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Interdisciplinary Neuroscience PhD Program

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Mission Statement

The objective of the program is to prepare PhD and combined-degree (MD / PhD or DPM / PhD) students for careers in research and teaching. The course of study will be guided by the integration of molecular, cellular, systems, behavioral, and clinical approaches to understanding brain function.

The University and the School

The graduate school of the university was established as an expansion of Chicago Medical School, which was founded in 1912. In 2004, the name “Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science” was adopted in honor of this important pioneer of DNA research. In 2007, the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences (IGPBS) was established, which oversees the application process and first-year curriculum for all PhD students in the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, including Neuroscience students.

The campus is located close to Lake Michigan in the beautiful North Shore region of Chicago. It has expanded dramatically in the past decade, including the addition of two new research buildings, three student facilities and classroom buildings, and three student apartment buildings. While the immediate locale is suburban, it provides easy access to many cultural and scientific resources in Chicago and to various recreational opportunities in Illinois and Wisconsin.

Student Outcomes

Forty-four students have now received PhDs from the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Graduate Program and its predecessor program. Many have moved on to postdoctoral fellowships or residencies at top universities including Baylor, Duke, Northwestern, Stanford, and Yale.

Neuroscience students have been notably successful at obtaining their own funding, from grants like the NIH National Research Service Awards (NRSAs). This success attests to a small but high-quality program in which every effort is made to maximize the potential of each graduate student.

Program of Study

Students enter the program through the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biomedical Science (IGPBS), which oversees the core graduate courses and laboratory rotations during the first year of study. They then join the Neuroscience track at the end of their first year. The second year is spent in advanced course work and laboratory research aimed at obtaining preliminary data for the Candidacy Exam, which is required to advance to PhD candidacy. Subsequent years are spent on dissertation research. Students receive guidance throughout the program from both the IGPBS Advisory Committee and their tailored Dissertation Advisory Committee.

Areas of Research Strength

Drug addiction and drug-induced neuroplasticity
Aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and neurodegeneration
Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases
Neurobiology of learning and decision-making
Neuroendocrinology of stress and affective disorders
Regulation of neuronal gene expression
Ion channels, ion transport & membrane biophysics
Proteomics of CNS disorders

Research Facilities

Core and major facilities include: confocal microscopy facility equipped for computer-assisted stereology; laser microdissection facility with quantitative real-time RT-PCR system; two-photon imaging; UV flash photolysis; live-cell imaging facility; electron microscopy facility; x-ray crystallography facility for determination of the complete three-dimensional structure of proteins, RNA, and DNA; electron paramagnetic resonance facility for determining structure in biomembranes; Midwest Proteome Center-MALDI and electrospray MS/MS mass spectrometry; EPR protein structure center; protein bioinformatics facilities; animal care and training facility.

Participating Centers

Participating Faculty

Students can choose a dissertation advisor from a diverse group of active research scientists who share a tradition of extramural support, primarily from the NIH. The following faculty members participate in research or teaching PhD students. More detail can be found by clicking on each faculty member's hyperlinked name:

Joanna Dabrowska, Associate Professor of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, PharmD, Wroclaw Medical University (Poland), 2000; PhD, Medical University of Silesia (Poland), 2006; Stress and coping behavior, neuroplasticity of extended amygdala and hypothalamus, anxiety, depression, and addiction.

Eugene Dimitrov, Assistant Professor, MD, PhD; The lab studies sex differences in the development of pain-associated anxiodepressive behavior, memory and cognitive deficits.

Lisa Ebihara, Associate Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, MD/PhD, Duke University, 1981; Structure and function of gap junctional proteins.

Lise Eliot, Professor of Neuroscience, PhD, Columbia, 1991; Plasticity and sex differences in brain and cognitive development.

William N. Frost, Professor of Cell Biology and Anatomy, PhD, Columbia University, 1987; Neural mechanisms of decision-making, pattern generation, prepulse inhibition, and learning in two invertebrate model systems: the marine mollusks Aplysia and Tritonia.

Marc Glucksman, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, PhD, Columbia University, 1990; Structural neurobiology of processing enzymes involved in neurodegenerative/neuropsychiatric disorders and reproduction; proteomics of the brain.

Michelle Hastings, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Anatomy, PhD, Marquette University, 1998; RNA processing in neurodegenerative diseases.

Kaiwen Kam, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Anatomy, PhD, University of California at San Francisco, 2006; Neural circuits controlling rhythmic movements in mammals.

Donghee Kim, Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, PhD, Michigan State, 1982; Molecular physiology of two-pore domain K+ channels and transient receptor potential A1 channel.

Hongkyun Kim, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Anatomy, PhD, SUNY at Buffalo, 1999; Neurogenetics in C. elegans.

Robert Marr, Associate Professor of Neuroscience, PhD, McMaster University, 1999; Gene therapy approaches to the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

David Mueller, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, PhD, Wayne State University, 1981; Molecular function, structure, and regulation of the gene product defective in the neurodegenerative disease, Batten disease. The mechanism of neurodegeneration.

Daniel A. Peterson, Professor of Neuroscience, PhD, Otago (New Zealand), 1991; Neuronal cell death mechanisms and therapeutic gene delivery; neurogenesis in the adult mammalian CNS.

Judith A. Potashkin, Professor of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, PhD, SUNY at Buffalo, 1985; Changes in gene expression and the regulation of pre-mRNA splicing that occur with drug addiction and Parkinson’s disease.

J. Amiel Rosenkranz, Professor of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, 2002; Amygdala physiology in learning and emotion.

Heinz Steiner, Professor of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, PhD, Duesseldorf (Germany), 1989; Dopamine and opioid regulation of basal ganglia circuits; molecular mechanisms of psychostimulant addiction.

Grace (Beth) Stutzmann, Associate Professor of Neuroscience, PhD, New York University, 1999; Neuronal calcium signaling and mechanisms of calcium dysregulation in disease states, particularly Alzheimer’s disease.

Janice H. Urban, Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, PhD, Loyola University of Chicago, 1987; Molecular and physiological aspects of hypothalamic neuroendocrine function; stress and reproductive hormones.

Curriculum

Core Curriculum

First-year course work begins with intensive instruction in molecular and cell biology, emphasizing original research articles and the principles of modern experimental techniques. In mid-winter, the focus shifts to several high-impact diseases, such as cancer, HIV-AIDs, and Parkinson’s disease, as a way of introducing systems biology and translational research. In the spring, students interested in the Neuroscience track enroll in graduate-level Neuroscience and Physiology courses. Other core courses to be completed in the first year include Biostatistics, Research Ethics, and The Art of Scientific Presentation.

Students officially enter the Neuroscience program in the second year, when they join the laboratory of one of the participating faculty members. Second-year courses include Neuropharmacology, Neuronal Physiology & Signaling, Preclinical Models of Neurodegenerative & Psychiatric Disorders, along with two short courses, Techniques in Microscopy and Human Brain Dissection. Students are also free to enroll in elective courses offered by other disciplines. However, most of a student’s time during the second year is dedicated to learning laboratory techniques and obtaining preliminary data to be used in the Candidacy Exam and dissertation proposals.

Teaching Experience

Part of our goal is to prepare students to compete for academic positions. To that end, we offer opportunities to become involved in teaching programs. All students are required to serve as a Teaching Assistant in the Neurobehavioral Health course. In addition, students have the opportunity to serve as Teaching Assistants in other courses offered by participating disciplines.

Seminars and Journal Club

Students are required to attend the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Seminar Series. Seminars take place 1-2 times each month and have featured internationally recognized scientists in diverse fields. After the seminar, graduate students meet for lunch with the speakers, allowing for networking and informal interactions. Students are also expected to participate in a Journal Club from any of the participating disciplines during each term they are enrolled in the program.

Candidacy Examination

This exam is to be completed at the beginning of the third year. Students write an NIH-style grant proposal, covering the work they intend to carry out in their dissertation research, based in part on their preliminary data from the preceding year. They then present their proposal in an open seminar, followed by a closed defense with a five-member committee of faculty members. This exercise provides important practice in “real-life” skills including hypothesis development, critical thinking, grant writing, and public speaking.

Application Process and Entrance Requirements

Formal entrance into the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program takes place at the end of the first year of studies. Before that, students apply and are admitted to the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences (IGPBS) which oversees the core curriculum for all first year PhD students in the basic sciences at Rosalind Franklin University. Application materials can be found at the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biomedical Science page.

Entrance requirements include a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and three letters of recommendation. Most successful applicants have prior research experience and completed undergraduate courses in Biochemistry and Statistics. Applications must be completed by December 31, 2019. Qualified applicants will be invited to visit mid-February for Recruitment Day.

Financial Support

Students admitted to the program receive a full tuition waiver, a $31,000 annual stipend and are eligible to participate in the employee health care benefit program at competitive rates.

Correspondence and Information:

Kaiwen Kam, PhD, Director
Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Neuroscience
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science/The Chicago Medical School
3333 Green Bay Road
North Chicago, IL 60064
847-578-8630
Email: kaiwen.kam@rosalindfranklin.edu