Neuroimmunology is the interdisciplinary study of interactions between the immune system and the central nervous system in health and disease. The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center is a unique training environment in this context because the faculty mentors of the proposed training program have expertise that covers all major aspects of basic and clinical Neuroimmunology. The goal of this training grant is to provide comprehensive training across key areas of relevance within the field of neuroimmunology including neurotrauma, autoimmunity, stress, neural development, aging, and biological rhythms. Students will enter the program either soon before or immediately after successful completion of their candidacy exam. These students will have an opportunity to work in a highly collaborative research environment with established mentors and clinical partnerships. Thus, we are unique nationally in terms of crossing the boundaries of traditional neuroscience and immunology training, and therefore are positioned to offer students an exceptional training experience in Neuroimmunology that will extend beyond the conventional training experiences that currently exist within ?umbrella? graduate training programs. Trainees will engage in unique program-specific learning and professional development experiences including course-work, clinical experiences/mentorship, and professional networking with scholars in the Neuroimmunology field. These trainees will be a benefit to the national neuroscience and immunology communities based on their advanced graduate training experience that is augmented by a translational experience with the clinical pairing. Our TPNI students will be positioned to excel as post-doctoral fellows and will be competitive for future faculty positions.
Neuroimmunology is the interdisciplinary study of interactions between the immune system and the central nervous system in health and disease. These interactions are key to understanding how the structure and function of the brain and spinal cord change under physiological and pathological conditions. We propose a comprehensive, integrative, and interactive training approach that will provide trainees with a solid foundation to pursue a career in neuroimmunology research and a broader knowledge-base to branch out in new directions as they pursue their independent post-graduate careers.
