The School of Engineering Medicine (ENMED) organized the Annual ENMED Symposium and Student Showcase on Wednesday, Aug. 10, at the ENMED Tower Auditorium, 1020 Holcombe in Houston. The event honored and acknowledged the innovative research initiatives of the ENMED students, including the Capstone Innovator Awarded Recipients. The one-day conference featured projects and concepts developed by the ENMED students, awards and presentations. Symposium speakers included Ericka Greene, MD, Houston Methodist, Roderic Pettigrew, MD, PhD, Texas A&M University, former NASA Astronaut Scott Parazynski, MD, and benefactors Sue Smith and Craig Brown.

The program is born from the idea that medicine's organization of departments by organ systems creates silos that impede collaboration and training. Hence, "understanding of how the central nervous system communicates with end organs through the body is in its infancy," according to the project abstract on NIH Reporter. The classic example of a neurological condition caused by dysfunction in another organ is hepatic encephalopathy, where advanced liver disease can lead to cognitive impairment, such as confusion and difficulty processing thoughts. It occurs when the liver struggles to filter toxins from the blood, which subsequently build up and travel to the brain. But Horner noted that many connections between the brain and other organs are still theoretical. Researchers have yet to map the anatomical connections or even find the chemical signals between the brain and different organ systems. "The thing to remember is that brain and body communication is a two-street that regulates vitality and decline," said Horner. "But those communication patterns between mind and body that make us sick or well are still mysterious. We need to unravel those mysteries." The bottom line, said Horner, is that curing many brain disorders will require a better understanding of organs downstream of the brain. The NIH T32 grant awarded to Houston Methodist Neurological Institute's Department of Neurosurgery, $1.5 million over five years, will pay the salaries of four fellows per year, still to be chosen. The NeuralCODR training program was initially seeded with two fellows per year through the generosity of the Paula and Joseph C. “Rusty” Walter III Neurorestoration Initiative. Through future renewable grants, Horner hopes to expand the program to 16 positions in future years. T32 grants are prestigious, highly competitive grants given to institutions to support groups of pre- and/or post-doctoral fellows, including trainees in basic, clinical and behavioral research. The NIH annually awards about 20 such grants in the neurosciences. The grant is the first T32 ever awarded to Houston Methodist. "This is a landmark for the Houston Methodist Neurological Institute's Department of Neurosurgery to be recognized by the NIH as a top site for training," said Gavin Britz, Director of the Neurological Institute. "It will help us achieve our goal of attracting and training the best researchers."