Director of the Clinical Trials Unit in Dermatology The Department of Dermatology conducts intensive clinical research focusing on the prevention, diagnosis, quality of life, and treatment of numerous dermatological conditions. Clinical research within the department falls under the Clinical Trials Unit (CTU). The CTU within the Department of Dermatology is composed of 25 members that provide an infrastructure for the management of clinical trials. This infrastructure includes a Director, a Research Assistant Professor, Physician Research Fellows (Clinical Research Associates), Study Coordinators, Research Assistants, Medical Student Research Fellows, and a Financial Project Manager and Financial Assistant. The unit accomplishes oversight for all aspects of clinical research including staffing, training, regulatory oversight, protocol design and start-up, and compliance issues.

Over 20 academic dermatologists and research faculty are engaged in clinical research at both Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital. Our projects span many diverse areas of research including but not limited to bioengineering, genetics/epigenomics and biomarkers, immunology, microbiome, patient reported outcomes, epidemiology, oncodermatology, and cutaneous imaging. The Clinical Trials Unit also oversees the Tissue Acquisition Program of the Northwestern University Skin Disease Research Center. The Tissue Acquisition Program provides biospecimens without identifiers to qualified investigators for skin biology research purposes on the Northwestern campus, but also to outside academic institutions and industry companies. The Clinical Trials Unit also supports two clinical research fellowships within the department, one for MD graduates and one for current medical students who have an interest in dermatology research.