Research

UT Southwestern Neurosurgery residents engage in a variety of scholarly activities which are supported by the Department of Neurological Surgery, the O’Donnell Brain Institute (OBI), and competitive external funding sources such as the Neurosurgery Research and Education Fund (NREF).

Residents are provided an annual professional development fund, which can be used to support books, academic resources, and conference attendance. In addition, residents who are first-author presenters of podium presentations have travel and expenses paid for by the Department. Each year, Neurosurgery Residents present their scholarly work at Neurosurgery Research Day in the Spring, which includes a keynote address by a distinguished visiting professor and resident scientific presentations and discussions.

Research Opportunities

The Department currently benefits from four labs with external and internal competitive funding. These include the Neurosurgical Brain Mapping and Restoration Lab, the Texas Computational Memory Lab, the Hitti Lab, and the Chivukula lab. The Pouratian lab focuses on using intracranial physiology as well as advanced brain mapping techniques to study motor, mood, and pain circuitry to identify biomarkers to guide selection, targeting, and optimization of neurotechnologies. The Hitti lab is specifically focused on investigating treatment resistant depression (TRD). We are using a mouse model of resistance to antidepressant therapy to explore the circuits and cell types mediating this resistance. Our ultimate goal is to develop novel neuromodulatory approaches for TRD. The Cognitive Neurophysiology and Functional Restoration Lab, led by Dr. Srinivas Chivukula, focuses on studying how the human brain enables endless variety in our movements and speech, and on capturing this versatility in functional restorative strategies such as brain-machine interfaces (BMIs).

In neurosurgical oncology, faculty members collaborate with scientists to study CNS drug delivery, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), AI/radiomics, and glioma biology. These collaborations have resulted in a robust portfolio of clinical trials, including investigator-initiated phase 1 studies. Additionally, we have a large clinical database, which allows residents the opportunity to critically evaluate outcomes for brain tumor patients. Our department enjoys a collaboration with several lab across basic and translational sciences, including the NIH-funded McBrayer lab, which aims to identify metabolic mechanisms that drive cancer as well as ways to inhibit them.

The pediatrics division has a broad range of clinical projects based on one of the largest and longest standing pediatric neurosurgery practices in the country.

The Neurovascular Division enrolls patients for multi—site clinical trials, building on a tradition of excellence established by Drs. Samson and Batjer. The long history of leadership in complex neurovascular disorders at UTSW has generated an unparalleled database for clinical projects.

The Spine Center includes dedicated research staff that support data collection for clinical projects developed by residents and students, and treating in cutting edge technology such as robotic surgery and 3D printing, and has led to more than 30 publications yearly in leading neurosurgical journals.

The research community at UT Southwestern more widely offers exceptional opportunities for new collaborative efforts.

Research Track

In collaboration with Department of Neurology, the Department of Neurological Surgery is also actively seeking to renew a R25 grant from NINDS. The research track is designed to prepare neurosurgery residents to become neurosurgeon-scientists. The research track is led by Brad Lega, MD and Nader Pouratian, MD PhD.

The research track includes dedicated guidance to identify research and career mentors during PGY1 and PGY2 years, mentored preparation of a research proposal in PGY2 and PGY3, and dedicated research time during the Discovery Year, PGY4. Furthermore, dedicated time to continuing research during the PGY-7 can be allocated. In addition to working with faculty mentors, residents with a goal of becoming neurosurgeon-scientists have the opportunity to participate in a monthly research forum in which residents and faculty have interactive discussions about research projects and research methodology.

The program also provides mentorship, workshops on manuscript and grant-writing, training in scientific communication, and training in research methodology. Research-track residents are expected to produce and submit an initial K grant application within two years of completing residency.