Neuroscience Institute
Program: Neuroscience
Position: In most recent rankings (2008) of NIH funding, the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology (Chair, Matthew Ennis, PhD) was 13th overall among all U.S. medical school Neuroscience Departments, and 8th among peer public medical schools. Neurosurgery (Semmes-Murphey) — both adult and pediatric — is continually in the top rankings (Chairs, Jon Robertson, MD, and Rick Boop, MD). Children’s Neurology (Chair, James Wheless, MD) is a leader in seizure disorders in childhood and is coupled with a strong Adult Neurology group (Chair, Bill Pulsinelli, MD).
Leader since 2006: William E. Armstrong, PhD, UTHSC professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology, and director, Neuroscience Institute
Mission: “To promote neuroscience research throughout UTHSC through its support of graduate and postdoctoral education, seed funds for recruitment, research equipment, symposia, a weekly seminar series, and community outreach programs such as those associated with Brain Awareness Week.”
Founded: 1985
Current Team: More than 90 investigators who span all basic science departments at UTHSC including Anatomy and Neurobiology, Molecular Sciences, Pharmacology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Physiology, as well as the clinical departments — Neurology, Neurosurgery, Ophthalmology, Pathology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Surgery. The team also includes strong affiliations with health care partners including Methodist University Hospital, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and the University of Memphis.
Core Strength: Research diversity with groups studying a range of areas that encompass: neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s Disease; mental and addictive disorders, especially the consequences of gestational drug abuse; and neurogenetics and development. Additional, historically strong groups cover the excitable properties of neurons, sensory information processing, and the visual system. These groups foster collaborative teams working within and across departments and colleges to develop multidisciplinary approaches to the study of brain function.
Another core strength is the Neuroscience Imaging Center, where neuroscientists can discover the anatomy of brain areas using shared equipment such as electron, light and confocal microscopes, and the computer-assisted quantification of neuron number, location and morphology. This imaging center is critical for understanding basic brain function, as well as its impairment from injury or disease.
Key UT Collaboration: In 2009, Robert Williams, PhD, received the prestigious Governor’s Chair in Computational Genomics, which seeks to strengthen collaborations with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Such collaborations allow UTHSC scientists access to world-class resources at ORNL in energy, computer and materials science. Access to these resources is key to the campus plan to move into the top quartile in research.
Animals with defined genetic alterations are at the forefront of neuroscience research. Dr. Williams spurred the development of unique inbred mouse populations, allowing precise genetic dissection of the brain and behavior. His vision has been a pivotal element in making UTHSC one of world’s leading institutions in neurogenetics research.
Transplant
Program: Transplant
Position: Ranks in the top 10 liver transplant programs in the country
Leader since 2006: James D. Eason, MD, UTHSC professor of surgery and program director of the Methodist University Hospital (MUH) Transplant Institute
Vision: “To continue to be one of the top tier transplant programs with emphasis in innovation and excellence in clinical transplantation as well as research”
Founded: 1968 in UT Bowld Hospital, Methodist assumed management of UT Bowld Hospital and its transplant program in November 2002, and UTHSC continues to staff and operate the transplant institute
Current Team: 140 total; 10 physicians
Core Strength: “Teamwork, along with an emphasis on excellence in patient care, teaching and research. We are a true multidisciplinary and multi-institutional unit that includes transplant surgeons, transplant nephrologists, transplant hepatologists, plus professionals trained in transplant nursing and allied health, and doctors of pharmacy.
“Training fellows is another real strength of the institute. We train three fellows per year … one in surgery, which is a two-year program, one in hepatology which is one year, and one in nephrology which is also one year.”
The UTHSC Contribution: “Strong support that has made this all possible, especially on the academic side. The university has made a commitment to excellence and support in recruiting as well as academic excellence. That, and the pivotal partnership with MUH, has enabled us to become a top-tier program.”