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Volunteer

Call (312) 695-1746 or e-mail mri-studies@northwestern.edu and let us know:

  • Name and e-mail address
  • Primary and alternate phone
  • Interest in Contrast/Non-contrast studies
  • Dates/times available

We will contact you if we need a volunteer for our current studies. By law, we are not allowed to collect names for future studies, so you must re-submit your contact information. You can volunteer once every two weeks for contrast studies or once a week for the non-contrast studies. Please do not abuse these contacts or you will no longer be considered for volunteer opportunities.

What is contrast?

Contrast is a substance that helps researchers get a better image when they are scanning your body. It is administered through an IV (intravenously) by our research nurse. There is some additional risk associated with an IV. The MR contrast agent used is not like ionated contrast and has a very low reaction rate; it is considered safe. If you are concerned please contact the research nurse or the Primary Investigator (PI) of the study.

Location

CAMRI is located in downtown Chicago at:

Olson Pavilion (also called McGaw)
710 N. Fairbanks Ct. LC 0-225
Chicago, Illinois 60611

Driving directions

From the North

  • I-90 or I-94 south to Kennedy Expressway (I-90 & I-94) Ohio Street
  • Ohio Street east to Fairbanks Court
  • LEFT (north) on Fairbanks to Northwestern Memorial campus

or

  • Sheridan road south to Lake Shore Drive
  • Lake Shore Drive to Chestnut Street (stop light)
  • MERGE onto southbound Inner Lake Shore Drive to Huron Street
  • RIGHT (west) on Huron to Northwestern Memorial campus

From the West

  • East-West Tollway (I-88) east to Eisenhower Expressway (I-290), becomes the Congress Parkway
  • LEFT (north) on Columbus (becomes Fairbanks) to Northwestern Memorial campus

From the South

  • I-55, I-90 north to Lake Shore Drive, Illinois Street/Grand Avenue exit
  • LEFT (west) on Grand to Columbus (becomes Fairbanks)
  • RIGHT (north) to Northwestern Memorial campus

or

  • I-80, I-57 or I-94 north to the Dan Ryan, Congress Parkway Exit
  • East on Congress to Columbus (becomes Fairbanks)
  • LEFT (north) to Northwestern Memorial campus

Parking

Your parking ticket will be validated when you present it to the MR research nurse or technologist.

Entrance

When you arrive, use the North Fairbanks Ct. entrance for Olson Pavilion (McGaw), sign in at the security desk, and proceed to the elevators. Take an elevator down one level to the basement (LC), follow the signs to MR Research, and then ring the doorbell.

If you are coming from the parking garage, take the pedestrian walkway across the street to the second floor of Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Turn left, go all the way to the end of the hospital to the last skyway, and then turn left again. Upon arriving in Olson Pavilion, proceed to the elevators and go down to the basement level (LC), follow the signs to MR Research, and then ring the doorbell.