Training Program in the Neurobiology of Cognition and Cognitive Disorders

过去 15 年，人们对认知神经生物学的兴趣激增，对训练有素的认知神经生物学家产生了相应的需求，此外，对受过基础科学培训、有兴趣和专业知识将基础科学进步转化为患者治疗和治愈的学生也产生了很高的需求。为了满足这一需求，我们建议在阿拉巴马大学伯明翰分校 (UAB) 制定为期四年的认知和认知障碍神经生物学培训计划。 UAB 非常适合提供这种新颖的培训计划。在过去的十年中，阿拉巴马大学在神经科学研究和培训方面做出了重大的财政、基础设施和学术承诺，包括招募神经科学领域的新的杰出教授和教员，建立麦克奈特脑研究所，以及新的阿拉巴马大学综合神经科学、医学神经胶质生物学、神经退行性和实验治疗以及功能神经影像中心。拟议的培训计划将以神经生物学系为行政基地，包括来自阿拉巴马大学医学院和眼科学院六个基础科学系和六个临床系的 42 名培训教员。该项目的目标是培养下一代神经生物学研究的领导者和思想家，他们在分子、细胞和认知神经科学方面拥有坚实的基础，接触临床研究的最新概念，重视将基础研究转化为认知障碍治疗进展的重要性，并准备使用多学科和创新的研究方法来理解认知和认知障碍。为了实现这一目标，我们建议聚集一批在认知和认知障碍方面工作的优秀UAB教员，让他们教授专门的课程，包括分子、细胞、发育、综合、医学和认知神经科学以及神经系统疾病的课程。除了这种独特的课程外，培训计划的具体“增值”组成部分还包括以患者为导向的研究、双重基础科学/临床科学指导和独特的课外活动方面的特殊转化/临床培训经验。

An explosion of interest in cognitive neurobiology over the last 15 years has produced a corresponding demand for highly trained cognitive neurobiologists, and in addition a high demand for students trained in basic science with an interest and expertise in translating basic science advances into patient treatments and cures. In response to this demand, we propose to develop a four-year Training Program in the Neurobiology of Cognition and Cognitive Disorders at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). UAB is ideally poised to provide this novel type of Training Program. In the past decade UAB has made major financial, infrastructural and scholarly commitments to neuroscience research and training, including the recruitment of new outstanding chairs and faculty in neuroscience and the establishment of the McKnight Brain Institute, and new UAB Centers in Comprehensive Neuroscience, Glial Biology in Medicine, Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, and Functional Neuroimaging. The proposed Training Program will have its administrative base in the Department of Neurobiology and include 42 training faculty from six basic science and six clinical departments in the UAB Schools of Medicine and Optometry. The goal of the Program is to train the next generation of leaders and thinkers in neurobiology research who have a solid foundation in molecular, cellular, and cognitive neuroscience, have exposure to current concepts in clinical research, value the importance of translating basic research into advancements in the treatment of cognitive disorders, and are prepared to use multidisciplinary and innovative research approaches to understand cognition and cognitive disorders. To achieve this goal, we propose to bring together a group of outstanding UAB faculty members working in cognition and cognitive disorders and allow them to teach a specialized curriculum including coursework in molecular, cellular, developmental, integrative, medical, and cognitive neuroscience and diseases of the nervous system. In addition to this unique coursework, the specific "value added" components of the Training Program are a special translational/clinical training experience in patient-oriented research, dual basic science/clinical science mentorship and distinct extracurricular activities.