and developing novel therapeutics

Mehul V. Raval, MD, MS C-SMART Program Director, Director of the Health Services and Outcomes Research track, is an internationally recognized leader in surgical quality improvement and health services research. He is a professor of surgery and pediatrics with tenure and Vice Chair of Quality Improvement and Patient Safety at Lurie Children’s Department of Surgery. He is a past Chair of the Quality and Safety Committee for the American Pediatric Surgery Association, past Chair of the Delivery of Surgical Care Committee for the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Surgery, and serves on the Data Steering Committee for the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project-Pediatric (ACS NSQIP-P). As a surgeon-scientist, Dr. Raval’s research focuses on improving the outcomes and quality of care for children undergoing surgery, and includes projects focused on quality improvement, patient safety, and value-based care. He has authored more than 230 peer-reviewed publications and over a dozen book chapters. Earlier in his health services research career, he played a key role in the establishment of the ACS NSQIP-P, which is now in place at more than 150 hospitals and serves as the premier, risk-adjusted children’s surgical quality assessment tool available in the United States. Dr. Raval has received extramural funding grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, NIH, and AHRQ. He has mentored dozens of students, residents, and fellows from multiple disciplines from across the country. Many of these trainees have pursued careers in pediatrics, pediatric surgery, and outcomes research, and several have secured extramural funds for research.  

Thomas Inge, MD, PhD, Co-Chair of the Executive Committee, is the Surgeon in Chief at Lurie Children’s and an internationally recognized surgeon-scientist renowned for his expertise in pediatric bariatric surgery and research. He has 18 years of sustained NIH funding including a current UM1 grant from NIDDK, and serves as a co-PI on a current R01 from NIDDK. Dr. Inge has trained numerous clinical pediatric surgical fellows, research fellows, and junior faculty throughout his illustrious career.

Arun K. Sharma, PhD, Director of the Basic and Translational Science Research track, is the Director of Surgical Research at Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute; Director of Pediatric Urological Regenerative Medicine and Research Assistant Professor of Urology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; and Research Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University. Dr. Sharma currently holds NIDDK R01 funding for a study evaluating bladder regeneration from autologous bone marrow cells in a non-human primate model and is a co-PI on an NIBIB R01 to create scaffolding for bladder augmentation and reconstruction. He Sharma has mentored more than two dozen physicians, researchers, and students over the course of his career. 

View a diagram of our leadership structure from Northwestern Univeristy Feinberg School of Medicine and Lurie Children's.

Trainees

Name Research Focus Primary Mentor
Mallory Perez, MD HSOR Mehul Raval, MD
Ashley Dodd, MD C-SMART Timothy Lautz, MD, and Seth Goldstein, MD
Allison Lehane, MD HSOR Mehul Raval, MD
Dan Liesman, MD HSOR Aimen Shaaban, MD, and Amir Alhajjat, MD
Chris McCauley, MD C-SMART Monica Laronda, PhD, and Erin Rowell, MD
Ray Ramirez, MD HSOR Yue-Yung-Hu, MD
John Rode, MD HSOR Thomas Inge, MD, and Justin Ryder, PhD

2022-2024

  • Charesa Smith, MD
  • Kathryn McElhinney, MD
  • Steven Papastefan, MD

2021-2023

  • Audra Reiter, MD
  • Gwyneth Sullivan, MD
  • Suhail Zeineddin, MD

2020-2022

  • Andrew Hu, MD
  • Chris DeBoer, MD
  • Samuel Linton, MD

2019-2021

  • Martha Ingram, MD
  • Yao Tian, PhD
  • Katherine Ott, MD
  • Nicholas Skertich, MD
  • Megan Bouchard, MD

2018-2020

  • Jonathan Vacek, MD
  • Salva Balbale, PhD
  • Willemijn Schafer, PhD
  • Courtney Harris, MD
  • Bejamin Many, MD

 

Application Process 

Please complete the online form in a single session. Feel free to contact the training grant faculty directly to learn more about their research. For more information, contact Norma Melgoza C-SMART Coordinator, and/or Mehul V Raval, C-SMART Program Director.

Application Requirements: 

  • Cover letter that should include:
    • Career objectives
    • Prior research experience
    • Area of interest related to the C-SMART Program
    • Training goals
    • Interest in obtaining an advanced degree
    • Proposed mentor (if decided) from the list of existing mentors provided above. You may propose a mentor at Lurie Children's or Northwestern University.
  • Updated CV
  • Letters of recommendation (limit three)
    • Department Chair or the Residency Program Director regarding your career potential and the ability to commit to two years of research at Lurie Childrens and Northwestern University. It is acceptable to submit separate letters or a single letter signed by both parties. 
    • Letter addressing clinical or methodological research agenda (may be from Northwestern University).
    • Additional recommendation of your choosing (optional)

Apply