General Motor Control Mechanisms and Disease Training Program

The Motor Control Training Program (MCTP) offers a broad range of interdisciplinary research and training opportunities in the neuroscience of motor control. The research of participating preceptors spans molecular neuroscience and gene therapy, cellular neuroscience, signal transduction, system neuroscience, clinical neuroscience, brain imaging, computational neuroscience, behavioral neuroscience and applied mathematics and engineering.

Faculty are drawn from 14 departments in the Feinberg School of Medicine (FSM), the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences (WCAS), and the McCormick School of Engineering (MCC). These colleges span Northwestern’s Chicago and Evanston campuses, as well as two Northwestern affiliate institutions: the Children’s Memorial Research Center (CMRC) located in Lincoln Park, a short distance from FSM; and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), located on the Chicago campus. Northwestern students and faculty integrate transparently with those of CMRC and RIC.

An important feature of the Training Program is that it brings together researchers in fundamental and clinical neuroscience, providing a highly productive, interdisciplinary research environment for trainees in motor control and diseases of the motor system. This creates an excellent opportunity for trainees to develop skills in translational research.

In addition to providing training in research, the MCTP is committed to developing complete scientists having the full range of professional skills required for success along any of the numerous career paths that PhD scientists follow. Thus, training in written and oral communication, grant writing/grantsmanship, networking and career development is strongly supported.

We seek, too, to instill in trainees a clear understanding of what constitutes responsible and professional scientific conduct, and to make trainees aware of prevailing ethical issues, especially those most relevant to basic and translational neuroscience. Finally, the MCTP strives to train qualified students from under-represented minority groups.

The MCTP currently supports 3 predoctoral and 5 postdoctoral trainees per year. Trainees are selected by a Steering Committee from among nominations solicited from preceptors. Selection is based on outstanding evaluations from research rotation and thesis advisors, strong performance in coursework, strong letters of support from faculty, and a detailed research plan consistent with the training program objectives.

Director:

Surmeier, Jr., D. James, PhD

Associate Director:

Bevan, Mark, PhD

Steering Committee:

Surmeier, Jr., D. James, PhD
Bevan, Mark, PhD
Disterhoft, John, PhD
Kessler, John, MD
Tresch, Matthew, PhD

List of Faculty Profiles associated this grant

Preceptors:

Apkarian, A. Vania	Hartmann, Mitra	Ozdinler, P. Hande
Awatramani, Raj	Heckman, CJ	Penzes, Peter
Baker, James	Kessler, John	Raman, Indira
Bevan, Mark	Kording, Konrad	Reber, Paul
Bohn, Martha	Kozorovitskiy, Yevgenia	Rymer, William
Chan, Savio	Krainc, Dimitri	Shephers, Gordon
Chetkovich, Dane	Ma, Yong Chao	Siddique, Teepu
Contractor, Anis	Martina, Marco	Silverman, Richard
Corcos, Daniel	Mazulli, Joe	Stupp, Samuel
Dewald, Julius	McCrimmon, Donald	Surmeier, D. James
DiDonato, Christine	McLean, Dave	Tresch, Matthew
Disterhoft, John	Mesulam, M. Marsel	Weintraub, Sandra
Dombeck, Daniel	Miller, Lee	Wu, Jane
Garcia-Anoveros, Jaime	Mussa-Ivaldi, Ferdinando
Gitelman, Darren	Opal, Puneet

Predoctoral Trainees:

Daniel Galtieri (Advisor: D. James Surmeier, PhD)
Pat Lawlor (Advisor: Konrad Kording, PhD)

Postdoctoral Trainees

Joshua Callahan, PhD (Advisor: Mark Bevan, PhD)
Jorge Cantu, PhD (Advisor: Jaime Garcia-Anoveros, PhD)
Jessica Lowry, PhD (Advisor: Teepu Siddique, MD)
Harry Xenias, PhD (Advisor: Savio Chan, PhD)

For more information, contact Dr. Mark Bevan: m-bevan@northwestern.edu