Integrated Graduate Training Program in Neuroscience, UTHSCSA

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The Integrated Graduate Program in Neuroscience at UTHSCSA provides training and experience in a range of neuroscientific research areas and approaches, from molecular, cellular, and neurochemical to systems, behavioral and clinical neuroscience. With 38 training faculty drawn from nearly 60 mentoring faculty in the Neuroscience Program within the Integrated Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program (IBMS) at UTHSCSA, this Training Program offers a plan of study tailored to the individual needs and interests of students who come to us from a variety of backgrounds in the basic biological sciences, including biology, biochemistry, chemistry, molecular biology, psychology and neuroscience. A collegial and collaborative community of educators and investigators create a challenging but supportive environment within which students develop into successful neuroscientists. Program Goals are to provide our students: I) a curriculum that gives them a foundation of fundamental concepts in Neuroscience; II) experience and knowledge to conduct rigorous research; III) professional skills and training in ethical behavior and responsible conduct that will prepare them for impactful careers as neuroscientists; and IV) a culture that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion, and an awareness of their responsibility to promote diversity in their profession. These goals form the basis for a program evaluation process, with relevant metrics and outcomes, that informs the ongoing evolution of our program, including additions and improvements to curriculum, professional development and enrichment activities, and other elements of the program. Trainee progress is facilitated and monitored by a robust administrative structure and an experienced program leadership. Students enter the IBMS and are fully supported in year 1 by the graduate school. In the first semester they take a common biomedical sciences course and conduct lab rotations. They join a lab and begin the Neuroscience curriculum in the spring semester. Students to be supported by this T32 training grant are selected at the end of the first summer, to be supported during their second year of study, during which they complete the core Neuroscience coursework, conduct a Clinical Practicum in Neuroscience, develop their research project, and engage in several enrichment and professional development activities before completing the Qualifying Exam at the end of year 2. In the year following support, students present their dissertation proposal and submit individual fellowship applications. Other advanced-stage T32s on our campus may support post-QE Neuroscience students working in relevant areas. Our program has been successful, with a 91% retention and completion rate, and to date, 97% of students who completed their degree proceeded to research-intensive or -related positions. We have a strong history of successful outcomes training students from under-represented populations, while maintaining national competitiveness. Renewed funding of this training grant will allow us to continue the growth and development of our program, and enhance our ability to train our students to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future.