Project Grant T32MH135841

GRADUATE TRAINING IN NEUROSCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI MEDICAL CENTER - PROJECT SUMMARY THE PROGRAM IN NEUROSCIENCE (PIN) IS A PHD-AWARDING PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI MEDICAL CENTER (UMMC). THE PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM IS TO TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCHERS TO BECOME CONFIDENT AND INDEPENDENT SCIENTISTS WITH A BROAD UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEUROSCIENCES AND THE ABILITY TO EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE THAT KNOWLEDGE. THE PROGRAM IN NEUROSCIENCE IS INTERDEPARTMENTAL WITH 33 FACULTY MEMBERS, 22 SERVING AS PRECEPTORS, ACROSS 11 DEPARTMENTS. TRAINEES RECEIVE A BROAD FOUNDATIONAL TRAINING IN NEUROSCIENCE AS WELL AS BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, STATISTICS AND DATA ANALYSIS, AND SCIENTIFIC WRITING AND PRESENTATION. ADDITIONALLY, ALL STUDENT RECEIVE TRAINING IN RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS. FACULTY ARE WELL-FUNDED AND RESEARCH EXPERTISE RUNS THE BREADTH OF MODERN NEUROSCIENCE FROM MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR TO ORGANISMAL AND BEHAVIORAL STUDIES. DURING ROTATIONS IN THEIR FIRST TWO YEARS, STUDENTS ARE EXPOSED TO A BROAD ARRAY OF TECHNIQUES AND APPROACHES, LABORATORY ENVIRONMENTS, AND RESEARCH AREAS. STUDENTS RECEIVE SUBSTANTIAL MENTORING AND OVERSIGHT AND HAVE A ROBUST ACADEMIC SUPPORT SYSTEM. THE PROGRAM IN NEUROSCIENCE RECEIVES STRONG INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT THROUGH THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN THE HEALTH SCIENCES INCLUDING CONSIDERABLE STIPEND AND TUITION SUPPORT AS WELL AS STUDENT TRAVEL ALLOWANCES FOR CONFERENCE ATTENDANCE AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT. THE PROGRAM IN NEUROSCIENCE PRIDES ITSELF ON NOT ONLY IMPARTING STRONG SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE AND RESEARCH SKILLS, BUT ALSO IN DEVELOPING THE COMPLETE SCHOLAR WITH A SOLID GROUNDING IN PROFESSIONAL SKILLS READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEPS AS AN INDEPENDENT SCIENTISTS.