UE5 NINDS Research Education Program
Neurology residents can begin research training in their final year of residency through our NINDS-funded UE5 research education program. Eligible residents apply in the fall, one year before their anticipated start in the program. Selected trainees begin with six months of protected research time during residency and may receive up to two additional years of support during fellowship. Throughout the program, faculty mentors help trainees develop a research project and prepare an application for an individual career development or research award.
Faculty Contacts:
Current Grant Recipients
Fred Shen, MD, PhD
Fred Shen is a current Northwestern Fellow who was awarded an NIH Research Education UE5 grant for his project entitled Investigating cell type specific ATXN1 somatic repeat instability and pathological mechanisms. He will be working with mentors Dr. Puneet Opal and Dr. David Gate. He completed neurology residency in 2026 and is pursuing a fellowship in Movement Disorders.Former Grant Recipients
Scott Adney, MD, PhD
Scott Adney is a former Northwestern McGaw senior resident who has been awarded an NIH Research Education R25 grant for his project entitled Function and Pharmacology of SCN2A Mutations Associated with Epileptic Encephalopathies. His research mentor is Alfred George, MD. Scott is pursuing fellowship training in the Northwestern McGaw Epilepsy Fellowship. His research focuses on elucidating biophysical properties of pathogenic mutations in voltage-gated sodium channels affected in monogenic epilepsy. He is investigating the function of neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to determine how alterations in channel function lead to epileptogenic neuronal properties.Neil Nadkarni, MD
Neil Nadkarni is a former McGaw resident and neurocritical care fellow who was awarded an NIH Research Education R25 grant for his project entitled Protection from the Clinical and Pathologic Consequences of Stroke by Targeting Leukocyte Transendothelial Migration. His mentor was William A Muller, MD, PhD. Jonathan Brent, MD, PhD
Dr. Brent earned his MD and PhD from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 2013. He completed his neurology residency at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in 2017. Dr. Brent received the prestigious NIH-R25 training award and has been investigating the molecular mechanisms of ALS in the laboratory of Dr. Vladimir Gelfand. He completed a McGaw fellowship in Neuromuscular Medicine with the long-term goal of pursuing a career as a physician scientist.Rafal Sobota, MD, PhD
Rafal Sobota is a former Academic Chief Resident who was been awarded an NIH Research Education R25 grant for his project entitled Host Genetic Predisposition to Cerebral Malaria. He was supported by an interdisciplinary mentorship team from multiple institutions, including Dr. John Kessler in Neurology, Dr. Babafemi Taiwo in Infectious Disease, and Dr. Scott Williams in Human and Population Genetics. Utilizing genomics and transcriptomics, he used both hypothesis-driven and agnostic approaches to help elucidate the molecular mechanisms that underly the development of debilitating, severe cerebral symptoms of Plasmodium falciparum infection. This project allowed him to expand his interests in genetics, global health and neurocritical care.Sarah Brooker, MD, PhD
Sarah Brooker is a former Northwestern neurology resident who was awarded an NIH Research Education R25 grant for her project entitled Role of LRRK2 mutation in mediating pro-inflammatory mechanisms of neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease. She is working in Dr. Dimitri Krainc’s lab utilizing induced pluripotent stem cells to elucidate neuroinflammatory mechanisms of Parkinson’s disease pathogenesis. She completed her neurology residency in 2022 and will pursue a fellowship in Movement Disorders following her R25 research year.Sheng Tang, MD, PhD
Sheng Tang is a former Northwestern neurology resident who was awarded an NIH Research Education R25 grant for his project entitled Investigating the pathogenic mechanisms of novel non-coding variants in SCN1A. He worked with mentors Dr. Gemma Carvill and Dr. Elizabeth Gerard. He completed neurology residency in 2024 and pursued a fellowship in Epilepsy following his research year.