Neurology Physician-Scientist Training Program
The UTSW Department of Neurology Physician Scientist Training Program offers comprehensive training for aspiring physician-scientists pursuing careers in neurology. The program features longitudinal mentorship, cross-campus engagement with physician-scientist peers, dedicated funding, and structured career development opportunities. Trainees also gain extensive experience presenting their research within the Department of Neurology and at campus-wide seminars—preparing them for success in securing their first independent faculty position.
The UTSW Neurology PSTP provides a robust pipeline to prepare eligible neurology residents for a career in research while simultaneously gaining superior clinical training. Successful applicants to our program will automatically be offered a position in the UTSW Neurology fellowship program of their choice.
Highlights
26+
Faculty Mentors
1 in 4
Faculty with NIH Funding
Program Structure
Protected Time
Residents customize their schedules by integrating protected research time around their core clinical training requirements. Trainees get up to seventy research weeks over the course of four years — up to 14 weeks during PGY1, 11 weeks during PGY2, 15 weeks during PGY3, and 30 weeks during PGY4.
Longitudinal Mentorship
Residents meet in person with the Director of Physician-Scientist Development, Dr. Evan Noch, four times a year to discuss research and career goals. During these 30-minute meetings, Dr. Noch will also provide guidance on submitting and presenting abstracts at the appropriate time. Additional resources include grant-writing assistance, workshops, two group outings with all resident-researchers, an institutional membership to the American Junior Investigator Association, and the K award writing program (SEAK).
Travel Funds
Yearly education funds from the Neurology Department include $1,000 per year to present at national meetings. The OBI Travel Grant program offers up to $2,500 to support travel and presentation of original work at a conference.
Annual Resident Research Day
This special event brings together faculty, mentors, and trainees for a full day of scholarly exchange through speaker sessions and poster presentations. Graduating residents and fellows showcase the culmination of their research, receiving faculty feedback on originality, study design, significance, and independence of work. Presentations emphasize critical unmet needs, methodology, data analysis, and thoughtful discussion of results, limitations, and future directions. A highlight of the event is the Fred Baskin Young Investigator Award, a prestigious national honor recognizing early-career researchers dedicated to advancing clinical science.
Faculty Mentors & Labs
Our faculty mentors have current federal research funding, expertise in either wet-bench, clinical, or translational research, and a history of successfully guiding trainees to meet their career goals. Mentors cover a breadth of areas, providing the opportunity to conduct cross-collaborative, niche research.
Current PSTP Residents
Several of our current resident researchers have been funded through various mechanisms. Residency program alumni have also gone on to receive further federal funding post-graduation.
Discover UT Southwestern
- A National Leader in Academic Medicine
UT Southwestern is an internationally recognized academic medical center, known for excellence in education, research, and clinical care. With four degree-granting schools—the Medical School, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, School of Health Professions, and the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health—we train nearly 4,000 students, residents, and fellows each year. With over 25,000 employees and an annual operating budget of $5.5 billion, UT Southwestern is one of the largest and most impactful academic medical centers in the country. Our faculty and trainees deliver outstanding care at UT Southwestern’s Clements Jr. University Hospital and outpatient clinics, as well as its key partner institutions, including Parkland Health, the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Dallas VA Medical Center. Each year, we provide more than 5 million outpatient visits, care for over 120,000 hospitalized patients, and handle 360,000 emergency room visits.
- In Pursuit of the Next Breakthrough
Research is the cornerstone of our mission. Each year, we support nearly 6,000 active research projects, with over $767 million in funding from the NIH, foundations, state programs, industry partners, and philanthropic donors. Recognized globally, UT Southwestern ranks #4 in the world among healthcare institutions in the Nature Index for publishing high-impact research that shapes the future of medicine. Our distinguished faculty includes 6 Nobel Laureates, 26 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 21 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 13 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators.
The O’Donnell Brain Institute is supported by a $1 billion campaign that fuels its commitment to advance brain research and clinical care. Our 2,100-plus faculty and staff tackle the most complex problems in the brain. The Institute supports multidisciplinary approaches through a variety of grant and scholar programs that provide funding, mentoring, education, and tools for researchers at all levels. We are committed to building partnerships among basic and clinical scientists to achieve our mission of providing the best patient care possible today while creating a future of better treatment and prevention through discovery and innovation.
- Collaborations and Affiliated Joint Programs
You have the opportunity to join any research program at UT Southwestern or affiliated joint programs with UT Dallas
- O'Donnell Brain Institute Departments
- Basic Science Departments
- O'Donnell School of Public Health
- Clinical Informatics
- Advanced Imaging Research Center (AIRC)
- Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases (CAND)
- Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center (SCCC)
- Texas Institute for Brain Injury and Repair (TIBIR)
- Bioengineering
- Behavioral & Brain Sciences
Find the Right Research Funding for You |
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| NINDS UE5 | TARDIS | OBI Sprouts | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Description & Purpose | Funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the UTSWANS-UE5 aims to enhance the transition of clinician-scientists in residency to successful career development (K) awards and subsequent independent academic research careers. | Funded by the Wellcome Burroughs Funds, the Training Resident Doctors as Innovators in Science (TARDIS) program aims to increase the number of single-degree physicians who pursue careers in basic or translational research. | Funded by O’Donnell Brain Institute, the OBI Sprouts grant supports laboratory or clinical scientists in training and facilitates collection of pilot data exploring new directions that are not easily covered by other funding sources. |
| Eligibility | Focused on Neurology residents with prior research experience (MD/PhD), but available to all neurology residents | Focused on MDs without prior formal research training | Trainee must be working under the supervision of an OBI Investigator |
| Dedicated Research Time |
6 months Additional 12 months |
2 years Between PGY2&3 OR Between PGY3&4 |
Variable Time Research during residency research electives |
Questions?
neurologyresidency@utsouthwestern.edu to learn more about the research track.