Announcements

Dr. Mary Bartlett Bunge will be awarded an honorary doctoral degree from Simmons College in Boston.

Mary Bartlett Bunge, Ph.D., Christine E. Lynn Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience and professor of cell biology and anatomy and neurological surgery, will be awarded an honorary doctoral degree at the May graduation ceremony for Simmons College in Boston. Dr. Bunge works on spinal cord repair in the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.

John L. Bixby, Ph.D., Appointed Associate Dean for Graduate Studies

Dr. Bixby, Professor of Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology and Neurological Surgery, and a member of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, has been an extremely active part of the Neuroscience Graduate Program, having previously served as Director of the program for eight years. Prior to that, Dr. Bixby was director of the Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology Graduate Program for three years. Over the past decade Dr. Bixby has played a key role in increasing extramural funding for our research training programs through his efforts on numerous successful NIH training grants.

Dr. Bixby's work as a neuroscientist is recognized throughout the world as
providing key molecular information about nerve growth and synapse formation. These processes are critical both during development and in response to nerve injury. His laboratory has an outstanding record of training graduate students, M.D./Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows in neuroscience.

As Associate Dean, Dr. Bixby is responsible for overall oversight of the Master¹s and Ph.D. programs based at the medical school, as well as the M.D./Ph.D. Program and the Postdoctoral Programs Office. As our School grows its research community, these research training programs will play an increasingly important role.

Dr. Damian Pearse receives Outstanding Young Scientist Award.

Damien Pearse, Ph.D., assistant professor at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, received the Erica Nader Research Award as Outstanding Young Scientist at the 31st Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA), held in Dallas, Texas. Pearse also received the award for the best published work by an ASIA member in the past year for his manuscript published with Miami Project colleague Mary Bartlett Bunge, Ph.D., the Christine E. Lynn Distinguished Professor in Neuroscience, in Nature Medicine on functional recovery after spinal cord injury. Mark Nash, Ph.D., associate professor at The Miami Project, received the ASIA award for outstanding paper presented at the conference.

Two NIH-funded predoctoral (summer) positions available to study the neurobiology and treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI)

Two NIH-funded predoctoral (summer) positions are now available to study the neurobiology and treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI). These positions are funded by a Facilities of Research Excellence in Spinal Cord Injury [FORE-SCI] Contract from the National Institutes of Health. This is an excellent opportunity to join a team of basic and clinical scientists investigating spinal cord injury at a productive research center. Salaries and benefits are commensurate with experience and NIH guidelines. Those interested should send their Curriculum Vitae and a brief summary of their background, achievements, and general research interests to: W. Dalton Dietrich, PhD, Scientific Director, or Mary Bartlett Bunge, PhD, FORE-SCI Program, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami School of Medicine, P.O. Box 016960 (R-48), Miami, FL 33101, or by e-mail to FORE-SCI@miami.edu or by fax to 305-243-3913.
The University of Miami School of Medicine is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Women, minorities, veterans, and disabled persons are encouraged to apply.