Home / Campus News / Advancing Excellence
Advancing Excellence
In a year marked by surprises and unprecedented challenges, the dedicated faculty, staff, students, and trainees at Northwestern Medicine have continued to pursue excellence in education, push new boundaries in improving human health through research and discovery, and expand compassionate world-class care to our patients.
In August, we proudly welcomed the incoming MD class of 2025 to Feinberg — and by every measure, they are poised to become the next great generation of healthcare leaders. Our 140 first-year medical students come from 32 states and the District of Columbia, and have earned undergraduate degrees from 50 different schools, where they pursued 45 unique fields of study, and every member of the 2025 entering class engaged in research at the undergraduate or graduate level.
Our newest residents and fellows at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University have begun making meaningful contributions across our clinical sites. They, too, bring exceptional talent from across the country – with 40 percent joining us from a top-25 university, and 25 percent inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) honor society. Observing their growth in competency and confidence as new physicians reinforces the power of lifelong learning and reminds us of the importance of talent, skill, and compassion in our profession.
Our research enterprise continues to inspire, propelling the institution forward with $3.2 billion in proposals submitted in our 2024-2025 academic year and nearly $700 million in awards to Northwestern investigators, despite a federal funding freeze that extended into our 2025-2026 academic year. These achievements reflect our resilience and determination to advance scientific knowledge in any environment, under any conditions.
Northwestern Medicine hospitals have once again earned national recognition, with Northwestern Memorial Hospital named to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospital Honor Roll for the 14th consecutive year. Our adult health system continues to provide exceptional care for all our patients, while expanding access to even more Chicago residents, as highlighted in the feature story “Meeting Patients Close to Home.” We are proud to share the opening of the new Bronzeville Outpatient Center, located on the South Side of Chicago, which reinforces our commitment to meet patients where they are.
In this issue, you will read about Feinberg investigators making scientific discoveries that are reshaping medicine for better. For example, in “The Immune Frontier: How Northwestern’s Center for Human Immunology is Redefining Disease Research,” we explore work happening at the Center for Human Immunobiology (CHI), where investigators are leveraging transformative technologies to pursue novel treatments and cures for immune-related diseases.
Similarly, the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences is advancing groundbreaking research with unique tools and approaches to better understand and treat behavioral and mental illness. “Rewiring Psychiatry: Inside a Bold Push to Transform Mental Health Science” explores how our scientists are integrating new findings and approaches to change the trajectory of mental health research and care.
In our leadership profile, we feature Tara Henderson, MD, MPH, the new Founder’s Board Chair of Pediatrics at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. In this role, Henderson’s expertise and unwavering commitment to children’s health will accelerate progress in the research and treatment of childhood cancers and strengthen our impact on the next generation.
The incredible stories of the past year could not be told without the loyal support of our dedicated network of alumni, trustees, philanthropists, advocates, and friends, for whom I am eternally grateful. Their partnership, generosity, and belief in our mission empower us to rise to greater heights, embrace innovation, and meet every challenge with purpose. They champion our physicians, scientists, clinicians, trainees, and students steadfastly, and have ensured that our life-saving work continues undeterred and uninterrupted.
This is the culture, strength, and resolve we carry forward into 2026.
Sincerely,
Eric G. Neilson, MD
Vice President for Medical Affairs
Lewis Landsberg Dean
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
