ATLANTA, Dec. 19, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Morehouse School of Medicine has received a five-year five million dollar (direct costs) Specialized Neuroscience Research Program (SNRP) award to fund cutting-edge, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke NINDS mission-related research performed by established investigators and early stage investigators in the Neuroscience Institute. Training of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows is a paramount goal of the program.
"Our program encourages the support of the Specialized Neuroscience Research Program initiative to institutions like MSM," said Dr. Courtney Ferrell-Aklin, NINDS program director for office of special programs in diversity. "We embrace their commitment to increasing academic scholarship and diversity in the neuroscience workforce."
The award, the only one made within the continental USA, supports research in discovery and the application of knowledge in basic and translational neuroscience to treating neurological disorders. Such support from the SNRP is designed to facilitate the planning, implementation and evaluation of meritorious exploratory research. It also expected to stimulates effective collaboration among academic research organizations and individuals conducting NINDS mission relevant research, while increasing the academic preparedness of students from diverse backgrounds for advanced neuroscience research careers.
"We were very fortunate to have the complete buy-in of all members of the Neuroscience Institute and full institutional support in preparing the application," said Dr. Peter MacLeish, chairman of the department of neurobiology, director of the Neuroscience Institute and SNRP Principal Investigator.
A key feature of the SNRP award is the establishment of a collaborative BS/MS degree program in neuroscience among MSM and three undergraduate institutions in the Atlanta University Center (AUC), including Morehouse College, Spelman College and Clark-Atlanta University. The first cohort of students will be recruited and enrolled in the program during the spring of 2014.
"Morehouse School of Medicine recognizes the challenges set forth by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to advance the mission of NINDS and to play a major role in diversifying the scientific workforce," said Dr. Valerie Montgomery-Rice, dean and executive vice president at MSM. "MSM is committed to the support of the Neuroscience Institute, which has become a biomedical research performance model."
To learn more about the Neuroscience Institute and research programs click here.
About Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM)
Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) was founded in 1975 in Atlanta, Georgia, as a two-year medical education program at Morehouse College, with clinical training affiliations with several established medical schools for awarding the M.D. degree. In 1981, MSM became an independently chartered institution and the first medical school established at a Historically Black College and University in the 20th century. MSM is among the nation's leading educators of primary care physicians and was recently recognized as the top institution among U.S. medical schools for our social mission. Our faculty and alumni are noted for excellence in teaching, research and public policy, as well as exceptional patient care.
Morehouse School of Medicine is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award doctorate and master's degrees.