Epilepsy Training Grant

University Of Virginia, Charlottesville VA

Investigators

Abstract

Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder globally, yet there is no cure for epilepsy and only an incomplete understanding of the underlying mechanisms for seizures. Curing epilepsy requires the next generation of epilepsy researchers to carry out rigorous, reproducible research with an understanding of the basic, translational, and clinical aspects of the disorder. The goal of the Epilepsy Training Program (ETP) at the University of Virginia (UVA) is to train the future leaders of epilepsy research by assembling a diverse group of basic science and clinical faculty from fourteen departments to provide outstanding scientific and epilepsy research training. The ETP will achieve this goal by providing an epilepsy topics course, comprehensive training workshops, and supplemental training opportunities that will: (1) Provide training in the quantitative aspects of research, including rigorous statistical methodology, study design, and reproducibility; (2) Promote trainees’ understanding of the basic, translational and clinical aspects of epilepsy; (3) Deliver exceptional hands-on training in essential laboratory techniques for epilepsy research; (4) Educate trainees in formal and informal methods of effective communication for varied audiences, including the scientific community and public; (5) Inform trainees about diverse science-related career paths; and (6) Recruit, retain, and integrate diverse populations into the epilepsy research community. A PhD-level biostatistician will provide an expert perspective on statistical principles to evaluate biological data through active participation in the epilepsy topics course. ETP workshops and epilepsy seminars will be organized and primarily delivered by UVA faculty, but external researchers with relevant expertise will be invited to present in-person to ETP trainees and the UVA neuroscience community. A unique aspect of ETP is the training in clinical aspects of epilepsy, wherein trainees will learn how clinical practices in epilepsy lead to the diagnosis, treatment, and care of patients. Six 3rd-year predoctoral trainees will be selected for two-year ETP appointments with the second year of support contingent on first-year progress. Expected trainee outcomes include newly minted PhD scientific researchers with a thorough understanding of rigorous experimental design, statistical methodology, and computer programming and a strong background in epilepsy research, evident by publications, presentations, and external funding. These trainees will continue onto research-intensive or research-related careers across academia, industry, and government. The epilepsy topics course, ETP training workshops, seminars, and interest group meetings are open to the entire UVA neuroscience and epilepsy research community and advertised specifically to trainees. These activities will enrich the training of not only ETP-supported trainees but also additional neuroscience pre- and postdoctoral trainees. Currently, only one other epilepsy training program exists in the US. The UVA ETP will provide the next generation of epilepsy researchers with a strong theoretical, technical, and quantitative foundation, enabling them to perform rigorous, reproducible research that accelerates scientific understanding of—and cure development for—this devastating neurological disease.