UAB Research and Education Program in Neuroscience

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Abstract This is a proposal for continuation of an R25 research education award at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). This program will support residents in neuroscience fields who are pursuing careers combining clinical practice and research, and foster their development as physician-scientists. Over the past two decades, considerable efforts and resources have been devoted to understanding nervous system function in health and disease, and the result has been a vast expansion of knowledge encompassing fundamental discoveries in genetics, genomics, neuro-oncology, neurochemistry, synaptic plasticity, neural development, and behavior. It is clear, however, that there remains an unmet gap between these advances and applications to human health. A pressing need for next-generation physician-scientists includes: i) integrate discoveries about the nervous system from several domains into multi-modal and multi- dimensional frameworks; and ii) formulate translational pathways to apply this knowledge to important biomedical and behavioral problems. The new and exciting initiatives in this renewal proposal are as follows: 1) Dr. David Standaert continues as Program Director, but he has been teamed with the new Associate Director, Dr. Ichiro Nakano; 2) the scope has been expanded and now includes not only neurology, neurosurgery, and neuropathology but also radiology and anesthesiology residents who are working areas consistent with the NINDS mission; 3) the mentors have been organized around the four themes, that is, neuro-oncology, neurodegeneration, synaptic plasticity, and cerebrovascular disease; 4) didactic components are strengthened, including a formal course in experimental rigor. The Program Director and Associate Director are both physician-scientists with established track records in research and training. Residents supported by this program will initiate their research during their residency training, and continue it into a period of research fellowship following residency. Participants from all disciplines will engage in a total of two years in full time research training. Their research experience will be supported by a structured mentoring program along with didactic teaching in experimental rigor, professional skills training, grant writing, and responsible conduct of research. The goal of the program will be to enable residents and fellows to develop a career in neurological research, and to prepare them to successfully compete for individual fellowships or mentored career development awards. As an institution, UAB is exceptionally well positioned to undertake research education in the neurosciences, and to develop the physician-scientists who will apply today’s discoveries to solve the challenges of tomorrow.