PROJECT SUMMARY Neurodegeneration Training Program (NTP) is an inter-departmental training program in the School of Medicine (SOM) at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) aiming to provide trainees with the fundamental skills necessary for outstanding careers in neurodegeneration research, together with an appreciation of the challenges and complexity of diagnosing and treating neurodegenerative diseases in the clinical setting. The NTP emphasizes rigorous PHD training in fundamental aspects of neurodegeneration and mechanisms of diseases involving neurodegeneration and clinical perspectives through classroom teaching, neurodegeneration-related laboratory research and mentored neurodegenerative clinical experiences combined with educational forums that address quantitative approaches and important topics in clinical and translational neurodegeneration research. The NTP has been designed for students in year 3 and beyond to provide differentiated rigorous pre-doctoral scientific training in the field of neurodegeneration along with extensive clinical exposure. NTP will draw pre-doctoral trainees from four component PHD training program (Neuroscience, Pathology, Genetics and Physiology & Biophysics) as the departments of Neuroscience, Pathology, Genetics and Physiology & Biophysics house the majority of faculty involved in neurodegeneration research and individual training program in each of these departments provide rigorous basic training in its discipline which form the solid basis and better prepare the trainees for more specialized training in neurodegeneration as afforded by this NTP. A competitive pool of trainees will combine with 27 outstanding faculty in state-of –the-art facilities to investigate a wide range of neurodegeneration-related topics. The NTP promotes collaboration between departments and schools at Case Western Reserve University, particularly the School of Medicine, and with its affiliated institutions in the Cleveland area: University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center (UHCMC), and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF, including the Lerner Research Institute). All of these institutions are within walking distance of each other and this rich training environment enjoys very active basic science and clinical activities. The updated curriculum provides a solid foundation for neurodegeneration research with an emphasis on experimental design, statistical methodologies and quantitative approaches. The well-received mentored neurodegenerative clinical experience has been expanded to include seven renowned clinicians enabling direct interaction with patients and caregivers in several different clinical centers close to CWRU campus providing motivation to the trainees to produce advances in disease diagnosis and therapies. The career development and professional enrichment module ensures better preparedness of our trainees to achieve their desired career goals. Together, NTP training will provide trainees a solid foundation for a...