The Graduate Program in Neuroscience (NEUS) at Drexel University College of Medicine embraces the interdisciplinary nature of neuroscience. By incorporating expertise across departments and areas of research, the program offers a broad exposure to cellular, molecular, behavioral, developmental and systems neuroscience, with a strong emphasis on disease, injury and therapeutics. Students engage in rigorous research training using multidisciplinary approaches and cutting-edge technology. Their educational experience is not limited to the bench - they benefit from extensive interactions with the faculty, participation in scientific meetings and training in the panoply of skills (writing, teaching, formulation of hypotheses, experimental design) required for independence and success in a variety of career possibilities.
Students in the program can earn an MS or PhD degree, leading to careers in academic research, teaching, pharmaceutical research, industry, government, academic administration, public policy and beyond.
Download the Program Flyer [PDF]
Immunostaining of hiPSC-derived neurons (from veterans with Gulf War Illness) for neuronal markers. (Liang Qiang and Peter W. Baas)
Research
Drexel's Neuroscience program focuses on several key areas of research, including:
To demonstrate our commitment to the values of diversity and inclusion, the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy has allocated $60,000 in supplemental scholarships for Master of Science in Neuroscience program applicants who identify as an underrepresented population in biomedical research. Open to incoming master’s students, this scholarship will be awarded to two students each year to cover half the tuition for two years. Learn more.
News and Announcements
Dean’s Travel Award
Congratulations to Nancy Mack, winner of the Dean’s Travel Award. The Dean’s Travel Award is meant to partially defray the cost of attending a scientific meeting at which a graduate student is making a presentation, or is related to the student’s graduate study.
Awards from the Research Society on Alcoholism
Two members of the Barker lab received awards from the Research Society on Alcoholism 2021 virtual scientific meeting, which were funded by NIAAA. Katie Bryant, a student in the neuroscience PhD program, won the Research Society on Alcoholism Student Merit Award. Dr. Laura Giacometti, post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, won the RSA Junior Investigator Award.
Ferguson Named in Forbes 30 under 30
Brielle Ferguson, a recent graduate, was mentioned in Forbes 30 under 30 for Science. Read more.
Curtis and Mack Received Dean’s Fellowships
Fifth-year Neuroscience PhD students, Genevieve Curtis from the Barson lab, and Nancy Mack from the Gao lab, were awarded the Dean’s Fellowship for Excellence in Collaborative or Themed Research.
Lengel Received Brain Injury Association of America Grant
Dana Lengel, a fifth-year Neuroscience graduate student in Ramesh Raghupathi’s lab, received a dissertation grant from the Brain Injury Association of America.
Students Win National Institutes of Health Award
Emily Black, a student in the Espana lab, Jaki DeFinis a Neuroscience student in the Hou lab, and Sara Blazejewski and Sarah Sadie Bennison, both from the Toyo-oka lab have received the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award from the National Institutes of Health.
The platform presenters for Drexel University College of Medicine’s annual research day, called Discovery Day, discuss their research topics and tips for success. Read more.
Paralyzed patients are closer to one day breathing without a ventilator after Michael Lane, PhD, and Lyandysha Zhoudeva showed they could improve respiratory function in rodents with spinal cord injuries by successfully transplanting a special class of neural cells, called V2a interneurons. Read more.