Franke Global Neuroscience Education Center
Programs that Save Lives
- ALS and Neuromuscular Disease
- Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders
- Aneurysm and AVM
- Thurston Innovation Center
- Ivy Brain Tumor Center
- Concussion and Brain Injury
- Franke Global Neuroscience Education Center
- Migraine and Headache
- Neuro-Rehabilitation and Neuro-Robotics
- Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders
- Pituitary
- Petznick Stroke Center
- Sonntag Spine Center
Established in 2021, the Franke Global Neuroscience Education Center helps strengthen neuroscience education at Barrow Neurological Institute through international and national education outreach programs.
This global initiative was inspired by the legacy of Dr. Robert Spetzler, MD, and thanks to the generosity of the Franke family, Barrow has formed six global outreach and education programs. These programs are compromised into two main sectors: Barrow International Programs and Barrow Undergraduate Research Programs.
International Programs endowment
Allows Barrow to formalize its international education program to recruit doctors from developing countries to train with our renowned neurosurgeons and neuroclinicians. These doctors will then take what they learned back to their home countries to treat patients from significantly underserved populations.
Barrow International Programs will be led by F. David Barranco, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Barrow Neurological Institute, and Dilantha Ellegala, MD. “The Franke’s gift to establish Barrow International Programs allows us to extend the unsurpassed care found at Barrow to patients across the globe, while educating the best and brightest,” said Dr. Barranco.
Key elements of Barrow International Programs include:
- International clinical observers
- International Spine Research Fellowship
- International Neurosurgery Research Fellowship
- International Endovascular Clinical Fellowship
- International outreach mission experiences
Undergraduate Research endowment
Allows Barrow to introduce brilliant young minds to career opportunities in neuroscience and provide them access to world-renowned physicians, scientists, and surgeons, regardless of their socioeconomic background or geographic provenance. The program will focus on underrepresented groups in health-related science, in addition to serving individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, including, but not exclusive to, individuals in the foster care system and first-generation college students.
Barrow Undergraduate Research Programs will be led by Rita Sattler, MSc, PhD, Professor of Translational Neuroscience. “The support from the Franke’s will connect us with more underserved students in the community and worldwide, allowing us to provide them with a unique and rewarding educational experience that they would not have otherwise had,” said Dr. Sattler.
Key elements of Barrow Undergraduate Research Programs include:
- Student scholarships, to eliminate roadblocks to participation
- Principle investigator stipends, to provide accommodations for students in labs
- Fund for education, to provide career development and leadership training
In 2022, Barrow Celebrated 44 Students in Summer Intern Programs
The Undergraduate Summer Program and High School Volunteer Program provide valuable exposure, hands-on work, and direct access to the world’s leading neurosurgeons, neurologists, and neuroscientists.
The 44 students worked throughout the Neuroscience Research Laboratories, Barrow Neuroimaging Innovation Center, Ivy Brain Tumor Center, Spinal Biomechanics Laboratory, Neuro-Rehabilitation Center, Neuroscience Publications, Thurston Innovation Center, Marketing Department, and Barrow Neurological Foundation.
Over the span of 10 to 12 weeks, students worked in their respective departments, attended weekly seminars, learned about career options, and presented their research at Barrow symposiums. Even after the programs end, our students say that the long-lasting mentorships, collaborations, and friendships they have formed with their Barrow mentors and peers will be invaluable to their future.