Welcome to the Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. I am honored to lead an outstanding team of scientists, educators, students, and staff. As a department we are committed to biomedical research, professional healthcare education, undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral training, as well as community-based service. Our goal is to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcomed respected, supported and valued. As a department we strive to implement diverse, equitable, and inclusive practices for our research, educational, and community engagement missions.  Our mantra is to be intentional in these efforts.

We have several world-class investigators with state-of-the art laboratories funded through federal and private sources that are engaged in basic and translational research. The department houses the largest number of neuroscientists in the university and maintains active research groups in the following areas: sensory systems, development, nerve injury and repair, and the anatomical sciences. We are a highly collaborative group that has strong ties with both basic and clinical departments. Many of us are resident members of the KY Spinal Cord Injury Research Center and KY Lions Eye Center for Visual Sciences.

The department offers a fully supported PhD program with a focus in Neuroscience as well as an MS degree in the Anatomical Sciences. Our faculty provide classroom and laboratory instruction for the Schools of Medicine and Dentistry. Our focus is on pre-clinical training and instruction in the basic science disciplines of gross anatomy, embryology, microanatomy, and neuroscience. We offer outstanding training, research, and education opportunities for PhD, MD/PhD and MS students in the biomedical sciences. We also co-sponsor an undergraduate major in neuroscience with the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences.

Our department runs the Willed Body Bequeathal Program at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. It is through these generous gifts of our anatomical donors that health professional trainees can receive highly advanced anatomical training. Our Robert Acland Fresh Tissue Lab offers advanced dissection seminars for students, residents, as well as practicing healthcare professionals from a broad range of medical, dental, and allied health fields study.

A renewed commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion

In response to national calls to address racial, gender, and social injustices we have implemented a variety of initiatives and practices that are aimed at increasing our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion both within our program and across UofL. We pledge to do the following:

• Build a culture of acceptance and inclusion for all.
• Promote, encourage, and participate in university venues that provide diversity, equity, and inclusion training and education.
• Provide a curriculum that underscores race/gender related disparities in health and biomedical research.
• Whenever possible recruit trainees, staff, and faculty that are underrepresented in our department.
• Create a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee to develop departmental initiatives and address concerns.
• Initiate a “DEI” book club with a monthly virtual meeting to discuss topical books and readings.
• Establish a diverse, equitable and inclusive seminar series.
• Modify website and graduate program brochure to reflect a diverse and inclusive environment.
• Actively explore NIH training and career development opportunities that address the needs of underrepresented groups
• Establish a School of Medicine Diversity Endowment Fund to provide financial support for scholarships, resident stipends, faculty recruitment and retention packages. (https://www.uoflnews.com/post/uofltoday/school-of-medicine-establishes-endowed-fund-to-combat-racial-inequality/