The Ohio State University Department of Neuroscience was founded in 1999. Since then, we have consistently made breakthrough discoveries of the brain and spinal cord. Our faculty have developed highly specialized training programs, as well as dynamic research and learning environments that prepare tomorrow’s neuroscientists while also continuing to challenge the thinking of today’s researchers and clinicians.
Innovative collaborative research
Ohio State neuroscientists were awarded a spinal cord injury program project grant (PPG) by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1972. Eventually funded for more than 30 years, this became the longest-running NIH-funded PPG on spinal cord injury. Many of the inaugural faculty members in the Department of Neuroscience were involved in starting and maintaining this PPG.
- Faculty in multiple disciplines participated, including those from the Division of Neurosurgery (William Hunt, MD), and the departments of Physiology (Bradford Stokes, PhD), Pathology (Allan Yates, MD, PhD) and Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy (CBNA) (James King, PhD; Michael Beattie, PhD; and Jacqueline Bresnahan, PhD; George F. Martin, PhD).
- This initiative served as the precursor for the Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Repair, the first Ohio State center focused on neurotrauma research. Phillip Popovich, PhD, was named inaugural center director and maintains this position today.
Innovative curriculum
The Neuroscience Graduate Studies Program (NGP) was launched at The Ohio State University in 1986 to provide a dedicated neuroscience curriculum. This pioneering effort was in advance of many other official neuroscience departments across the nation.
Department chairs
Michael Beattie, PhD: 1999 – 2006
James King, PhD (interim chair): 2006 – 2009
Randy Nelson, PhD: 2009 – 2018
Phillip Popovich, PhD: 2018 – present
Important department initiatives and milestones
Ohio State’s Department of Neuroscience was formally established in 1999 under the leadership of Bernadine Healy, MD, then dean of the Ohio State College of Medicine, to establish a department focused on basic and translational neuroscience.
- The department began with a strong base in developmental neurobiology, and initial faculty included 10 from the Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, along with additional faculty from the departments of Pharmacology; Physiology; and Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics.
- The new neuroscience focus received a Selective Investment award from the provost to support its efforts.
Serves as a hub for collaborative neuroscience research across university and medical center departments. Established by a P30 grant (Christine Beattie, PhD: PI) from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The P30 grant was then renewed in 2010 under the leadership of Anthony Brown, PhD.
- In total, the center has served 44 qualifying PIs on 67 different qualifying projects, totaling $91.8 million in NINDS funding, and has been acknowledged in more than 220 peer-reviewed publications. A complete listing of these papers can be found here.
Around the world, events focus on increasing public awareness about the brain. Over a four-day period each March, Ohio State neuroscience PhD students present exhibits at multiple stations throughout the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) in Columbus, Ohio.
In collaboration with faculty in the Ohio State College of Arts and Sciences, an official undergraduate neuroscience major was added with our department faculty currently teaching two of the core courses and at least six electives. Many neuroscience undergraduate students participate in laboratory research with Department of Neuroscience faculty.
Ohio State’s Neuroscience Research Institute (NRI) serves as a collaborative hub for more than 250 neuroscientists. It provides infrastructure support related to biostatistics, study design, regulation, compliance, sponsor opportunities, flexible support-staff models, and training in human subjects protection, Good Clinical Practice and standard operating procedures. The Department of Neuroscience represents one of five founding members of this cooperative initiative.
- The NRI also supports various educational programs, awards seed money for pilot studies and is developing a central research registry to enhance the ability to provide research opportunities to all patients.
- More than 5,500 individuals are actively enrolled in clinical research projects, including more than 300 clinical research studies, including approximately 150 clinical trials.
- The NRI is closely aligned with the Chronic Brain Injury Discovery Theme (CBI-DT) where Ohio State researchers are using advanced techniques to study preclinical models of traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, as well as Alzheimer’s disease. The CBI-DT was created by Randy Nelson, PhD, former chair of the Department of Neuroscience. It is currently led by Jonathon Godbout, PhD, a professor in the Department of Neuroscience.
Faculty
- 31 primary department faculty covering a broad spectrum of neuroscience research
- 27 courtesy faculty
Facilities
- Neuroscience faculty in the Ohio State College of Medicine occupy more than 88,000 square feet of research space across 25 state-of-the-art research facilities, with services including proteomics, microarray, nucleic acid, comparative pathology and mouse phenotyping, analytical cytometry, biostatistics and more.
- Department of Neuroscience offices are located in:
- Graves Hall
- Rightmire Hall
- Biomedical Research Tower
- Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research Building
- Neuroscience faculty in the Ohio State Department of Pediatrics are located at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, which has a long-standing academic partnership with The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.