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.
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  - 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.
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    Pursue your passion for public health and medicine with a combined MD-MPH and help solve complex health problems.
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    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 — Regulation of Retinal Progenitor Cells (RPCs)

Regulation of Retinal Progenitor Cells (RPCs)

Graphic showing the effect of Hmga2 gain-of function (GOF) and loss-of-function (LOF) perturbation on photoreceptor differentiation, as described in text.

There are a few questions regarding retinal development that have intrigued us.

First, are retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) irreversibly committed to a certain fate? We observed that late RPCs, when cultured in conditions simulating early histogenesis, could generate early born neurons (e.g., RGCs) (James et al., 1997, J. Neurosci.). This observation demonstrates the plasticity inherent in RPCs and suggests that these cells, if constrained by an older niche, can be rejuvenated for therapeutic purposes.

Second, do RPCs lack self-renewal capacity? If yes, how do we explain the sustenance of these cells over long duration of histogenesis that extends well into the postnatal stages? We observed that RPCs possess self-renewal property, the cardinal feature of stem cells. However, this property is non-cell autonomous, facilitated by Hmga2, a DNA architectural protein that influences transcriptional regulation, in response to cell-cell interactions (Parameswaran et al., 2014, Development). Currently, we are examining network regulated by Hmga2 in concert with Lin28 and miRNAs for the maintenance and differentiation of RPCs. Upper panel (image: Sowmya Parameswaran) shows the effect of Hmga2 gain-of function (GOF) and loss-of-function (LOF) perturbation on photoreceptor differentiation.

Graphic showing that conditional knock out of Lin28 during early histogenesis decreases neurogenesis (Tuj1+ cells) and leads to premature gliogenesis (GFAP+ cells).

Third, what is the mechanism by which RPCs switch from neurogenesis to gliogenesis in the developing retina? We demonstrated that heterochronic gene, Lin28a that was discovered in c. elegans regulating the timing of differentiation, plays an important role; conditional knockout (CKO), of Lin28a expression during early histogenesis leads to premature differentiation of RPCs into glia (Xia et al., 2018, Dev. Biol.). Lower panel (image: Xia Xiaohuan) shows that conditional knock out (CKO) of Lin28 during early histogenesis decreases neurogenesis (Tuj1⁺cells) and leads to premature gliogenesis (GFAP⁺cells).