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University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Logo University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
College of Medicine: Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences
  • UAMS Health
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  • About Us
    • Department News
    • Anatomical Gift Program
  • Faculty and Staff
    • Primary Faculty
      • Noor Akhter, Ph.D.
      • Gwen V. Childs, Ph.D.
      • David L. Davies, Ph.D.
      • Paul D. Drew, Ph.D.
      • Abdallah Hayar, Ph.D.
      • Angus M. MacNicol, Ph.D.
      • Melanie C. MacNicol, Ph.D.
      • Erica Malone, Ph.D.
      • Mark S. Mennemeier, Ph.D.
      • Angela Odle, Ph.D.
      • Kevin D. Phelan, Ph.D.
      • Laura C. Stanley, Ph.D.
      • Mohsin M. Syed, Ph.D.
    • Secondary and Adjunct Faculty
      • Steve W. Barger, Ph.D.
      • Puran S. Bora, Ph.D.
      • Yuzhi Chen, Ph.D.
      • Maxim Dobretsov, Ph.D.
      • John Dornhoffer, M.D.
      • W. Sue T. Griffin, Ph.D.
      • Linda Larson-Prior, Ph.D.
      • Sang-hun Lee, Ph.D.
      • Stacy A. Rudnicki, M.D.
    • Retired Faculty
      • Helen Beneš, Ph.D.
      • E. Robert Burns, Ph.D.
      • Jason Y. Chang, Ph.D.
      • M. Donald Cave, Ph.D.
      • Edgar Garcia-Rill, Ph.D.
      • Cynthia (Cindy) J.M. Kane, Ph.D.
      • Robert D. Skinner, Ph.D.
    • Support Staff
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    • Graduate Program
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      • Human Structure Module
        • Class Details
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        • Anatomy Tables
    • In Memoriam: Patrick W. Tank, Ph.D.
  • Seminars
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  • Outreach
    • Arkansas Big Data Science
      • Arkansas Big Data Science Teacher Workshops
        • Workshop 1: Incorporating Data Science in Middle School/Junior High Science Classrooms (In Person)
        • Workshop 2: Incorporating Data Science into Middle School/Junior High Science Classrooms (Virtual)
    • ArkanSONO
      • Anatomy & Histopathology I: Focus on Cancer Webinar Series
      • SONOcamp 2023
      • External Advisory Committee
      • ArkanSONO in the News
      • STEM Grants
      • Teacher Workshops
        • Incorporating Ultrasound and CT Imaging into Anatomy & Physiology Classrooms
    • Past Program: UAMS Partners in Health Science
  • Research Centers
    • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Emphasis
    • Center for Translational Neuroscience
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        • Animal Electrophysiology Core
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        • Human Electrophysiology Core
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          • Consciousness and Dreaming
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        • Brown Lab
        • Charlesworth Lab
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        • Fantegrossi Lab
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        • Hall Lab
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        • Kiser Lab
        • MacNicol Lab
        • Mancino Lab
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        • Sheffer Lab
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        • Yates Lab
    • J. Thomas May Center For ALS Research
  1. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
  2. College of Medicine
  3. Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences
  4. About Us

About Us

The department is structured around two divisions, which are designed to facilitate and support the growth and development of our major mission areas of research and teaching.

Division of Clinical Anatomy

This division is co-directed by David Davies, Ph.D., and Kevin Phelan, Ph.D. This division focuses on our teaching mission, mentoring faculty and providing infrastructural support for innovative teaching approaches in both medical and graduate school courses. It also provides for elective medical courses, and workshops for residents, faculty, and students outside the department. The Division houses the Anatomical Gift program, which is directed by Dr. Kevin Phelan. In all of our courses, we seek to explore innovative teaching and learning approaches, including Team Based Learning, Problem based learning exercises and cutting-edge learning aids in the Human Structure Course.

Division of Translational Neuroscience

This division provides infrastructure and expertise in systems neuroscience to support both primary and secondary faculty, especially those doing work with human subjects. This group is in Phase III of an NIH COBRE award, which has supported and developed the Center for Translational Neurosciences. This Center mentors young clinicians and basic scientists. Its members are exploring ways to eliminate neglect in stroke patients, co-morbidities associated with back pain, spinal cord injuries and rehabilitation, long-term effects of neonatal pain, motion disorders, fetal alcohol syndrome, sleep and psychiatric disorders, depression and cardiac disease, and pain mechanisms. The center has developed cutting edge core facilities that support proteomics assays, Comprehensive Lab Animal Monitoring, and molecular assays. Get more information about the Center for Translational Neuroscience.

Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Emphasis

We provide infrastructure and core support for faculty working at the cellular and/or molecular level. This was originally funded by a P30 Center grant, which was directed by Dr. Paul Drew. This grant developed cutting edge core facilities and the P30 Center members actually include NINDS faculty from multiple departments. They are doing research in the rapidly growing area of neuroimmunology, including neurotrauma, neuroinflammation, and glial cell biology. Departmental faculty who participate in the Division are recognized internationally for work on Alzheimer’s disease, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, fetal alcohol syndrome, neuroendocrine regulation of growth and reproduction, and immune responses to brain infection. There is much potential for future expansion in this division to meet future programmatic funding needs. Please see the division web page for more information.

Our faculty members are involved in research projects that focus on magnet areas in the developmental sciences, including neuroimmunological aspects of the fetal alcohol syndrome, pituitary cell differentiation, age-related changes in neuroendocrine function, neuroendocrine regulation of reproduction, and molecular regulation of protein synthesis in stem cells and cancer cells.

Our research-oriented Master of Science and doctorate graduate programs offer a flexible menu of courses and laboratory experiences. Our faculty helped develop the Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, and spearheaded the evolution of our current Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Graduate Track.

This continues to be an exciting time of continued growth and development for our department. The state of the art core facilities, the Centers, and the expanded expertise in developmental sciences provide wonderful opportunities for graduate and post-doctoral training. These opportunities are described in greater detail at this website.

Dr. Childs with a microscope

Gwen V. Childs, Ph.D.

Professor and Chair

Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences
College of Medicine
4301 W. Markham St.
Little Rock, AR 72205
501-686-7020
Fax 501-686-6382

Anatomical Gift Program

Human bodies are an indispensable aid in medical teaching and research. The Anatomical Gift Program allows one to donate their body, as a gift, to the Division of Clinical Anatomy in the Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Learn More About the Program

Department News

Get updates and news from the department.

Get News
UAMS College of Medicine LogoUAMS College of MedicineUniversity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Mailing Address: 4301 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72205
Phone: (501) 686-7000
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