The University of Toledo’s new undergraduate neuroscience program is successfully preparing students for careers in medicine, as evidenced by the perfect success rate of the program’s first students eligible for early admission to the UToledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences.
Among the newest undergraduate degree programs at UToledo, neuroscience is a unique collaboration between the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and the College of Medicine and Life Sciences.
Dr. James Burkett, an assistant professor of neuroscience, reviews structures within the human brain with undergraduate neuroscience students.
Students spend the first two years of the program building foundational scientific knowledge in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and the final two years of the program in the medical school digging into more advanced subjects like neuropharmacology and medical neuroanatomy. Both campuses offer students hands-on opportunities to complete research alongside established neuroscientists using the latest techniques and equipment.
The undergraduate neuroscience program positions graduates for careers in an array of fields, including biomedical research, medical device development and biotechnology, and provides a strong foundation for continued education in graduate or medical school.
The five neuroscience students recently accepted to the College of Medicine and Life Sciences applied through the early medical school pathway BACC2MD.
“The success of our students really highlights how we have created a powerful synergism with this program,” said Dr. Bruce Bamber, an associate professor of biology who co-founded the program with Dr. David Giovannucci and now co-directs it with Dr. Arun Anantharam. “Our depth of experience in undergraduate education on the Main Campus sets these students up for success on the medical campus, and their experiences and the connections they make over there really give them a leg up in the medical school application and interview process.”
UToledo established the undergraduate neuroscience program in 2023, in response to surging interest in the field of brain research. It complements a long-standing doctoral program in neurosciences and neurological disorders.
