Kansas University Training Program in Neurological and Rehabilitation Sciences

Neurological and Rehabilitation Science Training Grant Participating Faculty

The faculty mentors selected for this training program know how to build multidisciplinary collaboration as they have successfully brought together professionals from diverse fields for similar initiatives. They believe that cohesive groups are built on mutual respect, support, and shared opportunity and reward. Measures of their effectiveness include: 1) their continued success at recruiting and retaining interdisciplinary research team members; 2) the number of publications in which young investigators are given first authorships along with extensive support and mentoring; and 3) their ongoing ability to maintain complex research projects in neuroscience with multiple team members.

Both basic and clinical scientists participate in the Neurological and Rehabilitation Sciences Training Program. Of the 23 mentors, 15 focus primarily on animal models, while eight utilize human models. Of the three program themes (Basic Mechanisms, Characterization of Pathology, and Therapeutic Intervention), “mechanisms” is a primary or secondary theme of 19 faculty, while 10 faculty list “pathology” as a primary or secondary theme and 14 faculty list “therapy” as a primary or secondary theme.

Name/Degree(s)	Rank	Primary (& Secondary) Appointment(s)	Role in Program	Research Interest
Barohn, Richard J., MD	Professor & Chair	School of Medicine, Neurology	Mentor	Myopathies, motor neuron disease, neuropathies, and myasthenia gravis
Belousov, Andrei, PhD	Associate Professor	School of Medicine, Molecular and Integrative Physiology	Mentor	Neuroscience; Neuronal plasticity
Berman, Nancy E.J., PhD	Professor	School of Medicine, Anatomy & Cell Biology	Mentor	Hormonal effects on pain; role of microglia in normal aging and in brain injury
Billinger, Sandra, PT, PhD, FAHA	Assistant Professor	School of Health Professions, Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science	Mentor	Cellular mechanisms that influence vascular function after stroke and how exercise, as a therapeutic intervention, may affect vascular health
Brooks, William M., PhD	Professor & Director, Hoglund Brain Imaging Center & Professor	School of Medicine, Neurology (Hoglund Brian Imaging Center)	Mentor	Brain imaging approaches to CNS disorders, traumatic brain injury & aging
Brusés, Juan L., MD, PhD	Associate Professor	School of Medicine, Anatomy & Cell Biology	Mentor	Cell-cell interactions in synapse formation and function
Burns, Jeffrey M., MD	Assistant Professor & Director, Alzheimer and Memory Center	School of Medicine, Neurology (Alzheimer & Memory Center & AD Clinical Research Program)	Mentor	Alzheimer's Disease & Brain Aging
Cheney, Paul D., PhD	Professor & Chair	School of Medicine, Molecular & Integrative Physiology	Mentor, IAC member	Cortical mechanisms of motor function
Choi, In-Young, PhD	Assistant Professor	School of Medicine, Neurology	Mentor	In vivo imaging of brain energy metabolism
Levant, Beth, PhD	Associate Professor	School of Medicine, Pharmacology, Toxicology & Therapeutics	Mentor	Neuropharmacology; Neurochemistry
Liu, Wen, PhD	Associate Professor	School of Health Professions, Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science	Mentor	Human Sensorimotor control, Neurological & orthopedic rehabilitation
McIff, Terence E., PhD, MPPM	Assistant Professor	Orthopedic Surgery, (Physical Therapy & Rehab Science, & Mechanical Engineering)	Mentor	Orthopedics, Extremity War Injuries, Wound Healing, Orthopedic Biomechanics, Trancutaneous Prosthetic Attachment, Bone Fracture and Defect Healing, Fat Embolism, Peripheral Nerve Injury, Surgical Instrument and Implant Design
Nishimune, Hiroshi, Phd	Assistant Professor	School of Medicine, anatomy & Cell Biology	Mentor	Molecular mechanisms important for synapse formation and maintenance
Nudo, Randolph J., PhD	Professor	School of Medicine, Molecular & Integrative Physiology	Principal Investigator, Mentor, Chair IAC	Motor dysfunction; Mechanisms of stroke recovery; Novel interventions after stroke
Savage, Cary R., PhD	Professor & Director, Functional MRI	School of Medicine, Psychiatry (Hoglund Brain Imaging Center)	Mentor	Neuroimaging of cognitive function
Sharma, Neena, PT, PhD, CMPT	Assistant Professor, Associate Director of Clinical Education	Dept. of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science	Mentor	Biochemical and neural mechanisms contributing to chronic pain syndromes and the efficacy of various physical therapy interventions in modulating pain
Smirnova, Irina V., PhD	Associate Professor, PhD in Rehabilitation Science Program Director	School of Health Professions, Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science	Mentor	Diabetic heart disease, diabetic neuropathy and benefits of exercise on these diabetic complications; proteomics
Smith, Peter G., PhD	Professor and Director, Kansas Intellectual Disabilities Development Research Center	School of Medicine, Molecular and Integrative Physiology	Mentor	Reproductive physiology; Mechanisms govering neuronal growth and degeneration
Stanford, John A., PhD	Associate Professor	School of Medicine, Molecular and Integrative Physiology	Mentor	Basal ganglia dysfunction in animal models of aging and Parkinson's disease
Stehno-Bittel, Lisa A., PhD, PT	Professor & Chair	School of Health Professions, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science	Mentor, IAC member, Rehab Sci Director	Pancreatic islet transplantation to cure diabetes; creation of bio-artificial islets
Swerdlow, Russell H., MD	Professor	School of Medicine, Neurology (School of Medicine, Molecular and Integrative Physiology)	Mentor	Molecular basis of neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS)
Wright, Douglas E., PhD	Professor	School of Medicine, Anatomy & Cell Biology	Mentor	Sensory biology; Neurotrophins; Periperal neuropathy

Back