Important department initiatives and milestones

• 1999 – Department of Neuroscience established

  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.

• 2002 – Center for Molecular Neurobiology

  This research center was the latest iteration of the previously named Biotechnology Center (1986) and subsequent Neurobiotechnology Center (1995). Both centers included novel molecular neuroscience research initiatives, notably the use of novel model organisms including Drosophila and zebrafish. Although dissolved in 2012, the infrastructure and model systems developed for these centers remain, and are led by several Department of Neuroscience faculty.

• 2004 – The Ohio State University Neuroscience Center Core

  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.

• 2004 – Neuroscience Education: Urban and Rural Outreach (NEURO)

  N.E.U.R.O. is a recognized university student organization formed by neuroscience PhD students to support community outreach. The group received a Student Life Leadership Award from Ohio State in 2020.

• 2008/2009 – Annual department participation in Brain Awareness Week begins

  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.

• 2012 – Undergraduate major in Neuroscience added

  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.

• 2014 – Neuroscience Research Institute

  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.

• 2019 – Master’s degree in Applied Neuroscience added

  This new graduate program is intended to teach proficiency in the techniques needed to advance the rapidly expanding field of neuroscience. Students choose between a research or education track. This new program was created by Georgia Bishop, PhD, and Robert Boyd, PhD, from the Ohio State Department of Neuroscience. 

• The department today

  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.