Founded in 1993 by Dr. Howard Rasmussen, (formerly as the Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genetics), the department's goal was to promote multidisciplinary research and teaching excellence in both basic biomedical and clinical science. This mission continued under the directorship of Dr. Robert Yu between the years 2000 to 2009. From 2009-2017, Dr. Lin Mei served as the department chair. Currently, the department is led by Dr. Xin-Yun Lu. Our faculty study a variety of fundamental questions ranging from neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders, functions of the nervous system and regenerative medicine, using a broad repertoire of experimental approaches. A number of doctoral students of Neuroscience and Molecular Medicine PhD Programs are doing their thesis research in the department. The department is also a major contributor to Augusta University’s Center for Healthy Aging, a multidisciplinary consortium whose mission to improve and restore function to injured and degenerating tissues of the human body. The department places a strong emphasis on translational research with collaborations with multiple clinical departments including Neurology, Psychiatry, Orthopaedic Surgery, Neurosurgery and Medicine.
