Neuroscience
Georgetown University Medical Center has a number of strengths in the neurosciences which encompass various programs, departments, and centers.Department of Neuroscience:
The Department of Neuroscience pursues research which seeks to strengthen our understanding of both the healthy and the injured nervous system. In particular, the department focuses on neuroplasticity, the changes inside the brain that result from lived experiences. The type of changes examined are both those caused by learning or drugs, and those caused by negative events (such as traumatic injury, ischemic damage to the nervous system, and neurodegenerative diseases). To research these areas, GUMC researchers utilize a number of experimental models. These models include cell culture systems, rodent genetic and experimental models of nervous system injury and disorders, and computer simulations to understand higher cortical processing.
The Department of Neuroscience also includes two centers of research at GUMC. The Center for the Brain Basis of Cognition promotes basic research and training at the intersection of cognition and neuroscience. The Center for Neural Injury and Recovery Promotes research in areas related to central nervous system injury and recovery, neural degeneration and nervous system plasticity.
Department of Neurology:
The Department of Neurology is dedicated to two major goals in this area: advancement of our scientific knowledge via research which will improve the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders and delivery of leading edge neurological care to our patients. The department has an active research program in the neurosciences and clinical neurology, in which the particular areas of strength include cognitive and behavioral neurology, stroke, epilepsy, dementia (including Alzheimer’s Disease), neurorehabilitation (including aphasia rehabilitation), neuroimaging, and drug discovery. GUMC’s neurology researchers strive to integrate clinical care and research, so that the activities of the research branch impact directly upon clinical care, and vice versa.
Departments of Neurosurgery, Psychiatry and Research Centers
In association with Georgetown Hospital, GUMC also houses a Department of Neurosurgery and a Department of Psychiatry. Other parts of the Medical Center that concentrate in the research and clinical trials side of neuroscience include:
The Center for Aphasia Research and Rehabilitation, which encourages collaboration among fifteen faculty members, research associates and speech-language pathologists, with the goal of integrating their research findings on stroke, aphasia, and normal cognition into the creation of more effective aphasia treatments.
The Center for the Brain Basis of Cognition, which promotes basic research and training at the intersection of cognition and neuroscience.
The Memory Disorders Program, which is dedicated to providing state-of-the-art clinical services for individuals affected by Alzheimer's disease and related disorders and to conducting research aimed at improving treatment options for Alzheimer's disease.
The Center for the Study of Learning, whose goal is to conduct research that will shed light on the causes and effects of learning disorders, so that better programs for diagnosis and treatment can be developed.
Education:
In addition to its role in research and clinical trials, the Department of Neuroscience also plays a prominent educational role at GUMC. Similarly, the Department of Neurology at Georgetown University is dedicated to the neurological education of students, residents and physicians. With regards to graduate degrees, the Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience ensures that Ph.D. candidates in neuroscience obtain a background covering cellular, molecular, and systems approaches to Neuroscience, as well as receive training that brings them to the forefront of research in their particular area of interest.
Leadership:
Barbara Bayer, Ph.D.
Chair, Department of Neuroscience
Professor of Neuroscience
Guinevere Eden, Ph.D.
Director of the Center for the Study of Learning
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Rhonda Friedman, Ph.D.
Director of Center for Aphasia Research and Rehabilitation
Professor of Neurology
Edward Healton, M.D., Ph.D.
Interim Chair of the Department of Neurology
Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine
Italo Mocchetti, Ph.D.
Vice Chair, Department of Neuroscience
Professor of Neuroscience
Scott Turner, M.D., Ph.D.
Director of the Memory Disorders Program
Professor of Neurology
Michael Ullman, Ph.D.
Co-Director of the Center for the Brain Basis of Cognition
Professor of Neuroscience
Barry Wolfe, Ph.D.
Chair of the Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience
Professor of Pharmacology
Jean Wrathall, Ph.D.
Director of the Center for Neural Injury and Recovery
Professor of Neuroscience
