MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program in GSBSNEUROSCIENCE

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The MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate requirements School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) is a joint venture of Students must complete The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston the following requirements to obtain the degree of (UTHealth) and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Doctor of Philosophy with Center that offers Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in . a specialization in Neuroscience: Areas of research concentration include molecular, cellular, systems, cognitive, and translational neuroscience. There Research Rotations: First-year students obtain are more than 50 GSBS faculty members and more than hands-on research 25 graduate students representing sixteen departments of experience by participating in three research tutorials. UTHealth and MD Anderson currently in the Neuroscience

Graduate Program. Coursework: All students in Neuroscience are required to take two Program Core All Ph.D. students receive full financial support throughout Courses (Molecular and , their training, which includes tuition, ) fees, stipend, and benefits. Annual and two advanced elective courses. Also required are competitive awards are available for the Ethical Dimensions outstanding research projects and of Biomedical Science,

PROGRAM OVERVIEW Scientific Writing, and posters, and to support student travel Biostatistics for Life to scientific meetings. Scientists. Core Courses must be taken for credit and a grade of “B” or better must be earned. Transsynaptic labelling of dorsal raphe neurons (green) from crfr2+ serotonin neurons (red)

Annual Retreat RESEARCH AREAS RESEARCH AREAS

Candidacy Exam: To advance to candidacy, all students need to defend an NRSA-style proposal as part Our students have the opportunity to receive training and to conduct of a candidacy exam. This research in all areas of modern neuroscience. exam will take place by the end of the 2nd year. Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience Research in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience enables students to Dissertation Defense: understand neuronal function by integrating biochemical, physiological, Students defend their cellular, and molecular biological approaches. Areas of focus include: dissertation research in a intracellular signaling cascades, synaptic transmission, different forms of public presentation (followed synaptic plasticity which underlie learning and memory, and information by public discussion) and processing in neuronal circuits. an oral defense (in a closed Systems & session with the student’s Research in Systems and Cognitive Neuroscience seeks to understand how Advisory Committee). networks of neurons or specific brain areas encode or decode information about the external world or internal states, and ultimately give rise to a wide To graduate with a PhD, variety of behaviors, including sensory perception, motor control, memory, students must have at least attention, and language. one first-author paper accepted in a peer-reviewed Theoretical & Computational Neuroscience journal. Research in Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience focuses on the broad range of computational and analytical skills essential to understand the organization and function of complex neural systems. Translational & Research in Translational and Clinical Diasynou Fioravante, Ph.D. Neuroscience employs experimental models 2006 NGP graduate (Byrne Lab) in order to discover basic mechanisms, and Assistant Professor at UC Davis biomarkers, pathogenesis or treatments of disorders such as Alzheimer “Through solid class offerings, opportunities disease, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, stroke, or . for research distinctions and travel awards, In addition, more clinical research provides the Neuroscience program at UT-Houston the foundation for developing or directly provided me with a strong foundation for a testing novel therapeutic strategies for successful academic career.” humans with nervous system disorders.

• Molecular and • Systems Cellular Neuroscience first year Neuroscience • The Ethical • Biostatistics for

Dimensions of the FALL Life Scientists Biomedical Sciences SPRNG

second year • Scientific Writing • Advanced Elective I • Advanced Elective II FALL SPRNG coursework Left: Receptive field map of neuron in monkey visual cortex. Middle: Processing of odor information in olfactory bulb glomeruli. Right: Retinal ganglion cells specialized to detect object motion in a particular direction.

Jaroslaw Aronowski, Ph.D. • • Daniel Felleman, Ph.D. Neurobiology & Cameron Jeter, Ph.D. • Diagnostic and /models of ischemic Anatomy • Organization, function, and Biomedical Sciences • Identification of stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage plasticity of primate cerebral cortex molecules indicative of disease status, progression or outcome in patients with Tatiana Barichello, Ph.D. • & Gabriel Fries • Psychiatry & Behavioral traumatic brain injury Behavioral Sciences • Neuroinfection, host Sciences • Epigenetic mechanisms of immune response, memory impairment, psychiatric disorders Nicholas Justice, Ph.D. • Institute of behavioral changes Molecular Medicine • Mechanisms of CRF Michael Galko, Ph.D. • Biochemistry & system perturbation in Alzheimer’s Disease Michael Beierlein, Ph.D. • Neurobiology • Drosophila , & Anatomy • Synaptic and local circuit molecular genetics of tissue repair, cell Balveen Kaur, Ph.D. • • dynamics in the thalamocortical system migration, signaling and , Brain tumors and their interactions pain sensitization with the extracellular matrix and tumor Mark Burish, Ph.D. • Neurosurgery • microenvironment Circadian & neurophysiologic aspects of Peter Grace • Symptom Research • headaches using patient tissue Neuroinflammatory mechanisms of Annemieke Kavelaars, Ph.D. • Symptom persistent pain Research CAO • Pathophysiology of cancer John Byrne, Ph.D. • Neurobiology & therapy-induced physiological/behavioral Anatomy • Neural and molecular bases of David Grosshans, M.D., Ph.D. • Radiation toxicity learning and memory Oncology • Cellular mechanisms of FACULTY RESEARCH FACULTY radiation induced cognitive decline Eunhee Kim • Neurosurgery • Genetic and Qi Lin Cao, M.D. • Neurosurgery • molecular mechanisms of stroke Transplantation of neural stem cells (NSCs) Ruth Heidelberger, M.D., Ph.D. • Neurobiology & Anatomy • Mechanisms of Scott Lane, Ph.D. • Psychiatry & Behavioral Robert Dantzer, Ph.D. • Symptom Biology release Sciences • Substance Use Disorders, • Behavioral and psychopathological Antisocial Personality Disorder consequences of the effects of cancer Cobi Heijnen, Ph.D. • Symptom Research • therapy on the brain Mechanisms and therapeutic approaches of Fudong Liu, M.D. • Neurology • Innate cancer treatment-induced neurotoxicities immune responses to cerebral Pramod Dash, Ph.D. • Neurobiology & Anatomy • Mechanisms of memory Diane Hickson-Bick, Ph.D. • Pathology and Yin Liu, Ph.D. • Neurobiology & Anatomy • formation and memory dysfunction Laboratory Medicine • Cardiac metabolism Computational biology and bioInformatics in health and disease Joao De Quevedo, MD, Ph.D. • Psychiatry & Ying Liu, M.D., Ph.D. • Neurosurgery & Behavioral Sciences • Neurobiological basis Mohammad Hossain, Ph.D. • Neuro- Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative of psychiatric disorders Oncology • Improved treatments for Medicine/IMM • Genetic engineering of glioblastoma patients pluripotent stem cells, neural differentiation, Fabricio Do Monte, D.V.M., Ph.D • disease modeling of CNS Neurobiology & Anatomy • Neural Jian Hu, Ph.D. • Cancer Biology • Identification mechanisms of innate fear and reward and of target genes downstream of QKI that mediate Sadhan Majumder, Ph.D. • Genetics • their interactions the endolysosome-dependent degradation of Differentiation of neural stem/progenitor Frizzled and Notch1 cells into neuronal pathway Patrick Dougherty, Ph.D. • Anesthesiology & Pain Management • Neurobiology, Roger Janz, Ph.D. • Neurobiology & Chai An Mao Ph.D. • Ophthalmology and , and pharmacology of the Anatomy • proteins as Visual Science • Combining mouse genetics, spinal dorsal horn regulators of neurotransmitter release anatomical studies, and behavioral and physiological analyses to study retinal Valentin Dragoi, Ph.D. • Neurobiology & Vasanthi Jayaraman, Ph.D. • Biochemistry ganglion cells Anatomy • Cortical mechanisms of visual & Molecular Biology • Regulation of the behavior structure of membrane proteins

Monica Gireud, Ph.D. Russell Milton, Ph.D. student 2017 NGP graduate (Bean Lab) “The Neuroscience Program provides a uniquely “There’s so much that is unknown. collaborative environment that leads to impactful There are very few cures and often little and multifaceted research.” understanding of why diseases affect the brain. It’s fascinating. It’s exciting.” Sean Marelli • Neurology • Control of Laura Smith Callahan, Ph.D. • Neurosurgery Edgar Walters, Ph.D. • Integrative Biology cerebrovascular tone by endothelial cells • Development of advanced hybrid systems & Pharmacology • Nociceptor memory and for cartilage, spinal cord and brain tissue chronic pain David Marshak, Ph.D. • Neurobiology & engineering Anatomy • Structure and function of primate M. Neal Waxham, Ph.D. • Neurobiology & retinal neurons Jair Soares, M.D. • Psychiatry & Behavioral Anatomy • Molecules responsible for the Sciences • Clinical research in the field of formulation and storage of memories Stephen Massey, Ph.D. • Ophthalmology & mood disorders Visual Sciences • Neuronal circuitry of the retina Jack Waymire, Ph.D. • Neurobiology & Claudio Soto, Ph.D. • Neurology • Anatomy • Plasticity of neurotransmitter Pierre D. McCrea, Ph.D. • Genetics • Catenin Molecular basis of neurodegenerative biosynthesis contributions in cell and developmental diseases associated to misfolding and brain biology accumulation of proteins, particularly in Anthony Wright, Ph.D. • Neurobiology & Alzheimer’s and -related disorders Anatomy • Learning and cognition Louise D. McCullough, M.D., Ph.D. • Neurology • Sex differences in cell death, Nitin Tandon, M.D. • Neurosurgery • Study Jiaqian Wu, Ph.D. • Neurosurgery • Gene stroke, and aging of language, learning and memory, and transcription and regulatory mechanisms executive control using imaging and invasive governing neural differentiation Stephen Mills, Ph.D. • Ophthalmology & electrophysiology Visual Science • Retinal circuit physiology Yang Xia, M.D., Ph.D. • Biochemistry and and function Qingchun Tong, Ph.D. • Center for Molecular Biology • Angiotensin receptors, Obesity and Diabetes • Neurocircuitry in the autoimmunity and preeclampsia Rodrigo Morales, Ph.D. • Neurosurgery • brain controls feeding, energy expenditure Transmissibility of Aß aggregation in vivo & and glucose homeostasis Jiusheng Yan, Ph.D. • Anesthesiology and pathological features that these events cause Perioperative Medicine • Structure, function Andrey S. Tsvetkov, Ph.D. • Neurobiology and regulation of mammalian ion channels Shin Nagayama, Ph.D. • Neurobiology & and Anatomy • Molecular Mechanisms Of Anatomy • Neuronal and network dynamics in Neuronal Autophagy Sheng Zhang, Ph.D. • Institute of Molecular the olfactory system Medicine • Mechanisms underlying Akihiko Urayama, Ph.D. • Neurology neurodegenerative disorders John O’Brien, Ph.D. • Ophthalmology & Visual • Physiology of the BBB & therapeutic Science • Molecular mechanisms that control solutions to manipulate pathological brain Xiurong Zhao, M.D. • Neurology • network adaptation in the retina environments in diseases Intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke (ICH) and ischemic stroke Scott Olson, Ph.D. • Pediatric Surgery • Adult Kartik Venkatachalam, Ph.D. • Integrative stem cells and their potential for the treatment Biology & Pharmacology • Signal transduction Michael Zhu, Ph.D. • Integrative Biology of Traumatic Brain Injury in the nervous system and Pharmacology • Mechanisms regulating stimulus-evoked intracellular Ca2+ increases Christophe Ribelayga, Ph.D. • Ophthalmology Venugopal Reddy Venna, Ph.D. • Neurology • and their physiological implications & Visual Sciences • Retinal image processing Ischemic stroke and light/dark adaptation Francesco Versace, Ph.D. • Behavioral Dawid Schellingerhout • Diagnostic Radiology Science • Investigating the neurobiological & Cancer Systems Imaging • Efficacy of novel underpinnings of nicotine and therapy targeted at glycolysis in brain tumors smoking behavior by means of hyperpolarized MR imaging Consuelo Walss-Bass, Ph.D. • Psychiatry & Paul Schultz, Ph.D. • Neurology • Behavioral Sciences • Genetic underpinnings Neurocognitive Disorders of psychiatric disorders, gene-environment interactions, correlation of genetic variants Harel Shouval, Ph.D. • Neurobiology & with cellular function, antipsychotic-induced Anatomy • Theoretical/computational metabolic syndrome approaches to understanding synaptic plasticity and its role in learning, memory and development M.D./Ph.D. students affiliated with GSBS Neuroscience

M.D./Ph.D. students, in consultation with their advisory committee, will take one of the two core courses and two advanced electives best suited to their research focus.

Cihan Kadipasaoglu, M.D./Ph.D. 2015 NGP graduate (Tandon Lab) Postdoctoral Fellow UTHealth

Localization of SAP102 and Syntaxin 3B (Syn3B) in the outer “Although I began as an outsider to both the M.D./Ph.D. plexiform layer (OPL). A single B-type horizontal cell (HC) was and Ph.D. programs, I never once felt as such. Rather, dye injected with Neurobiotin (red). A horizontal section showing it seemed to me that the students from both programs SAP102 immunoreactivity (blue) was localized to tips of B-type had formed a united ‘research family,’ into which I was HCs. Syn3B-positive (green) photoreceptor terminals exist in immediately and unquestioningly welcomed.” precise register with SAP102 immureactive B-type HC processes. Clockwise from top left: Neuroscience poster session: faculty, postdocs, and students; Commencement ceremony; White Coat Ceremony; Brain Night for Kids at the Houston Health Museum. ACTIVITIES

Seminars Journal Clubs undergraduate, graduate, or medical Weekly seminars by world-class Several Journal Clubs offer the courses across campus or beyond. scientists from around the country chance to present current papers to are held at a number of Texas fellow students, postdocs and faculty Volunteering and Outreach Medical Center institutions, including or to practice presentations for Many of our students are involved in the McGovern Medical School and upcoming interviews and exams. outreach activities. This can involve Baylor College of Medicine. Students working at a food bank, acting as a can interact with seminar speakers Annual Student Retreat judge at science and engineering over lunch. Our students organize an annual two- fairs, or explaining neuroscience day retreat outside Houston to welcome concepts to local elementary Student Workshops and new program students. The retreat offers students. Poster Sessions a mix of lectures by students, faculty, and Program students have the alumni, poster presentations, and various Social Events opportunity to deliver full-length social activities. We organize a number of social seminars on their research to fellow activities throughout the year, students and faculty in the program Teaching including picnics or potluck lunches, and to receive extensive feedback Students who want to get hands-on an Arts showcase, or end-of-semester on their presentation. In addition, experience in the classroom or the receptions. numerous poster sessions held lab have the throughout the year offer the chance opportunity Leandra Mangieri, Ph.D. student to present research findings to to teach different types of audiences. in various “The GSBS Neuroscience Program has been so supportive during the years of hard work, providing excellent guidance and an amicable atmosphere for making graduate training as rewarding as possible. The challenges we faced have made us highly competitive in this burgeoning field of science.” about the graduate school The Graduate School is a unique partnership between the ADMISSIONS MD Anderson Cancer Center and UTHealth, institutions that are leading the fight against cancer and other major diseases that impact human health and quality of life. Graduate studies under a GSBS faculty mentor will provide students with training in the most significant areas of the biomedical sciences, including research to improve understanding of disease mechanisms at molecular, genetic, cellular and systems levels, and approaches to develop novel targeted therapies for human disease. The school is located in the Texas Medical Center. It is the world’s largest biomedical Annual Retreat education and research facilities. Visit gsbs.uth.edu for more information. how to apply For all U.S. Citizens, Permanent Residents and International Applicants:

The final deadline for all application materials to be submitted for the Ph.D. program is January 4. Early applications are encouraged.

The deadline to apply for the M.S. program in Biomedical Sciences is April 1. Ryan Cassidy, center, with Deans Michael Blackburn, Ph.D., left, and Michelle Barton, Ph.D. Cassidy received 1st place and People’s Choice Award at the GSBS Student Research Day Elevator Speech Competition (Post-Candidacy).

Cameron Jeter, Ph.D. Samantha Debes, Ph.D. student 2011 NGP graduate (Sereno Lab) and Assistant “The GSBS Neuroscience Program offers a unique environment, rich in diverse Professor at UTHealth funding opportunities, renowned guest “The Neuroscience program speakers, innovative collaborations and equipped me with skills I didn’t cutting edge research.” fully appreciate until becoming a faculty member. Program faculty continue to foster my scientific and professional growth as mentors, collaborators, and ths pa advocates.” er re Non-Profit a c i Teaching Journalism/Writing n m u l a Medicine Curtis Neveu, Ph.D.

2017 NGP graduate P

(Byrne Lab) Postdoctoral G Other N Fellow, Northwestern Academia University

“I like that many faculty and Government Industry students are eager to help each other succeed.” city of houston

Houston, the fourth largest city in the nation, is located on a coastal plain 50 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and has a southern climate. Houston is a modern, dynamic city, rich in cultural diversity that reflects its multiethnic mix.

Houston has emerged as a cultural center for the Southwestern United States. The seventeen-block Theater District is home to eight performing arts organizations, including the Houston Ballet Company, the Houston Symphony, the Houston Grand Opera, and the Alley Theater. The Museum of Fine Arts, the Contemporary Arts Museum, and the Houston Museum of Natural Science all offer outstanding exhibitions. Numerous smaller museums and art galleries can also be found in the Museum District, just one mile north of the Texas Medical Center. These notably include the Menil Collection and Rothko Chapel.

Sports enthusiasts can take advantage of professional sports action year-round. Houston is home to a number of professional sports teams: the Texans play at NRG stadium (NFL football), the Dynamo and Dash play at BBVA Compass Stadium (MLS and NWSL soccer), the Rockets play at Toyota Center (NBA basketball), and the Astros play at Minute Maid Park (MLB baseball). In addition, Houston’s close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, Galveston Bay (50 miles) and local lakes provides access to a full range of water sports.

Among major metropolitan areas of the country, Houston has one of the lowest costs of living. In addition, the diversity and breadth of the city’s economy provides a wide array of job opportunities for spouses and family members. Low housing costs and friendly people combine to make this a desirable city in which to relocate.

Contact Information

Dr. Michael Beierlein, Program Director Amanda Williamson, Program Coordinator [email protected] [email protected]

Dr. Qingchun Tong, Program Co-Director [email protected]

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