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Detailed Information

Program of Study

The graduate program at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) emphasizes training leading to the Ph.D. degree, emphasizing cellular and systems neurobiology as well as cell biology. Specific areas of research include axonal transport, Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, neuroplasticity and regeneration, vestibulocochlear physiology and functional anatomy, ion channel regulation, myelination and demyelinating diseases, neuroendocrine control of behavior, neural development, and functional interactions of the plasma membrane with cytoskeletal elements. Students are expected to have a clear desire to enter a research career. The training program provides an intensive experience in fundamental research and frequent opportunities to demonstrate appropriate forward progress. Basic courses in cell and molecular biology and biochemistry are taken in the first year, when students also do rotations through different research laboratories. The first-year curriculum is coordinated through an interdepartmental program in the College of Medicine and the Graduate College called Graduate Education in Medical Sciences (GEMS), thus allowing students from different programs to interact and explore different biomedical disciplines. A wide range of advanced courses in neuroscience, cell biology, and anatomy are available during the second year, which prepare the student to take advantage of the rapidly changing face of science. The course work, along with progress on a thesis research project, prepares the student for preliminary examinations. The average time needed to complete the degree in recent years has been about five years. The training prepares students for a research or teaching career in academia or industry.

Research Facilities

Cellular structure and function, biochemistry, and molecular biology are investigated with electron microscopes, confocal and video microscopy, and quantitative computer-assisted image analysis techniques. A new biochemical and molecular biology core provides a range of equipment for contemporary biology, including phosphorimaging, FPLC, real-time PCR, and cell culture. Electrophysiology is probed with patch clamp and microelectrode techniques, by using cells modified through molecular biology techniques or by using selected sensory systems to reveal the functions of receptors, mechanisms of intracellular trafficking and signal transduction, and characteristics of ion channels. The Library of the Health Sciences’ collection of nearly 500,000 volumes and more than 5,100 journals supports education and research. A science library provides additional resources in terms of both books and journals. The libraries provide extensive free access to databases, and professional staff members provide training and computer-assisted searches.

Financial Aid

The successful applicant is anticipated to receive a research or teaching assistantship with a current stipend of $24,000 per year and a tuition waiver. The student is responsible for about $1300 in fees each semester.

Cost of Study

For the 2008–09 year, in-state tuition and other required fees are nearly $14,000 per year. Out-of-state tuition and fees are approximately $30,000 per year. Living expenses are estimated at $1300 per month. Costs are subject to change.

Living and Housing Costs

Nestled among the health sciences colleges, on-campus housing is available, including an apartment-style residence hall for graduate, professional, and older undergraduate students who are looking for convenience and an intensive study environment. The residence facilities connect directly to the Chicago Illini Union, the recently remodeled swimming pool, and the fitness center. Numerous privately owned rooms and apartments are available in the University area at a wide range of prices.

Student Group

The number of graduate students in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology is relatively small, allowing each student a great deal of individual attention and guidance in research training. However, the GEMS program includes 40 to 50 new students each year, which provides a critical mass of students for educational, scientific, and social activities. Thus the Department combines the best of both large and small programs.

Location

The University of Illinois at Chicago is located in the heart of the cosmopolitan city of Chicago. The city combines the best of the arts, cuisine, entertainment, history, and sports. The campus is centrally located near The Loop and is surrounded by vibrant neighborhoods like Greek Town, Little Italy, Pilsen, and Chinatown. UIC is served by the Blue Line and Pink Line trains and CTA #7 and #38 buses, with ready access to both airports, and is only minutes away from the famed Michigan Avenue and downtown. There is an abundance of cultural activities and institutions in the area, including the Art Institute of Chicago, art galleries, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the blues and jazz clubs of a lively music scene, and outstanding theaters that include the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and The Second City.

The University

UIC is the largest institution of higher learning in the Chicago area and is one of only eighty-eight Research I institutions nationally. Its history began in the 1890s, when the Chicago College of Pharmacy and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Chicago became part of the University of Illinois. Today, UIC is located on approximately 185 acres in an area that includes two historic landmark residential neighborhoods and the West Side Medical Center District, the largest concentration of advanced public and private health-care facilities in the world.

Applying

A general background in biology, chemistry, and physics is expected. Acceptance is based on the student’s potential for scholarly research and teaching as shown by his or her undergraduate record, letters of recommendation, and Graduate Record Examinations General Test scores. The Graduate College application deadline for fall admission for degree candidates is May 15, but prospective students are strongly encouraged to apply by January 15 for the Anatomy and Cell Biology (GEMS) program. Applications from international students must be received by February 15 to allow processing. Applications received bearing a postmark later than the application deadline are returned to the applicant.

The Faculty and Their Research

• Conwell H. Anderson, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Kansas, 1969. Neuroendocrinology; morphological aspects of the hypothalamus and its influence on reproduction.
• Jonathan J. Art, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Chicago, 1979. Cochlear hair cell physiology to characterize the cellular mechanisms that contribute to sensory transduction and signal processing in the nervous system; confocal laser microscopy.
• Ernesto R. Bongarzone, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Buenos Aires, 1989. Molecular and cellular mechanisms controlling endogenous remyelination; improving myelin repair with stem cell transplantation.
• Scott T. Brady, Professor and Head; Ph.D., USC, 1978. Molecular mechanisms of axonal transport; specializations of the neuronal cytoskeleton; glial modulation of neuronal function; effects of physiological stress on neuron structure and function.
• Robert Gould, Research Professor; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins, 1970. Mechanisms involved in myelination of rodent and cartilaginous fish central nervous systems during development; evolution of the developing myelin sheath.
• Naohiko Ikegaki, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Pennsylvania, 1988. Biology and therapeutic approaches of neuroblastoma; functions of MYCN, EPH receptors, and ephrins in neuroblastoma.
• Mary Jo LaDu, Associate Professor, Ph.D., Illinois at Chicago, 1991. Alzheimer’s disease (AD): structural and functional interactions between the amyloid-beta peptide (AB) and apolipoprotein E (apoE); in vitro and in vivo models to test the various hypotheses that arise from the study of AB and apoE4.
• Orly Lazarov, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., Weizmann (Israel), 2000. Physiological roles of proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease and the mechanisms by which mutant forms of these proteins induce AD in vivo.
• Anna Lysakowski, Professor; Ph.D., Illinois at Chicago, 1984. Organization, physiology, and function of the vestibular sensory apparatus extending from the cellular to system level.
• Gerardo Morfini, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Cordoba (Argentina), 1997. Axonal transport in neurodegenerative diseases; regulatory mechanisms for microtubule-based motility, identification, and characterization of signal transduction pathways; microtubule-based molecular motors providing novel insights on pathogenic mechanisms for late-onset neurodegenerative conditions such as ALS, Parkinson’s, and polyglutamine-expansion diseases.
• Yasuko Nakajima, Professor; M.D./Ph.D., Tokyo, 1962. Signal transduction mechanisms of neurotransmitter effects on brain neurons, using a unique method of culturing neurons from specific brain nuclei, such as cholinergic neurons from the basal forebrain and dopaminergic neurons from the substantia nigra (these nuclei are related to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases).
• Usha Raj, Professor and Head, Department of Pediatrics; M.D., Bombay (Mumbai), 1977. Developmental mechanisms controlling pulmonary circulation in fetuses and newborns, why some babies develop problems related to lung blood vessels while others do not.
• Adrienne A. Rogalski-Wilk, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Illinois, 1981. Cell and molecular biology of novel plasma membrane–actin cytoskeletal linkage.
• Xao Tang, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Pennsylvania, 1993. Favorable neuroblastoma genes and molecular therapeutics of neuroblastoma.
• James R. Unnerstall, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins, 1984. Plasticity and regeneration in central catecholamine systems during the aging process, emphasizing the compensatory responses of specific neural systems following physiological stress, insult, or injury; neurotrophic factors.
• Adjunct Research Faculty
• C. Sue Carter, Professor and Co-Director, Brain Body Center, Department of Psychiatry; Ph.D., Arkansas, 1969. Rodent models, including the socially monogamous prairie vole, used to examine the behavioral, physiological, and autonomic actions of oxytocin and vasopressin.
• Neelima Chauhan, Research Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Baroda (India). Preventing and reversing Alzheimer’s pathogenesis in transgenic models of Alzheimer’s disease by intracerebroventricular passive immunization combined with dietary statins, propentofylline, or herbal alternatives in reducing cerebral amyloid burden and tau phosphorylation.
• George De Vries, Adjunct Professor; Ph.D., Illinois at Chicago, 1979. Axonal oligodendrocyte signaling in multiple sclerosis.
• Thomas Diekwisch, Professor and Head, Oral Biology; D.D.S., Ph.D., Marburg (Germany), 1990. Craniofacial biology, development, and genetics.
• Douglas Feinstein, Research Professor; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins, 1984. Novel therapeutic means to reduce inflammatory damage and neuronal death in multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease.
• Anne George, Professor; Ph.D., Madras (India), 1983. Identification and characterization of acidic proteins involved in biomineralization.
• Nalin Kumar, Professor; D.Phil., Oxford, 1979. Molecular structure and function of gap junctions; intercellular channels between adjacent cells.
• Deborah Little, Adjunct Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Brandeis, 2002. Biological basis of compensatory processes in normal aging and in disease in language comprehension, attention, learning, and memory.
• Subhash Pandey, Professor and Director Neuroscience Alcoholism Research; Ph.D., Kanpur (India), 1987. Molecular and cellular neurobiology of alcoholism and drugs of abuse.
• Tingyu Qu, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Kobe (Japan), 1997. Therapeutic potential of stem cells in neurological degenerative diseases.
• Neil R. Smalheiser, Associate Professor; M.D./Ph.D., Yeshiva (Einstein), 1982. Biochemical, molecular, developmental, and cellular studies of nerve cells; data-mining techniques in medical informatics and bioinformatics.
• William Wolf, Associate Professor; Ph.D., George Washington, 1985. Monoaminergic modulation of neuronal plasticity in neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and stroke and psychiatric disorders that include drug abuse, schizophrenia, and affective disorders.

Correspondence and Information

University of Illinois at Chicago
Director, Graduate Studies Committee
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, M/C 512
808 South Wood Street, Room 578
Chicago, Illinois 60612-7308
Telephone: 312-996-6791
Fax: 312-413-0354
Email: conwell@uic.edu
World Wide Web: http://gems.comd.uic.edu/ (GEMS)