Grad Profiles - Uniform Services- Neuroscience

Overview
The Uniformed Services University offers graduate degrees in the basic medical sciences to both civilian and military students (details available at http://cim.usuhs.mil/geo/). Graduate programs in neuroscience, molecular and cell biology, emerging infectious diseases, pathology, medical and clinical psychology, and preventive medicine and biometrics are an essential part of the academic environment at the University.

The University was established by Congress in 1972 to provide a comprehensive education in medicine to those who demonstrate potential for careers as Medical Corps officers in the uniformed services. Uniformed Services University subscribes fully to the policy of equal educational opportunity and accepts students on a competitive basis without regard to race, color, sex, age, or creed.

The University is located in proximity to major research facilities, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Library of Medicine, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and numerous biotechnology companies.

The neuroscience graduate program is an active and growing graduate program; approximately 22 students are enrolled. The Uniformed Services University (USU) also has Ph.D. programs in departmentally based basic biomedical sciences, as well as interdisciplinary graduate programs in molecular and cell biology and in emerging infectious diseases. In addition to the graduate and medical programs in the medical school, the nursing school has graduate programs for nurse practitioners and nurse anesthetists.

Graduates hold faculty, research associate, postdoctoral, and other positions in universities, medical schools, government, and industrial research institutions.

The Community
USU is located in Bethesda, Maryland, an immediately adjacent northern suburb of Washington, D.C. The University is located in a parklike setting at the National Naval Medical Center, which is across the street from the National Institutes of Health and the National Library of Medicine. A nearby Metro subway station provides convenient access to downtown Washington and surrounding areas. The D.C. metropolitan area has about 3 million people and offers seven major universities (including three other medical schools), numerous colleges, and internationally renowned research facilities. Wooded areas and jogging and biking trails surround the University. Cultural and recreational activities are plentiful, with a major park system, recreation facilities, museums, theaters, symphonies, opera, and major-league sports teams. The Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic Ocean, and Shenandoah Mountains are easily accessible.

Programs of study and degree requirements
The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) offers the Graduate Program in Neuroscience, a broadly based interdisciplinary program leading to the Ph.D. degree in neuroscience. Courses and research training are provided by the neuroscience faculty members, who hold primary appointments in the Departments of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics; Biochemistry; Medical and Clinical Psychology; Microbiology and Immunology; Neurology; Pathology; Pediatrics; Pharmacology; and Psychiatry at the University. The program permits considerable flexibility in the choice of courses and research areas; training programs are tailored to meet the individual requirements of each student. The program is designed for students with strong undergraduate training in the physical sciences, biology, or psychology who wish to pursue a professional career in neuroscience research. Integrated instruction in the development, structure, function, and pathology of the nervous system and its interaction with the environment is provided. Students in the program conduct their research under the direction of neuroscience faculty members in laboratories that are located in the medical school. During the first year of study, students begin formal course work. Each student is required to take laboratory training rotations in the research laboratories of program faculty members. By the end of the first year, students select a research area and a faculty thesis adviser. During the second year, students complete requirements for advancement to candidacy, including required course work and passage of the qualifying examination. After advancement to candidacy, each student develops an original research project and prepares and defends a written dissertation under the guidance of his or her faculty adviser and advisory committee.

Facilities & Resources
Each academic department at the University is provided with laboratories for the support of a variety of research projects. Neuroscience research laboratories available to students are suitable for research in most areas of neuroscience, including behavioral studies, electrophysiology, molecular and cellular neurobiology, neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, neuropathology, neuropharmacology, and neurophysiology. High-resolution electron microscopes, confocal microscopes, deconvolution wide-field fluorescence microscopes, a central resource facility providing custom synthesis of oligonucleotides and peptides and DNA sequencing, centralized animal facilities, computer support, a medical library, and a learning resources center are available within the University.

Expenses and Aid
Graduate students in the neuroscience program are not required to pay tuition or fees. Civilian students incur no obligation to the United States government for service after completion of their graduate training program. Students are required to carry health insurance.

Financial Aid:
Stipends are available on a competitive basis. Awards are made on a yearly basis and are renewable. Stipends for entering students begin at $24,000. Outstanding students may be nominated for the Dean's Special Fellowship, which supports a stipend of $29,000.

Housing/Living Expenses:
There is a reasonable supply of affordable rental housing in the area. The University does not have housing for graduate students. Students are responsible for making their own arrangements for accommodations. Costs in the Washington, D.C., area are comparable to those in other major metropolitan areas.

How to Apply / Application
Each applicant must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited academic institution. A strong background in science with courses in several of the following disciplines-biochemistry, biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, physiology, and psychology-is desirable. Applications must be submitted online through the website of the Office of Graduate Education (http://cim.usuhs.mil/geo/application.htm). Applicants must arrange for official transcripts of all prior college-level courses taken and their GRE scores (taken within the last two years) to be sent to the Office of Graduate Education. Students may elect to submit scores obtained in one or more GRE Subject Tests (from the subject areas listed above) in support of their application. Applicants must also arrange for letters of recommendation from 3 people who are familiar with their academic work to be sent to the University. For full consideration and evaluation for stipend support, completed applications should be received before January 15 for matriculation in late August. Late applications are evaluated on a space-available basis. There is no application fee.

Who to Contact
For information about the neuroscience program:
Director, Graduate Program in Neuroscience
Uniformed Services University
4301 Jones Bridge Road
Bethesda, Maryland 20814-4799

Telephone: 301-295-3642

For information for Neuroscience Program at USU
http://www.usuhs.mil/nes/home.html

For overall USU infrormation:
http://www.usuhs.mil

THE FACULTY AND THEIR RESEARCH

• Denes V. Agoston, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc., Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics. Molecular and cellular mechanism of stem cell differentiation during development and following brain injury.

• Juanita Anders, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics. Neurobiology and innovative therapies for neuronal regeneration of injured central nervous system: light as a therapy for nerve injury, transplantation of olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs), characterization of human OECs in vitro, and neural stem cells for repair of cerebral infarction.

• Regina Armstrong, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics, and Director, Graduate Program in Neuroscience. Cellular and molecular mechanisms of glial cell development and regeneration in demyelinating diseases.

• Suzanne B. Bausch, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology. Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying epileptogenesis and seizure generation in the hippocampus.

• Rosemary C. Borke, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics. Neuronal plasticity in development and regeneration.

• Diane E. Borst, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics. Molecular mechanisms of retinal gene regulation and function.

• Maria Braga, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics. Cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating neuronal excitability in the amygdala.

• Howard Bryant, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics. Electrophysiology of vascular smooth muscle.

• William Campbell, M.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Neurology. Peripheral neuropathies.

• De-Maw Chuang, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, Department of Psychiatry. Molecular and cellular of actions of mood stabilizers: neuroprotection against excitotoxicity-related neurodegeneration.

• Thomas Côté, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology. Mu opioid receptor interaction with GTP-binding proteins and RGS proteins.

• Brian Cox, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology. Opiate drugs, endogenous opioids, and novel related peptides.

• Patricia A. Deuster, Ph.D., M.P.H., Professor, Department of Military and Emergency Medicine. Mechanisms of neuroendocrine and immune activation with stress.

• Martha M. Faraday, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology. Psychobiology of stress vulnerability; biobehavioral assessment of stress-nicotine interactions.

• Ying-Hong Feng, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology. Structure-function relationship, signaling mechanism, and translational research of G-protein-coupled receptors.

• Zygmunt Galdzicki, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics. Molecular and electrophysiological approach to understand mental retardation in Down syndrome; role of glutamate receptors in neurodegenerative disorders.

• Franziska B. Grieder, D.V.M., Ph.D., Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Neurovirology.

• Neil Grunberg, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology. Nicotine and tobacco; drug abuse; psychopharmacology; stress; environments and behavior.

• Carl Gunderson, M.D., Professor, Department of Neurology. Education of medical students; history of military neurology.

• Harry Holloway, M.D., Professor, Department of Psychiatry. Clinical psychiatry; alcohol and drug misuse; posttraumatic stress; neurobiology of psychiatric disorders; clinical psychopharmacology.

• Christopher J. Hough, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry. Affective and anxiety disorders; the mechanisms of action and mood stabilizers, including lithium and zinc.

• David Jacobowitz, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics. Gene and protein discovery in the diseased and developing brain.

• Martha Johnson, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics. Education of medical and graduate students; embryology.

• Sharon Juliano, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics. Mechanisms of development and plasticity in the cerebral cortex, with particular emphasis on the migration of neurons into the cortical plate and factors maintaining the function and morphology of radial glia and Cajal-Retzius cells.

• He Li, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry. Neuroplasticity and calcium signaling in amygdala: potential cellular mechanisms for post-traumatic stress disorder.

• Geoffrey Ling, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Departments of Anesthesiology, Neurology, and Surgery. Novel therapeutics and diagnostic tools for traumatic brain injury and hemorrhagic shock; mechanisms of cellular injury and edema formation in traumatic brain injury.

• Ann Marini, Ph.D., M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Neurology. Molecular and cellular mechanisms of intrinsic survival pathways in neurons.

• Joseph McCabe, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics. Gene expression of neuroendocrine-related gene products.

• J. Brian McCarthy, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology. Receptor targeting and structural synaptic plasticity.

• Gregory Mueller, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics. Neuroendocrine regulation; neuropeptide gene expression; regulation of peptide biosynthesis and the proteomics of neuropeptide secretion.

• Aryan Namboodiri, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics. Neurobiology of N-acetylaspartate (NAA).

• J. Timothy O'Neill, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, Departments of Pediatrics and Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics. Newborn and developmental cerebrovascular and pulmonary physiology.

• Harvey B. Pollard, M.D., Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics. Molecular biology of secretory processes.

• Merrily Poth, M.D., Professor, Department of Pediatrics. Neuroendocrinology and neuroimmunology; abnormalities of the HPA axis in depression and in obesity; growth in children and neuroendocrinology.

• Christopher Reid, Ph.D., M.D., Research Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology. Cellular and genetic mechanisms governing the development of the mammalian forebrain.

• Andrea Salazar, M.D., Professor, Department of Neurology. Clinical studies of head injuries resulting from trauma and viral infections.

• Michael J. Schell, Ph.D., Department of Pharmacology. Calcium signaling to the actin cytoskeleton in dendritic spines.

• Terez Shea-Donohue, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Medicine. Gastrointestinal physiology; neuroimmune control of gastrointestinal motility; inflammation-induced alterations in gastrointestinal secretomotor function.

• Aviva Symes, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology. Cytokine regulation of neuronal gene expression; mechanism of cytokine action after traumatic brain injury.

• E. Fuller Torrey, M.D., Professor, Department of Psychiatry. Infectious agents as causes of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

• Jack Tsao, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology. Mechanisms of synapse and axon degeneration in developmental and pathological states.

• Robert J. Ursano, M.D., Professor and Chairman, Department of Psychiatry. Post-traumatic stress disorders.

• Ajay Verma, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology. Regulation of brain metabolism by signal transduction.

• Maree J. Webster, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry. Neuropathology of severe mental illness.

• T. John Wu, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Molecular neuroendocrine regulation of reproductive function.