Neural Control of Organ Degeneration and Regeneration (NeuralCODR) Training Program

About the Program

 

Neural Control of Organ Degeneration and Regeneration (NeuralCODR) is an NIH-funded, cutting-edge, and cross-disciplinary training program at the intersection of neurophysiology and organ engineering/modeling with a thoughtful integration of statistical methodology and experimental design.

Seeded by the Paula and Rusty Walter Endowment, this two-year National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded post-doctoral training program (T32NS126115) brings together 29 regeneration biologists and neurophysiologists and 12 clinical researchers across multiple institutions with a rich history of research training, clinical modeling, and education. The training format is distinct from established physiology or molecular neuroscience training programs in several ways:

 

  1. Programs are strategically focused on the interface between regeneration/disease organ model systems and functional neuroanatomy and physiology. 
  2. Group problem identification is driven by a collaborative group of clinician researchers.
  3. Catalytic mechanisms exist for cross training and expertise development between research centers.

 

Further, the training structure emphasizes experiences in tissue and organ engineering laboratories in parallel with education in neuromodulation, translational theory, and practice.

 

Our Program Faculty
Co-Director

Dr. Horner has a long-standing passion and commitment to graduate and postgraduate training. He has proven expertise in training graduate, postdoctoral, and clinical fellows in the basic biology of neural stem cells and plasticity to whole animal systems of disease modeling and preclinical translation. Many of his former students currently hold faculty positions or remain in research positions in private or public research institutions. He strongly supports the development of innovative training structures that drive collaborative research. For example, he co-founded Route28 Summits in Neurobiology which is a one-week intensive problem-solving workshop for trainees and early stage faculty (www.route28.org). Horner spearheaded the development of the NeuralCODR program. He also founded and directs the graduate-level Neural Control of Organ Degeneration and Regeneration course that is team taught annually in support of NeuralCODR.

 

Horner’s research laboratory focuses on the interaction between glial and neural cells following central nervous system challenge and aging; specifically: 1) mechanisms of adult stem cell‐derived lesion remodeling/repair, and 2) the role of gliogenesis and gliosis in neural degeneration and aging.

Co-Director

As a professor of biochemistry & cell biology at Rice University, Dr. Farach-Carson provided scientific leadership and vision for the BioScience Research Collaborative and helped foster a climate of interdisciplinary and translational research and innovation. She became a strategic advisor for the Texas Medical Center, and rejoined the UTHealth School of Dentistry faculty as director of clinical and translational research and professor in the Department of Diagnostic and Biomedical Sciences.

 

Cindy Farach-Carson’s laboratory explores bioengineering and organ modeling with a focus on the innervated salivary system. She has a long-standing history of leading development efforts within the Texas Medical Center and as the co-director of the Gulf Coast Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, she will cultivate educational opportunities for NeuralCODR trainees. In 2016, Farach-Carson received the Presidential Mentoring Award from Rice University, reflecting the contributions of her many trainees throughout the years who have gone on to successful careers in academia, industry, biotech, scientific writing, medicine, dentistry, and research funding agencies including the National Institutes of Health , private research foundations, and regulatory agencies including the United States Food and Drug Administration . Through her leadership roles, Farach-Carson seeks to strengthen NeuralCODR training opportunities and to increase the number of women and underrepresented groups in training cohorts.

Research Areas

NeuralCODR Faculty and Research Areas

Research Areas

Neural Development and Tools
In this research area, laboratories apply molecular and systems approaches to discover how the brain is wired using genetic models, stem cells, or neural organoids and neuromodulation to dissect the molecular pathways in glia and neurons that build the nervous system.

 

Ben Arenkiel 

Vittorio Cristini
Ben Deneen
Carmen Dessauer

Robert Krencik

Matthew Rasband

Dimitry Sayenko

François St-Pierre

Farhaan Vahidy
Jin Wang
Yi-Lan Weng

 

Nervous System and Peripheral Organ Disorders
In this research area, laboratories develop and apply system-level models of nervous system and peripheral organ disorders, with a particular focus on the basis for disease or injury (e.g. musculoskeletal system, pain, neural trauma, and degenerative disease).

 

Philip J. Horner

Shelly Buffington
Shu-Hsia Chen
Jeannie Chin
Florent Elefteriou

Muralidhar Hegde

Caleb Kemere
Rose Khavari
Hui-Lin Pan
Robert Rostomily

Nicholas Tran
Sonia Villapol
Edgar T. Walters
Qi Wu

 

Neural Innervation and Organ Engineering
In this research area, laboratories share a common bio-engineering approach to create organ model systems including bone, bowel, vascular, and tissue-level system for modeling or therapeutic resources.

 

Mary C. "Cindy" Farach-Carson 
John Cooke
Jane Grande-Allen

Marcia O'Malley
Jae-Il Park

Jinsook Roh 

Amy Sater
Francesca Taraballi

Jeffrey Min-In Yau

 

Clinical Applications/Rotations
This faculty group brings a much needed and rare exposure to real-world diseases, clinical challenges, and human samples.

 

Cesar Arias

Tetsuo Ashizawa

Sean Barber
Gavin Britz
John Cooke

Mario Dulay

Amir Faraji
Osama Gaber

Rajan Gadhia
Rose Khavari
Xian Li
Eamonn Quigley
Michael Reardon
Dimitry Sayenko

Central Course

The NeuralCODR course is a centerpiece of the training program and it is offered every spring. It is a team-taught, graduate level course to promote new ideas and collaborations in the area of how the brain and peripheral organs communicate in disease. 3 speakers per class will be asked to give a brief, verbal introduction on the scope of their work without slides. This will be followed by a moderated conversation on a suggested topic with participant involvement to catalyze new research concepts and identify roadblocks to communication and progress. Student participants will be primed with literature suggested by the speakers and coached on discussion goals. 

 

 

The overall goals of the course are to:

  • Focus on the neural control of organ degeneration and regeneration.
  • Complement research in organ regeneration, stem cell biology and tissue engineering.
  • Address the knowledge gaps of how the nervous system influences organ development, disease evolution and organ degeneration.
  • Have a team-taught format with a clinical perspective on development and disease, and an introduction to specific organ system regeneration approaches.
  • Include diverse faculty from Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, University of Houston, and Houston Methodist Research Institute.

General Information:

  • REGISTRATION for the Spring 2024 offering of this course is now closed. Please check back for Spring 2025.
  • There is no cost to attend, but space is limited.
  • This course is not part of the NeuralCODR Fellow application process. See "How to Apply" tab for more information on how to become a Fellow.
  • For more information, please email us at CNR@houstonmethodist.org. 
 

Training at a Glance

NeuralCODR Core Components

The NeuralCODR training format distinctly includes an interdisciplinary triad mentorship team. It also provides access to much needed, but rarely obtained, hands-on clinical experience, mentorship, and clinical data and materials.


Trainee Resources

 

Potential Training Faculty

 

We are currently looking for new training faculty members. All faculty throughout the Texas Medical Center are eligible and encouraged to participate if their research is in line with the scope of the program.


If you are interested in participating in this NIH-funded training program, please send your CV to Gillian Hamilton.

Eligibility and Application

Bridging the Gap

The NeuralCODR program was designed to fill a critical gap in post-graduate training by providing postdoctoral fellows with the support and training opportunities that come almost standard in graduate education. Specifically, the NeuralCODR program emphasizes the need for:

  1. Increased interdisciplinary training opportunities
  2. Increased mentorship and oversight beyond the host Principal Investigator
  3. Reducing the training period and emphasizing career choices early, and
  4. Stimulating and providing resources for postdoctoral fellows to interact with their peers.

 

Eligibility Requirements to be a Fellow

  • United States citizen or permanent resident.
  • Postdoctoral candidates throughout the Texas Medical Center are eligible and encouraged to apply if their research is in line with the scope of the program.
  • Out of state candidates are also encouraged and welcome to apply.
  • Candidates do not need a current affiliation with listed training faculty. If selected, their respective mentors would be evaluated and considered to serve as a training faculty.
     

Program Summary

  • NeuralCODR postdoctoral fellows receive annual stipends based on NIH standards, reimbursement for health insurance, and a budget for conference and workshop travel.
  • NeuralCODR postdoctoral fellows are appointed for two years.

 

Application Requirements for Fellow Candidates

  • APPLICATIONS DUE JANUARY 15, 2025
  • Completed application form: Click here for application.
  • Specific Aims (1-page limit)
    • Project concepts should be developed in consultation with your proposed mentorship team. Example projects can be found here.
  • Letters of Support
    • Must include two letters of support; one must be from your proposed primary NeuralCODR faculty member.
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Please submit all of the above information to Gillian Hamilton, Senior Program Manager:

Bridging the Gap

Potential Projects

 

Neural modulation and the control of skeletal health and brain/skeletal signaling after injury
The Horner Laboratory uses epidural and peripheral nerve multielectrode arrays to promote spinal and cortical circuit plasticity in models of spinal cord injury. Combined with transplantation of engineered excitatory neurons, neuromodulation offers hope of creating functional pathways to restore locomotion after stroke or injury. A seminal new concept being explored to address dysfunction of the musculoskeletal system that typically accompanies brain and spinal cord damage is the alteration of autonomic control of bone microenvironment.

Research in the Elefteriou laboratory indicates that sympathetic input to bone cells is critical for growth and maintenance. Further, there is an evolving understanding of a network of brain-stem neurokines that promote bone remodeling and a reciprocal network of bone-derived hormones that impact brain health. This project seeks to model how motor and/or autonomic neuromodulation effects bone remodeling in the brain and bone hormone network. The Horner and Elefteriou laboratories will collaborate to measure bone marrow activation, bone signaling, and central neural signals that change due to neuromodulation in a model of spinal cord injury.

 

Biomimetic nanoparticles to promote neural connectivity
This project combines human pluripotent stem cell-derived neural cell types (Krencik Laboratory) with lipid-based nanoparticles (Taraballi Laboratory) to yield novel biomimetic nanoparticles that can target and deliver functional payloads to the brain and promote neuronal synapse formation post-injury. These nanoparticles will be validated using an in vitro human organoid culture platform during physiological recordings. Furthermore, biodistribution of nanoparticles will be assessed within animal models. The new tool set produced in this project will have high potential to translate into a brain delivery system, and it overcomes current limitations of cellular transplantation-based therapy.
Defining the functional consequence of astrocyte activity upon neural networks
Astrocytes are highly abundant throughout the nervous system, yet their dynamic contributions to neural network activity are still not well understood. This project manipulates astrocyte activity and assesses the consequence upon synaptic physiology. Baseline neural spike frequencies will be measured within human pluripotent stem cell-derived organoids over time on multielectrode arrays, and the consequence of astrocyte activation will be assessed after chemogenetic activation as well as over expression of master gliogenic transcriptional regulators (Krencik Laboratory).

In parallel, astrocyte states will be manipulated, using transgenic mouse models, and similar physiological measurements will be conducted (Deneen Laboratory). Astrocytes in both models will be profiled with RNA sequencing to uncover potential mechanisms underlying astrocyte activity-induced neuronal communication. It is expected that high priority intercellular signaling pathways will be identified to translate into preclinical testing regarding restoring normative function that is dysregulated in inflammatory environments post-injury and post-disease.
Manipulation of RNA compartmentalization to facilitate regenerative responses
Spatiotemporal gene expression varies in cell types and specifies differential physiological function. However, how the transcriptome is compartmentalized in subcellular domains for axon maintenance, presynaptic plasticity and injury response remains unclear. In this project, the roles of RNA modifications underpinning RNA subcellular localization will systematically be revealed and de novo spatial gene expression patterns associated with regenerative capacity will be identified (Weng Laboratory).

Top candidates will be manipulated in mouse spinal cord injury models to assess their function in promoting axon regeneration (Horner Laboratory). Data gained from this systematic analysis and functional validation will offer new opportunities for the development of effective RNA therapy and treatment strategies for spinal cord and brain injury.
Spinal neuromodulation and recovery of bladder control after injury
The Sayenko Laboratory pursues the questions regarding the extent to which electrical spinal cord stimulation can neuromodulate spinal circuitry to recover motor and autonomic functions. Epidural and transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation techniques are becoming more valuable as electrophysiological and clinical tools. Dimitry Sayenko, MD, PhD investigated the level of neurophysiological and functional specificity that can be achieved in selective neuromodulation of spinal networks using both methods. Rose Khavari, MD’s research efforts have led to the development of a unique and detailed functional imaging protocol that is combined with urodynamic testing, which pinpoints structural and functional brain control of bladder function.

This project will combine advanced neuroimaging approaches, urodynamics, and non-invasive spinal neuromodulation to identify the patterns of supraspinal-spinal activation and connectivity during the initiation, maintenance, and completion of voiding (or attempt of voiding) in intact, or paralyzed due to spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis, subjects and to elucidate the neuromodulatory mechanisms of spinal stimulation on bladder control. The central hypothesis is that neural activation profiles can be used to selectively target specific regions within the central nervous system using spinal neuromodulation. Thus, the spinal and supraspinal effects of transcutaneous spinal stimulation on voiding will be examined.
Modulating the gut microbiome to reduce neurodegeneration
The Villapol Laboratory has established a research program that studies the brain-gut microbiome axis and its interactions in response to a disease. They combine techniques specific to neuropathological analysis, identification of central or peripheral markers of inflammation, bioinformatic characterization of microbial diversity and strain-level analysis, and the administration of probiotics to modulate the gut microbiome.

The laboratory of Jeannie Chin. PhD is devoted to characterizing patterns of brain activity in mice and correlated neuronal activity with performance in behavioral paradigms that test different aspects of memory and cognition, especially using animal models of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Furthermore, the relationship between the microbiome and the development of cognitive impairment in dementia or the development of AD is unknown. This project will deplete the microbiome in AD animals and will restore it with the pre-AD microbiome. Specifically, the Villapol and Chin laboratories will identify the link between the modulation of the microbiome in AD mice and brain connectivity, amyloid beta accumulation, and memory impairment, with the goal of identifying novel treatments to restore cognition and behavior in neurodegenerative diseases.

 

Program Contact


Gillian Hamilton, PhD
Senior Program Manager
Center for Neuroregeneration

6670 Bertner Avenue
Houston, TX 77030
Email: ghamilton@houstonmethodist.org

Our Fellows
Borna Sarker, PhD, 2024 NeuralCODR Fellow

Borna Sarker, PhD was selected as a 2024 NIH-funded postdoctoral fellow in the NeuralCODR postdoctoral training program. Her current project aims to investigate mechanisms that promote axon regeneration after neurotrauma, using the murine retina as an accessible model system to study contributions of intrinsic and extrinsic signaling to axon growth. Specifically, she is examining the innate immune response and the therapeutic potential of modulating glial-mediated neuroregenerative processes in the context of optic neuropathies. Dr. Sarker obtained her PhD from the University of Texas at San Antonio, where her research focused on examining the effects of pharmacological defibrinogenation on microglial activation, vascular damage, and visual acuity in the diabetic murine retina. As a NeuralCODR trainee, her mentorship team consists of Nicholas Tran, PhD (Nervous System & Peripheral Organ Disorders) and Robert Krencik, PhD (Neural Development & Tools). Dr. Sarker's project aims to leverage the insights from a combination of murine in vitro and in vivo models, complemented by human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived organoid culture systems, to identify cell-type specific therapies that have the potential to counteract neurodegeneration within and beyond the retina.

 

Dr. Sarker is sponsored through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award number T32NS126115.

Kevin Ung, PhD, 2024 NeuralCODR Fellow
Kevin Ung, PhD was selected as a 2024 NIH-funded postdoctoral fellow in the NeuralCODR postdoctoral training program. Dr. Ung received his PhD in Developmental Biology from Baylor College of Medicine, with his previous research focusing on various roles of neuron-glia interactions in processing sensory information. His training is primarily in electrophysiology, genetic manipulation of model organisms, and real-time imaging of neuronal processes. As a NeuralCODR trainee, Dr Ung’s primary mentor is Jeffrey Yau, PhD (Neural Innervation & Organ Engineering), his secondary mentor is Caleb Kemere, PhD (Neural System & Peripheral Organ Disorders), and his clinical mentor is Dimitry Sayenko, MD, PhD. His current project aims to investigate the neurophysiological basis of bimanual touch and to investigate the role of intracortical microstimulation on network activity of bimanual sensory processing. Dr. Ung's research will provide a foundation for utilizing intracortical microstimulation as an intervention for restoring natural touch sensation.



Dr. Ung is is sponsored through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award number T32NS126115.
Sailee Sham Lavekar, PhD, 2024, NeuralCODR Fellow
Sailee Sham Lavekar, PhD, was selected as a 2024 Walter fellow in our NeuralCODR postdoctoral training program. Her project aims to define human astrocyte reactivity to amyloid plaques within bioengineered neural organoids. She received her PhD in Vision Neuroscience from Purdue University, Indiana. As a NeuralCODR trainee, her primary mentor is Robert Krencik, PhD (Neural Development and Tools) and her secondary mentor is Matthew Rasband, PhD (Neural Development and Tools). Her project will utilize organoids to elucidate the etiology of Alzheimer’s disease. Sailee Sham Lavekar, PhD's project will delve deeper to understand how astrocyte reactivity can be harnessed to identify biomarkers and develop therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer’s disease.



Sailee Sham Lavekar, PhD is sponsored through the generosity of Paula and Rusty Walter and Walter Oil & Gas Corp.
Matthew Shorey, PhD, 2023 NeuralCODR Fellow
Matthew Shorey, PhD was selected as a 2023 NIH-funded postdoctoral fellow in the NeuralCODR postdoctoral training program. His current project aims to investigate membrane voltage as a potential therapeutic target to modulate the replication rate and/or drug sensitivity of glioma stem cells. Dr. Shorey obtained his PhD at Penn State primarily looking at the interaction between axon regeneration pathways and microtubule cytoskeleton construction of DRG sensory neurons in adult zebrafish. His training is primarily in microscopy-based laser ablation, neuronal regeneration, genetic manipulation of model organisms, and real-time in vivo imaging of subcellular dynamics in neurons. As a NeuralCODR trainee, his mentorship team consists of Francois St-Pierre, PhD (Neural Development & Tools), Robert Rostomily, MD (Nervous System & Peripheral Organ Disorders), Carmen Dessauer, PhD, (Neural Development & Tools), and Robert Krencik, PhD (Neural Development & Tools). Dr. Shorey's project aims to leverage new targets to find a treatment for glioma which at present is uniformly lethal.



Dr. Shorey is sponsored through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award number T32NS126115.
Kyoungsoon Kim, PhD, 2023, NeuralCODR Fellow
Kyoungsoon Kim, PhD was selected as a 2023 NIH-funded postdoctoral fellow in our NeuralCODR postdoctoral training program. His current project aims to investigate the effect of myoelectrical signal guided training on upper extremity rehabilitation in chronic stroke. Dr. Kim received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, where his previous research focused on developing a non-pharmacological procedure for targeting spasticity in post-stroke gait rehabilitation using operant H-reflex conditioning and computationally analyzing the learning mechanism behind the operant H-reflex conditioning. As a NeuralCODR trainee, Dr. Kim’s primary mentor is Jinsook Roh, PhD (Neural Innervation & Organ Engineering), and his secondary mentor is Marcia O’Malley, PhD (Neural Innervation & Organ Engineering). The objective of Dr. Kim’s project is to determine the feasibility of normalizing abnormal intermuscular coordination patterns in the arm via an electromyographic signal-guided movement exercise by using an “assist-as-needed” robotic controller in chronic stroke and evaluate the outcome of plasticity induced by the training. Dr. Kim’s study aims to develop neuromuscular coordination-guided exercise that can be effective in upper extremity rehabilitation across diverse levels of severity post-stroke.



Dr. Kim is sponsored through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award number T32NS126115.
Sajedeh Nasr, PhD, 2022, NeuralCODR Fellow
Sajedeh Nasr Esfahani, PhD was selected as the inaugural NIH-funded postdoctoral fellow in our NeuralCODR postdoctoral training program for her project developing cell-based therapeutics to improve neuron reconnectivity after various nervous system injuries. Dr. Nasr received her PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. As a NeuralCODR trainee, her primary mentor is Robert C. Krencik, PhD (Neural Development and Tools), her secondary mentor is Mary C. "Cindy" Farach-Carson, PhD (Neural Innervation and Organ Engineering), and her clinical mentor is Amir Faraji MD, PhD. Her project addresses the lack of bioengineering strategies to promote neuroregeneration in the human central and peripheral nervous system. Astrocytes have high potential as a therapeutic cell type for transplantation as they make significant contributions to neural network development, maturation, synaptogenesis, and homeostasis. Dr. Nasr is developing methods to use alginate hydrogels to stably encapsulate human astrocytes and permit the secretion of proteins for the repair of either the injured central nervous system or the injured peripheral nervous system.



Dr. Nasr is sponsored through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award number T32NS126115.
Sirena Soriano, PhD, 2021, NeuralCODR Fellow
Sirena Soriano, PhD was selected as the inaugural NeuralCODR Career Development Fellow in 2024, after being a postdoctoral fellow in the NeuralCODR program from 2021-2023. Dr. Soriano obtained her PhD from the University of Valencia (Spain), with a project focused on characterizing a fly model of Friedreich’s ataxia. She continued her research career as a postdoctoral fellow at Baylor College of Medicine and then at Houston Methodist, where she developed her expertise in animal modeling of neurological disorders, rodent behavior and -omics. Currently, Dr. Soriano is an Instructor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Houston Methodist, where her research focuses on the development of novel rat models of Friedreich’s ataxia. As a NeuralCODR Career Development Fellow, her mentorship team consists of Philip J. Horner, PhD (Nervous System and Peripheral Organ Disorders), Sonia Villapol, PhD (Nervous System and Peripheral Organ Disorders) and Ismael Al-Ramahi, PhD. Dr. Soriano is establishing new models of Friedreich’s ataxia not only to enable a better understanding of the disease pathology, but also as a platform for developing therapeutic strategies.



Dr. Soriano is sponsored through the generosity of Paula and Rusty Walter and Walter Oil & Gas Corp.
Caroline Cvetkovic, PhD, 2020, NeuralCODR Fellow
As a NeuralCODR fellow, Caroline Cvetkovic sought to engineer biomimetic nano-scale vesicles applicable for central nervous system targeting and therapeutics by combining lipid-based nanoparticles with human stem cell-derived neural cells. Dr. Cvetkovic’s primary mentor was Robert C. Krencik, PhD (Neural Development and Tools). Her secondary mentor was Francesca Taraballi, PhD (Neural Innervation and Organ Engineering), and Sean Barber, MD served as her clinical advisor. During her tenure as a fellow, she was awarded the Excellence in Mentoring Award (2020 Houston Methodist OGSTA) as well as both the Juror’s Choice Winner and the People’s Choice Winner in the NeuroArt Image Contest (2020). Additionally, she published one first author and one co-authored journal article. Currently, she is a Teaching Professor of Bioengineering at the Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.



Dr. Cvetkovic was sponsored through the generosity of Paula and Rusty Walter and Walter Oil & Gas Corp.
Betsy Salazar, PhD, 2020, NeuralCODR Fellow
As a NeuralCODR fellow, Betsy Salazar explored the therapeutic effects of electrical stimulation on sensorimotor function after spinal cord injury. Betsy Salazar's primary mentor was Philip J. Horner, PhD (Nervous System and Peripheral Organ Disorders). Her secondary mentor was Rose Khavari, MD (Nervous System and Peripheral Organ Disorders) and Dimitry Sayenko, MD, PhD served as her clinical advisor. Dr. Salazar now has a faculty appointment as a Research Scientist in the Urology Department at Houston Methodist. Her work focuses on studying the bladder-brain connection and utilizing noninvasive neuromodulation techniques to treat neurogenic and nonneurogenic bladder in humans. Notably, she recently presented data collected during her tenure as a NeuralCODR fellow at Mission Connect where her poster was awarded 1st place.



Dr. Salazar was sponsored through the generosity of Paula and Rusty Walter and Walter Oil & Gas Corp.
Matthew Hogan, PhD, 2018, NeuralCODR Fellow
Matt Hogan was a member of the first NeuralCODR cohort. Dr. Hogan’s research centers on tools and applications to selectively modulate the activity of neural circuits in the injured and naïve spinal cord to enhance regeneration and facilitate integration of neural stem cells to improve function. His primary mentor was Philip J. Horner, PhD (Nervous System and Peripheral Organ Disorders), in whose laboratory he completed his first-year focal project. His secondary mentor was Robert C. Krencik, PhD (Neural Development and Tools), and Sean Barber, MD served as his clinical mentor. Dr. Hogan’s clinical experience focused on learning how to perform electrical implantations. Dr. Hogan submitted an NRSA and several foundation fellowship applications based on the clinically relevant design. His cross-disciplinary training as a NeuralCODR fellow has forged Dr. Hogan's project into an exciting intersection of the role of neural activity and neuronal plasticity after brain injury.

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