UAB Research Training Program in Neurobiology of Cognition and Cognitive Disorders

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For 14+ years, UAB Heersink School of Medicine’s (HSOM) Neuroscientists have continuously refined our T32 Training Program in Cognition & Cognitive Disorders (C&CD) to strengthen the program’s training of the 55 students under ≥ 43 Faculty from 15 departments. In this 3rd competitive renewal, we have revised & revitalized our program with new offerings while maintaining our most successful program elements. As the burden of cognitive disorders expands, UAB HSOM continues to grow neuroscience faculty in Cognition & Cognitive Disorders, to fortify under-represented minority (URM) pipeline programs for future neuroscience Ph.D.s, and to expand our numbers of URM Neuroscience Ph.D. trainees. Thus, the need for our Cognition and Cognitive Disorders T32 Training Program is greater than ever. Our C&CD T32 Program places our T32-supported Trainees at the forefront of modern neuroscience. Each of our six T32-supported Trainees is supported for up to two years beginning in the 3rd yr, with the T32 supplementing education throughout their graduate training. Late summer begins with a cohesion-building, 3-week, hands-on, residential Introduction to Neuroscience at Alabama’s Dauphin Island Sea Lab on the Gulf coast, developing a foundation. A 4-course core curriculum of Biochemistry, Genetics, Cell Biology, and Core Concepts in Research: Critical Thinking & Error Analysis is taken in the Fall with all 1st year Ph.D. students. This is followed by four required Neuroscience Courses in Spring. Research Ethics and Diseases of the Nervous System Courses are required in the Summer. During their 2nd year, T32 Trainees also take required T32 electives including Mechanisms of Memory and Clinical Evaluation of Cognitive Disorders. Trainees are also required to take Biostatistics (using R programming), Neurobiology Seminar Series, 2 journal clubs/yr including C&CD or Neuroimaging, a Grant-writing Course, Art of Reproducible Science, and Neuroscience Student Summer Seminars. Our new Works-in-Progress provides “elevator speech” and hour-long speaking opportunities and repeated exposure to importance of quantitative approaches in neuroscience, statistics, responsible conduct of research, and alternate career pathways. Lab research is integrated throughout the program. Our goal is to foster the next generation of talented, diverse, independent scholars and leaders in the Neurobiology of Cognition and Cognitive Disorders. Objectives of our Program include: (1) Provide a strong foundation in molecular, cellular, and systems neuroscience of C&CD, (2) Thorough training in ethics, statistical rigor, and quantitative literacy, (3) Training in translating fundamental research into future treatments for cognitive disorders, (4) Preparation to employ multidisciplinary research approaches using next-gen tools and technologies, (5) Preparation for diverse career pathways in STEM, (6) Provide exposure to clinical realities of patients and their families challenged by cognitive disorders, and (7) Training in scientific communication in speaking and writing for diverse audiences.