The goal of this mentored career development award is to facilitate the candidate’s transition to independence as a physician-scientist studying the molecular and neuronal mechanisms of stroke recovery. The candidate is an MD/PhD neurologist with a background in synaptic physiology and cortical network research. The award will help the candidate gain research experience in the mechanisms of network recovery after ischemic stroke and will facilitate his transition to an investigator with an independent laboratory. The award will also help position the candidate to achieve his long term goal of becoming a successful and productive physician-scientist, a leader in academic neurology, and a mediator of translational research which improves the lives of patients suffering from acute brain injury. The environment in which the proposed research will be conducted is outstanding. The candidate’s co-mentor, Dr. Jin-Moo Lee, is an internationally recognized scientist and neurologist with a proven track record of excellence in training junior faculty. The candidate’s career development plan also includes structured mentorship from multiple physician-scientists at all stages of seniority and exposure to a rich and supportive faculty, ensuring the candidate has role models along the full spectrum of the career trajectory. Didactic learning, presentation at scientific meetings, and rigorous training in the responsible conduct of research will ensure balanced development. The proposed research will examine the role of axonal sprouting in restoration of both local cortical circuits and secondary reconnection to global brain networks. Recovery after focal cortical stroke is associated with remapping of the function of the infarcted region to adjacent, non-infarcted cortex. Recovery is also associated with restoration of disrupted functionally connected networks. While both phenomena (local circuit remapping and restoration of functional connectivity) are strongly associated with stro