Make A Difference - Neurosciences
| Neuroscience programs at the University of Virginia Health System are highly respected around the world. Our clinical neurology and neurosurgery departments are consistently ranked among the nation's best by U.S. News & World Report. Our psychiatric medicine department is a world leader in addiction sciences and neuro-behavioral science. Our neuroscience department's research programs receive excellent support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a key indicator of their strength. Your support of the neurosciences at the Unviersity of Virginia is an investment in one of the leading neurosciences centers in the U.S. for care, research, and the education of future neurospecialists. |  |
What gives UVa Neuroscience Programs such great strength? In large part, it's because our patients are cared for by physicians who are actively conducting breakthrough neurological research, working in close collaboration with researchers who are deeply committed to improving patient care through the discovery of new treatments. We are dedicated to delivering the best possible care today, while pioneering the innovative and lifesaving methods of the future.
We have a tremendous breadth of knowledge, with interdisciplinary research teams developing diverse approaches to treating stroke, epilepsy, addiction, and Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. Our investigators are working to improve outcomes for patients with Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases and other movement disorders, brain tumors, migraines and other crippling headaches. Our physician scientists are advacing new therapies for patients living with multiple sclerosis and other neuromuscular diseases, neurobehavioral disorders, depression, and deafness.
Our goal is to speed the knowledge gleaned in our laboratories - related to advanced diagnostics, new therapies, and the most effective surgical practices - to our patients. Toward that end, we will seek to strengthen our existing resources and continue to build new programs that show great promise for patients. To speed our advances, some specific needs of support folllow:
Professorship, Fellowship, & Resident Support
Gifted physicians and scientists are the most critical components of any major clinical or scientific enterprise. To continue to build on our existing strengths, UVa must retain and recruit talented leaders in neurology, child neurology, neuro-oncology, neuroscience, psychiatry and neurosurgery. Endowed professorships are among the most valuable tools in this endeavor. Research fellowship endowments are also urgently needed to support postgraduate students whose work helps speed the pace of discovery in neuroscience. These funds will also be used to support international fellows who come to UVa from around the world to learn lifesaving neurosurgical procedures. Finally, a resident education fund will be integral for preparing the next generation of neuroscience leaders to excel in patient care and the fast-paced world of neurological research.
Research & Program Endowments
Some programs require endowment funds for sustaining support. For example, research endowments help seed innovative, new approaches to neurological treatments and therapies, especially in the early stages before they become eligible for NIH funding. When research reaches an advanced stage, it becomes virtually self-sustaining through government and industry grants, and endowment funding can then seed other novel investigations. Program endowments offer the funding and flexibility needed to maintain vital neuroscience initiatives.
Research Seed Funds
Research in the neurosciences changes and evolves at a rapid pace. As leaders in the field, UVa researchers pursue many new and promising research directions. Keeping pace with their needs, especially for start-up expenses associated with the most innovative projects and new investigations, requires philanthropic support.
Equipment and Program Support
New laboratory facilities, staff, and equipment needs require substantial funding. Many of the needs for equipment and facilities are interdisciplinary and mulitfunctional. As an example, functional imaging, which supports patient care and research in the neurosciences, would be dramatically enhanced by the addition of a cyclotron in the Department of Radiology.
Neurogenetics Laboratory
UVa neurogenetics researchers are making significant progress in understanding how defects in the genes of mitochondria (the energy storehouses of the cell) may play a critical role in the development of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS, schizophrenia, and autism. A state-of-the-art neurogenetics laboratory will aid in collaborative research and accelerate progress.
Neurosciences Program Links:
Neurological Surgery Department
Department of Neurology
Department of Neuroscience
Psychiatric Medicine Department
For more information or to support initiatives in the Neurosciences at UVa, contact Cindy Reynolds at (800) 297-0102 or (434) 924-8432.