Diagnostic Radiology

Welcome to the Diagnostic Radiology Residency at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Our department and our training program are committed to the mission, vision and values of the University of Chicago: to commit to excellence, embrace curiosity, embody equity, grow together, make a difference and take ownership and accomplish what we say we will. We welcome you to learn about our program and hope you consider joining our professional family as you become part of our legacy.

Our 4-year residency training program is organized to provide you with optimized training, allowing you to learn via a subspecialty track system with 4-week-long rotations in the following sections:

1. Abdominal Imaging (dedicated rotations in Computed Tomography, Ultrasound, MRI and Gastrointestinal/Genitourinary Imaging)
2. Breast imaging
3. Thoracic Imaging
4. Cardiovascular Imaging
5. Musculoskeletal Imaging
6. Neuroradiology
7. Neurovascular Angiography and Advanced Neuro-Imaging
8. Nuclear Medicine
9. Pediatric Imaging
10. Vascular and Interventional Radiology
11. Interventional Radiology Early Specialization Track 

Each subspecialty is staffed by dedicated faculty members with fellowship training and subspecialty board certification in the fields that offer additional certification, such as neurologic imaging, pediatric imaging and vascular/interventional radiology. In addition to training with specialized faculty, you will also have access to traditional radiology education and a newly developed targeted training curricula including rotation-specific, year-in-training specific curricula and online tutorials/assignments.  

All of our residents receive rotation time and funding to attend the American College of Radiology Institute for Radiologic Pathology (AIRP), with additional months of elective time provided to use for clinical rotations and/or research. The training program is well-balanced and offers a broad variety of career pathways that include the practice of general radiology and its subspecialties. Furthermore, the University of Chicago’s academic affiliation with Endeavor Health System allows our residents to complement their tertiary care, university-level training with experience at one of the nation’s leading community-based teaching hospitals. 

Daily conferences take place in our upgraded resident conference room, with projection capability allowing cases to be viewed directly from our PACS or from other electronic media. Residents enjoy daily protected time for education and the conference schedule is based on week-long, specialty specific blocks rotating weekly to cover the American Board of Radiology core competencies and certification requirements. Grand Rounds, Research Conferences, Educational Jeopardy competition conferences and additional enrichment sessions are also consistently weaved into the yearly calendar. Each spring, the senior residents attend a Review Course in Radiation Physics and receive extra online programming to study for the ABR Core examination. A newly redesigned Resident office & lounge space is also available for resident needs with computers, espresso machine and lounge furniture for breaks. 

Although our primary goal is to train outstanding clinical radiologists, as a world-class academic institution, teaching and research are fundamental components of our program; we are particularly proud of the large number of trainees who choose to continue their careers in academic medicine. All trainees are encouraged to participate in research activities, and dedicated time and funding is provided to motivated residents for this purpose. Publication and presentation at national meetings are encouraged and supported. A broad range of research activity is underway in the department; a sampling of some of our internationally recognized research sections can be obtained by clicking here. 

The clinical department is equipped with state-of-the-art imaging systems, including 13 computed tomography units, 10 MRI units, 7 mammography units, 6 SPECT systems, 2 PET/CT systems, 7 Radiography/Fluoroscopy units, 5 mobile C-arm fluoroscopy units, 11 mobile radiography units and 14 ultrasound systems. There are seven interventional suites including two biplane fluoroscopy units for neurointerventional procedures as well a dedicated interventional radiology clinic and nursing unit with advanced monitoring capabilities. In addition, the dedicated Comprehensive Cancer Center construction is underway, with more equipment and reading rooms to open soon. Dedicated imaging research facilities include 3T and 1.5T MRI systems for human imaging as well as 9.4T MRI, microPET/SPECT/CT, ultrasound and 3 optical imaging systems for animal imaging. 

The Diagnostic Radiology Residency program is ACGME accredited and strongly supported by the university Graduate Medical Education team, all of whom are true leaders, colleagues and friends working tirelessly on improving each trainee experience.