Illinois

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science
Department of Neuroscience

Contact:

Lise Eliot, Ph.D.
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science
Department of Neuroscience
3333 Green Bay Road
North Chicago, IL 60064

Telephone: (847) 578-3416
FAX: (847) 578-8515

E-Mail: lise.eliot@rosalindfranklin.edu
WWW: http://66.99.255.20/cms/neuro/mainpages/edprograms.cfm

Other Degrees Offered in the Program: M.D./Ph.D., M.S.

Program Established: 1992

Number of Faculty: 28
Number of Students: 14

U.S. Citizens: 71%
Female: 79%

Number of Graduates in the Last Five Years: 9
Faculty Supervising Graduate Student Theses: 7
Average Number of Years to Complete the Program: 5

Program Description: The Interdepartmental Neuroscience Graduate Program at Rosalind Franklin University is a small, high-quality, program whose graduates have gone on to prestigious post-doctoral fellowships or residencies at universities including Yale, Stanford, Duke, Northwestern, and the University of Chicago.

Graduate training in neuroscience is coordinated by the Dept. of Neuroscience, but includes participating faculty from five departments of The Chicago Medical School: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Anatomy, Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Neuroscience, and Physiology and Biophysics.

The objective of the program is to prepare Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. students for careers in research and teaching. The course of study is guided by the integration of molecular, cellular, systems, and clinical perspectives and offers students training opportunities in the following areas: drug addiction and drug-induced neuroplasticity; basal ganglia; neurodegeneration; Alzheimer’s and Parkinson's diseases; stem cell and gene therapy strategies for neuronal repair; neurobiology of learning and behavior; growth factors and their receptors; regulation of neuronal gene expression; ion channels and ion transport; membrane biophysics; cell volume regulation; molecular biology of neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, and their receptors; neuroendocrinology; neuropharmacology; and neuroproteomics.

Research Facilities include a brand-new research building (completed in July 2005) and equipment including: a confocal microscopy facility equipped for fixed specimen and live cell imaging and computer-assisted stereology; laser microdissection facility with quantitative “real-time” RT-PCR system; electron microscopy facility; two-photon microscopy; X-ray crystallography facility for determination of the complete three-dimensional structure of proteins, RNA, and DNA; Midwest Proteome Center-MALDI and electrospray MS/MS mass spectrometry; protein separation and bioinformatics facilities; molecular biology facilities with thermal cyclers, DNA oligonucleotide synthesizer, and a phosphorimager; equipment for in vivo and in vitro electrophysiological recordings; equipment for in vivo microdialysis and electrochemistry; HPLC equipment; fluorescence microscopes; cell and tissue culture facilities; computer modeling and graphics lab; and facilities for animal housing, surgery, behavioral testing, and monitoring of hormone secretions.

Opportunities for formal and informal training arise through lab rotations, journal clubs, seminars, and an annual Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program Retreat.

The University is located close to Lake Michigan in the suburban North Shore region of Chicago. Although the immediate locale is suburban, there is ready access to the cultural and scientific resources of Chicago and the recreational opportunities in northern Illinois and nearby Wisconsin.

Admission Requirements:

3.0 undergraduate GPA in science or psychology courses
3.0 overall GPA
GRE: 470 Verbal; 600 Quantitative; 4.0 Analytical Writing
Applicants from non-English speaking countries must also take the TOEFL exam.
3 letters of recommendation
Statement of purpose
Applications received before February 1 will receive first priority. Later applications will be considered on a space-available basis.

How or Where to Apply: For an application, you may contact Dr. Eliot or the Admissions Office:

Office of Graduate Admissions
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
3333 Green Bay Rd.
North Chicago, Illinois 60064
Telephone (847) 578-3209

Annual Tuition and Fees costs: Tuition is $20,496 in 2005-06. Most students are eligible for a full tuition waiver.

Approximate Cost of Living Per Year: $19,000

Housing Availability and Costs Per Year: Housing is available both on and off campus. Current average housing costs range from $625 to $825 per month, depending on the choice of accommodations.

Day-care Facilities Availability and Costs per month: Child care is available within walking distance at the NAEYC-accredited Paul K. Kennedy Child Care Center, affiliated with the Hines VA Hospital. For information, contact the Program's Director, Charlene Ackerman at (847) 578-3896.

Stipend/Assistanships and Financial Assistance: Support for graduate students comes from University fellowships as well as research grants. Stipends are currently $21,000.

How, if Necessary, to Apply: No additional application is required.

Last revised July 2005
http://www.andp.org/programs/graduate/unitedstates/illinois/frfranklin.htm

13G