College of Medicine

- Admissions Overview
- - MD Program
    UNMC's rigorous academics, diverse clinical experiences and supportive environment put you on the path to becoming a skilled, compassionate physician.
  - How to Apply
    UNMC prepares medical degree students to meet the needs of patients through clinical practice, biomedical science and research, problem-solving and compassion.
  - Contact Us
    Review contact information for the Office of Admissions and Student Affairs in the College of Medicine at UNMC.
  - Verification and State Licensure
    Review opportunities for state licensure following completion of the MD program in the College of Medicine at UNMC.
- - MD-MBA Program
    A combined MD-MBA degree equips you with the tools you need to become highly skilled in both management and medicine.
  - MD-MPH Program
    Pursue your passion for public health and medicine with a combined MD-MPH and help solve complex health problems.
  - MD-PhD Program
    Do you have a passion for caring for patients and for research? Consider the dual MD-PhD degree.
- Education Overview
- - Curriculum
    Our curriculum produces physicians whose foundation in basic, clinical, and health systems sciences prepare them to promote health and reduce patient suffering.
  - Graduation Requirements
    Review requirements for students pursuing an MD at the UNMC College of Medicine to graduate and receive their degree.
  - Objectives
    The objectives of UNMC's medical degree program are to prepare you for success in primary care or specialty fields.
  - Service Learning
    Active participation in community service provides critical opportunities to apply skills and knowledge gained in medical school and develop a sense of empathy.
- - Enhanced Medical Education
    Enhanced Medical Education Tracks offer medical students an opportunity to perform an in-depth study of an interdisciplinary field of medicine.
  - Enhanced Medical Education Tracks
    EMET applicants are selected for Tracks based on their interest in the topic and motivation to complete work above and beyond the primary MD curriculum.
  - MD Honor’s Thesis Program
    The MD honors thesis encourages students to engage in scientific research during medical education and become eligible to graduate with honors.
- Research Overview
- Internal Grants
  The College of Medicine has a variety of research-related grant and award opportunities available to UNMC faculty.
- Comparative Effectiveness Research
  The Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) program identifies knowledge gaps in the effectiveness of clinical care and improves CER in these areas.
- Great Plains IDeA-CTR
  The Great Plains IDeA-CTR is a collaborative effort between nine regional institutions that provides training, resources. and funding to regional researchers.
- Research and Development Committee
  The Research and Development Committee handles funding opportunities for faculty, including the Bridge Funding program, and student research opportunities.
- Student Opportunities
  The College of Medicine provides a variety of research opportunities for both current and prospective UNMC students.
- Residencies & Fellowships Overview
- Graduate Medical Education Programs
  UNMC's dozens of programs--including nearly 20 in internal medicine--allow residents and fellows a variety of specialties.
- House Officer Resources
  Find information for residents and fellows, including salaries, benefits and nearby housing.
- House Officer Wellness
  Wellness resources for residents and fellows include an assistance program and a private wellness lounge.
- Research
  We aim to facilitate house officers’ involvement in research in the areas of patient safety, quality improvement, healthcare disparities and education research.
- Salary and Benefits
  Paid vacation and professional leave, health insurance and meal allowances are just a few of the benefits residents receive in addition to their yearly salary.
- Contact Us
  Reach out to the Graduate Medical Education office for information about benefits, contracts, orientation or graduation.
Departments

— College of Medicine — Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences — Research — Ahmad Lab — Our Research — Ex-vivo Stem Cell Approach to Retinal Degeneration

Ex-vivo Stem Cell Approach to Retinal Degeneration

Transplanted human RGCs read the chemotropic cues in the developing rat retina to align their axons centripetally toward optic disc (OD) and that their entry into the OD is regulated by Netrin-1/DCC interactions as observed previously for rodent RGC axons.

Transplantation of stem cell-derived photoreceptors and RGCs hold promise for replacing degenerating neurons in retinitis pigmentosa (RP)/age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma, respectively. This approach was first tested in our lab where stem cell-derived retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) transplanted in the subretinal space survived and expressed photoreceptor specific marker, rhodopsin (Chacko et al., 2000, BBRC). We are currently examining the transplantation potential of pluripotent stem cell-derived human RGCs given the challenge it presents in terms of RGCs not only incorporating within the retina but also elaborating guidable axons that can navigate their way out of the retina to reach the central targets and make synaptic connections. This requirement is essential for the recovery of vision. Toward this end we are examining the potential of pluripotent stem cell-derived human RGCs to recognize and read evolutionarily conserved chemotropic guidance cues in the rodent retina to determine the clinical relevance of the approach. We have demonstrated that the transplanted human RGCs read the chemotropic cues in the developing rat retina to align their axons centripetally toward optic disc (OD) and that their entry into the OD is regulated by Netrin-1/DCC interactions as observed previously for rodent RGC axons (Subramani et al., 2023, Stem Cells)(upper panel). These observations suggests that the human RGC axons have the whereabout at least for completing the first leg of their journey, i.e., finding their way to the OD upon transplantation. In addition, we have demonstrated that hESCPOU4F2-tdT-derived hRGCs are capable of discriminating between specific (superior colliculus; SC) and non-specific (inferior colliculus; IC) central target cells and form synaptic connections (Subramani et al., 2023, Front. Cell. Dev. Biol.) (lower panel).

Graphic showing hESCPOU4F2-tdT-derived hRGCs are capable of discriminating between specific and non-specific central target cells and form synaptic connections, as described in text.