Research Opportunities

The faculty, fellows and residents of the Neurology Department are engaged in varied clinical and basic research studies. Laboratory studies include the disciplines of molecular neurobiology, cellular and systems neurophysiology, neurovirology, experimental neuropsychology, cerebral metabolism and blood flow, neurochemistry, neuroimaging, and developmental neurobiology. Studies range from the molecular, biochemical and electrophysiological characterization of the single neuron to experiments involving transgenic mouse models. Likewise, numerous ongoing clinical research studies are conducted at each facility.

The location of University of Minnesota Medical Center, a division of Fairview, on the Minneapolis Campus combines the benefits of training in a major medical center possessing affiliation with the Twin Cities' hospitals and geographic proximity to a respected graduate school in the neurosciences. This constellation provides the resident a stimulating intellectual environment with ample opportunity for interactions among clinical and basic neuroscience disciplines. 

The philosophy of the Department of Neurology is that research should be part of each resident's educational experience. Accordingly, each resident is required to complete a clinical or basic science research project each year during their residency, presenting the results in a platform or poster format at the annual resident graduation/education symposium. These projects have often led to abstract submission to the American Academy of Neurology or the American Neurological Association for presentation at their annual meetings. A faculty mentor is assigned to each resident for this experience.