Career Development and Training
Mentoring and Training
Individual Development Plan Committee
The Department of Translational Neuroscience is committed to the training of the next generation of neuroscientists. All trainees within the Department of Translational Neuroscience participate in the departmental Individual Development Plan (IDP) Committee for the duration of their training. Briefly, the IDP Committee oversees a comprehensive and structured mentoring plan that integrates management of mentor/trainee expectations, facilitation of communication and problem solving, identification of areas for professional development and promotion of research excellence and rigor. IDP Liaisons serve as advocates for the trainee-mentor relationship and provide additional training resources.
Translational Neuroscience Departmental Journal Club
During their training, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows become part of the scientific community through their contribution to the general knowledge and participation in the peer-review process. A traditional training activity that contributes to the understanding and appreciation of the scientific learning community is Journal Club. An important aspect of Journal Club is the establishment of a learning community, in the broader sense of the term. In this training activity, the members of Translational Neuroscience join to discuss published research work, without losing the perspective that the work was done by our scientific colleagues.
Courses
Specialized Intersession Course: Molecular Neuropathology of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Alzheimer’s (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) have reached epidemic proportions. Currently, AD is the sixth leading cause of death in the US and it is expected to reach up to 1 million new cases per year by 2050. Other neurodegenerative diseases are rare. However, due to the lack of precise diagnostic tools, their clinical presentation could be confused with more common neurodegenerative diseases, such as AD or PD. This specialized intersession in Molecular Neuropathology of Neurodegenerative Diseases is designed for medical students interested in understanding the pathophysiology, diagnosis and available treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. The course is based on our current understanding of the genetics and pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases as the basis to integrate brain pathology, symptomatology and pharmacology. These topics are relevant to a variety of medical fields including primary care, neurology, psychiatry, radiology and neuropathology. This advanced intersession will use teaching techniques based on two important domains of learning: cognitive (mental skills) and affective (emotional, worth or values).
College of Human Medicine: Neuroscience Lab 1
The goal of this course is to guide first year medical students on learning anatomical terminology, orientation, directions, and planes of Section for the Brain and the general organization and function of the nervous system.