The Regents of the University of California (Irvine)
Maura Hofstadter, Ph.D.

The Spinal Cord Injury Research Techniques Course provides intensive hands-on training to those wishing to learn how to carry out spinal cord injury (SCI) research using animal models. Although an educational program, the focus is training individuals to participate in SCI research, and so the outcome of the course is an increase in the number and types of individuals engaging in SCI research. The primary goal of the course is to provide students with the techniques, knowledge and skills needed to explore pieces of the SCI research puzzle. However, equally important goals are to indoctrinate students to a multidisciplinary approach and provide a collaborative experience. An additional goal is to provide much needed educational opportunities for medical doctors wanting to pursue SCI research. A successful SCI researcher must (1) know the current literature and philosophies, (2) have a good understanding of the historical underpinnings of current progress, (3) have a strong methodological grounding, and (4) know both basic and cutting edge techniques. The SCI Research Techniques course provides intensive training in all of these areas. Top scientists present current topics sessions, which delve into hot areas of SCI research. In addition, history is explored over several sessions. Technical and methodological skills are learned through daily lab sessions. Students learn the entire range of techniques needed to perform an SCI experiment. As the students work with each other, the instructors and guest lecturers, they create a network to call on for collaboration and advice, a network that can greatly facilitate research. The SCI Research Techniques course is an important educational tool for furthering and expanding SCI research. Thus, the course provides a much-needed venue for training future SCI scientists to design and execute animal model studies that will generate treatments for SCI.