Mentorship and Inspiration in Translational Neuroscience for StuDentS
Formerly the Neuroscience Summer Student Program (NSSSP), the Mentorship and Inspiration in Translational Neuroscience for StuDentS (MINDS) program was originally launched in 2008 by Richard Ellenbogen, MD, Sandy Ellenbogen, RN, and James Pridgeon, MHA and was supported by private donations from the Ellenbogen Foundation and numerous community donors and advocates. Housed in the Department of Neurological Surgery at UW Medicine, the program's initial organic success in inspiring students to pursue medical and scientific careers led to competitively awarded federal funding in the form of a R25 grant from the National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in 2016 to expand and formalize the program’s impact. Beginning in 2021, following a competitive renewal for another five-funding cycle, the original Principal Investigator Dr. Ellenbogen, was joined by Dr. Christine Mac Donald as Multiple Principal Investigators welcoming in a formal executive committee and cross departmental support with the Department of Neurology and Chair, Dr. Thabele Leslie-Mazwi. The NSSSP formally became known as the MINDS program in 2026 with transition in leadership to Dr. Mac Donald as Contact PI while Dr. Ellenbogen continues to serve with her as Multiple Principal Investigators. The MINDS program seeks to empower and encourage undergraduate students to pursue careers in the clinical neurosciences. To accomplish this overall objective students are exposed to a wide array of didactic and experiential clinical, surgical, neuropathological, and research activities following a project-based learning model with emphasis on responsible conduct in research. The MINDS program approach promotes a sense of belonging in clinical neuroscience through this 8-week experience.
