COBRE: UVM: CORE D: TRANSLATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE TRAINING

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The Core is in its sixth year of support, with the goal of providing an environment that encourages career development in translational neuroscience. Previously, the core had provided the stipend to support a research fellowship for medical students (Mr. Coates, Mr. Kelley, Ms. Ciolino, Ms. Quick and Ms. Pan) who conducted full-time bench research with Drs. Mawe, Wellman, Mawe, Cipolla and Eckenstein, respectively. Mr. Coates published one paper and presented at national meetings. This success motivated Mr. Coates to enter UVM's MD/PhD program. Mr. Kelley has graduated and is currently a resident at the University of North Carolina. Ms. Quick's work has resulted in one published paper while Ms. Ciolino has published two papers. Ms. Pan has graduated with one submitted publication, and she is expected to co-author another. Two MD/PhD students, Joseph Cheung and Julia Cambron, have been supported this year through the Translational Core. A course illustrating the progress of translational neuroscience research has been organized. The course provides an in-depth analysis of research into a single neurological disease. The disease to be covered changes every year. Past disease entities covered include Parkinson's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Schizophrenia and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Cerebrovascular Diseases. This year's course will focus on Autism Spectrum Disorders. The course consists of 12 weekly sessions ranging from clinical research to basic molecular approaches. Faculty from the Departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery, Psychology, Medicine and Anatomy & Neurobiology collaborate in this team-taught course. In addition, one to four outside speakers contribute lecture every year (Dr. Michael Moskowitz of Harvard University contributed last year). An Undergraduate Neuroscience Summer fellowship program has been established. Undergraduates perform 10 weeks of research, read primary literature and attend lectures given by COBRE faculty. This year over 110 students (most from institutions outside of UVM) applied, and 8 were accepted. We are focusing on enhancing applications from underrepresented minorities, and two of the eight accepted for this year fall into this category. UVM's Graduate College is actively supporting this effort. Several of our past students have gone on to Ph.D. graduate programs, including two who have joined our Neurosciences program.