2. Neurosciences Scholarly Concentration

Neurosciences Scholarly Concentration

Program Details

 

Co-Directors

Administrative Coordinator

Anne Hart, Ph.D., 713-500-5538, [email protected]

Goals for the Scholarly Concentrations Program

The concentrations program overall is designed to enrich the student experience through learning and
scholarly activities specific to an interdisciplinary health-related topic. Goals are to:

  • Complement and enhance the required curriculum
  • Provide role models, mentorship, and guidance for students’ academic and personal development
  • Increase interdisciplinary interactions
  • Provide a longitudinal educational experience through structured and experiential learning activities
  • Support student scholarship

Program activities encourage the student acquisition of expertise in an interdisciplinary, health-related
area, the development of critical thinking and analytical skills, the improvement of oral and written
communication skills, the enhancement of self-directed learning skills, and the production of a scholarly
product.

Timeline for Student Participation and Completion of Neuroscience Concentration Requirements

Most students interested in the neuroscience concentration submit their application in the spring of Year
1. If accepted, they begin the program with the start of the Summer Research Program (see below)

Participation in the neuroscience concentration continues through second semester of Year 4.

Scholarly Projects

 

Scholarly Projects

Students participating in a Scholarly Concentration will engage in an independent, scholarly project under
the guidance of a faculty mentor. Examples of possible scholarly projects include, but are not limited to,
the following:

  • Development of a new clinical protocol
  • Original basic or clinical research
  • Development of a new curriculum component or module
  • Evaluation of an outreach program
  • Creation of a bioengineering tool or biomedical software
  • Creative medical writing

Students who successfully fulfill the concentration requirements will receive a certificate of completion
and will be recognized at commencement.

Mission of the Scholarly Concentration in the Neurosciences Program

This scholarly concentration in the medical school curriculum is designed to enhance the knowledge and
training of medical students interested in basic or translational research and current issues in the
neurosciences. The concentration combines neuroscience research, teaching, and scientific presentations
with enhanced lectures, grand rounds and seminar series.

Application Guidelines

 

Eligibility

Note that students interested in the neuroscience concentration are required to complete the Medical
School’s “Summer Research Project (SRP)” the summer after the first year of medical school. (As
described below, in exceptional cases, equivalent research experiences can be acceptable with approval
of the program directors.) The SRP is separate from the scholarly concentration program and has its own
application, but the SRP project provides the basis for the activities in the neuroscience concentration.
Thus, once students have chosen a mentor, planned their summer research, and applied to the SRP, their
application to the neuroscience concentration is simple. Contact the Office of Educational Programs for
current information about the SRP and its application deadline, which is well before that of the
neuroscience concentration.

In some unusual cases, students may apply and be accepted into the neuroscience concentration on the
basis of a research project that they organize (with a mentor) and conduct separately from the SRP.
Please contact the administrative coordinators or the directors of the neuroscience concentration if you
are unable to participate in the SRP and are thinking of an independent research project. If you are
interested in the neuroscience concentration, you will need to discuss your research plan or interests with
one or both of the concentration co-directors before you apply. They may offer helpful suggestions.

Application Deadline

The deadline for the neuroscience concentration application is usually mid-April. For individual
circumstances and needs, please contact an administrative coordinator or co-director. The application is
available online at https://med.uth.edu/oep/msro/msro-programs/scp/

Overview of the Neuroscience Concentration Application

Be sure to answer all sections, or the application will be returned to you for completion. You will need
to describe your background, experiences, and interest in the neurosciences– and the concentration
topics of interest to you. You will also be asked to explain how your participation in the concentration fits
in with your goals for medical school and the future. You will need to provide an overview of your
proposed summer research project and the names of your mentor and advisory committee members.

Preparing to Apply

If, like many first-year students, you have not yet identified a neuroscience topic you are interested in
studying, you should begin exploring the many opportunities at McGovern Medical School as a first step in
preparing your application for the concentration (and the SRP). Meeting with faculty members to discuss
your interests and the research they are conducting may lead to an idea for your research project. Check
the list of neuroscience faculty at the end of this overview of the neuroscience concentration. Each listed
faculty member is open to serving as a mentor (or an advisory committee member) for students in the
neuroscience concentration. Their general areas of research are listed with their names (which are
clickable and will open their individual faculty page). You may also identify faculty members who are not
on the list and contact them to explore possibilities for your research. Many faculty members throughout
UTHealth who conduct research in the neurosciences are listed on the website of the Neuroscience
Research Center (https://www.uth.edu/neuroscience-research-center/ (external link)). Clicking the “Research” tab at the top of the page will open a list of neuroscience research topics. The “Faculty” tab has a list of neuroscience faculty throughout.

Application Review Process

The neuroscience concentration co-directors and coordinators will review applications, following an initial
screening by the Office of Education. Applicants will receive a notice of the decision through the online
system as quickly as possible, usually within three weeks to a month after submittal.

Concentration Requirements (Didactic and Experiential)

The neuroscience concentration is individualized to the needs of each student, and there is flexibility in
some requirements, depending on the student’s unique focus. Requirements that are essential to the
student’s satisfactory completion of the program are summarized below.

  • Completion of a research project the summer after MS1. The research project is the springboard
    for the student’s activities throughout the concentration program.
  • Attendance at the seminar course, ”Current Topics in the Neurobiology of Disease,” during the fall
    semester of Year 2. One or more additional courses over Years 2 through 4 that are relevant to the
    student’s program should be considered with guidance from your mentor and advisory committee.
  • Joining (as a student) a local, regional, or national scientific society in area of interest.
  • Presentation of research project at the Neuroscience Research Center’s Annual Poster Session,
    held in December.

Timeline

 

Year 1

  • Required
    • Prepare to apply to the concentration: Identify a mentor, form advisory committee of 2-3 faculty
      members in area of interest, and plan summer research project.
    • Perform summer research project with mentor between Year 1 and Year 2
  • Optional
    • Apply for stipend for summer research program.
    • “Shadow” mentor or clinicians.
    • Attend Grand Rounds.

Year 2

  • Required
    • Continue research with mentor.
    • Join a scientific society (as student) in area of interest.
    • Attend GS14 1021 “Current Topics in the Neurobiology of Disease,” a seminar course offered every fall
      semester. Topics change each year.
  • Optional
    • Attend Grand Rounds.
    • One or more additional courses relevant to your program should be considered, over yrs. 2 – 4, with guidance from mentor.

Year 3

  • Required
    • Present research at NRC Annual Poster Session; held annually on the first Saturday in December.
    • Required clinical rotations should be performed in neuroscience-related field.
  • Optional
    • Attend Grand Rounds.
    • Attend GS14 1021 “Current Topics in the Neurobiology of Disease,” a seminar course during fall
      semester.
    • One or more additional courses relevant to your program should be considered, over yrs. 2 – 4, with
      guidance from mentor.

Year 4

  • Required
    • Senior elective should be in neuroscience-related area (for example: Adult Neurology, Pediatric
      Neurology, Adult Neurosurgery, Pediatric Neurosurgery, Neuroradiology, Neurobiology, Adult
      Psychiatry, Pediatric Psychiatry, Clinical Neuroscience).
    • Submit final version of neuroscience research project to Advisory Committee for approval.
  • Optional
    • Attend Grand Rounds.
    • Submit paper to appropriate scientific or clinical journal.
    • One or more additional courses relevant to your program should be considered, over yrs. 2 – 4, with
      guidance from mentor.
    • Attend GS14 1021 “Current Topics in the Neurobiology of Disease,” a seminar course during fall
      semester.

Faculty Mentors

 

Neuroscience faculty members who are not listed may also be considered.

Faculty Name: Contributions to Concentration

Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases (IMM)

    • Qingchun Tong, Ph.D. : Emotional control of feeding
    • Sheng Zhang, Ph.D. : Modeling and mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases

Neurobiology and Anatomy

    • John Byrne, Ph.D. : Mechanisms of learning and memory
    • Pramod Dash, Ph.D. : Neurobiology of head trauma
    • Fabricio H. Do Monte, D.V.M., Ph.D. : Fear and rewarding memories, neural circuits, rats
    • Valentin Dragoi, Ph.D. : Vision in nonhuman primates
    • Nachum Dafny, Ph.D. : Drugs and behavior, rodents
    • Daniel Felleman, Ph.D. : Imaging, nonhuman primates
    • Ruth Heidelberger, M.D., : Ph.D. Transmitter release
    • David Marshak, Ph.D. : Neurobiology of the retina
    • Anthony Wright, Ph.D. : Cognition and learning in monkeys and pigeons

Neurology (Adult Neurology)

    • Louise D. McCullough, M.D., Ph.D. : Cerebral vascular disease
    • Kazim Sheikh, M.D. : Peripheral nerve disorders, imaging nerves
    • Mya Schiess, M.D. : Spasticity, movement disorders
    • J. William Lindsey, M.D. : Autoimmune disease
    • Sean Savitz, M.D. : Stroke, stem cells
    • Suur Biliciler, M.D. : Muscular dystrophy

Neurosurgery

    • Daniel H. Kim, M.D. : Robotic surgery, neuromodulation, radiographic nerve imaging
    • Nitin Tandon, M.D. : Brain mapping with functional MRI, electrical stimulation and
      diffusion tractography
    • Jiaqian Wu, Ph.D. : Stem cell biology, spinal cord injury, glia biology
    • John P. Hagan, Ph.D. : MicroRNAs, nerve cell function

Ophthalmology and Vision Science

    • Steven Massey, Ph.D. : Retina, neuronal circuitry
    • Christophe Ribelayga, Ph.D. : Retina, circadian rhythm, visual adaptation, rodent, fish

Pediatric Surgery (Pediatric Neurosurgery)

    • Stephen Fletcher, DO : brain tumors, animal models

Pediatrics (Pediatric Neurology)

    • Mary Kay Koenig, M.D. : Mitochondrial, neurometabolic and neurocutaneous disorders
    • Gretchen Von Allmen, M.D. : Pediatric epilepsy
    • Pauline Filipek, M.D. : Autistic spectrum disorder
    • Hope Northrup, M.D. : Genetics, neural tube disorders, tuberous sclerosis

Children’s Learning Institute

    • Linda Ewing-Cobbs, Ph.D. : Head trauma and functional neuroimaging
    • Susan Landry, Ph.D. : Brain development and prematurity
    • Jenifer Juranek, Ph.D. : Neuroimaging

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

    • Joao L. de Quevedo, M.D., Ph.D. : Neurobiological basis of psychiatric disorders
    • Jair Soares, M.D. : Imaging, mood disorders
    • Scott Lane, Ph.D. : Substance abuse, aggression
    • Deborah Pearson, Ph.D. : Autism spectrum disorder, tuberous sclerosis, developmental psychopathology
    • Kate Loveland, Ph.D. : Developmental psychopathology