Resident Research Program

Resident Research Quicklinks

Starting your Resident Research Project

Step One:

Research projects are proposed annually by faculty and approved by the Research Advisory Committee (RAC). A list of approved projects that residents may choose from will be circulated early in your PGY-1 year. If you are interested in a particular project, please contact the faculty mentor directly to discuss your interest.

Step Two:

Prior to starting your research or project, you must complete and submit a request form to the Ob/Gyn Clinical Research Office (CRO).

All research studies and QI projects must go through this process. The request form is intended to help the CRO determine the level of assistance you will need for your study or project.

Please upload your proposal to the request form. Knowing the full scope of your study or project will help the CRO guide you through the process.

Step Three:

Once the CRO receives your request from, the Ob/Gyn Regulatory Specialist, Sharon Blohowiak, will contact you. She will also determine if your project constitutes research and needs to be submitted to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for approval and which IRB you need to submit to. If you are conducting a QI project, she will assist you with completing the proper forms for UW and/or UPH-Meriter acknowledgment.

Step Four:

Have Patience! The IRB process is not fast but by working with the CRO will help save time and many headaches.

IMPORTANT!!! You cannot start your research project until you have approval from the IRB. You cannot start your QI/program evaluation project until it is determined by the CRO that the project does not constitute human subjects research.

If you need assistance with the project or connection to other resources such as the UW Survey Center or biostatistics, contact Amy Godecker from the Ob-Gyn CRO for a consultation.

Please see the paperwork deadlines below by PGY level to help you stay on track.

Step Five:

It's not truly this easy but...finish your research, apply to present at a conference, and submit a manuscript! Once you are done, and along the way, please email to help future residents navigate this process.

IRB Resources:

• Guidance on Exemption: Not Human Subjects Research - https://kb.wisc.edu/hsirbs/page.php?id=19537#Not%20Research

• Guidance on Research vs. Quality Improvement and Program Evaluation - https://kb.wisc.edu/hsirbs/page.php?id=33386

• Protocol Guidance - https://kb.wisc.edu/hsirbs/page.php?id=18842

• UnityPoint Health – Meriter Institutional Review Board (IRB) - https://www.unitypoint.org/madison/clinical-research.aspx

Resident Research Paperwork Deadlines

Scientific Conferences

UW Residents are encouraged to present and disseminate their research findings at regional and national meetings. A curated list of scientific conferences with associated abstract deadlines can be found here.

Poster Printing Options at UW-Madison

Media Solutions at HSLC

Library Printing at College Library or Steenbock

Time Off Policy for Conference Attendance found here.

Research Organizational Materials

Completing research in residency can be challenging. Below are resources to streamline the research process here at UW and to aid residents in navigating research endeavors. These are meant to support projects outside of the formal residency research project.

Resident QI Projects (ACGME Required)

New ACGME requirement, separate from the resident research program. This involves two components:

1. Residents must complete four QI online courses (QI 101 - 104) through the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) website. The courses require you to create an IHI account, take about 1-2 hours each, and can be found here.

2. Create a QI question. You can establish a mentor or you may do the project independently. Feel free to run your question / project by the Program Director or other faculty. Your research culminates in a presentation to the relevant department / group (e.g. Onc department, L&D nurses, ASOG division meeting, etc) depending on what your project addresses.

The residency maintains a Quality Improvement Project Database - a database of ongoing projects or prospective projects updated in real time for residents to identify QI opportunities and continue/build upon projects ongoing here within our department.

Instructions to access found here. Step by step instructions and examples are found in a powerpoint here. Note: you must be logged into @wisc.edu in your email for this link to work, this may require you to physically log out of @uwhealth.org prior to accessing this database.