NeuroNEXT

The CTMC Executive Committee is pleased to announce the call for applications for the 2026 cohort of the NINDS Clinical Trials Methodology Course (CTMC). Now in its 14^th year, the goal of the CTMC is to train early career investigators to develop scientifically rigorous, feasible, and ethically designed clinical trials. CTMC participants will learn best practices in clinical trial design from experienced neurological clinical trialists and biostatisticians. By the end of the course, participants will have a refined protocol synopsis, as well as a working version of the full trial protocol and the beginning steps of a grant. 

The CTMC welcomes projects representing a wide range of disorders in neuroscience-based medicine.

The 2026 CTMC will include 3 tracks: 

• Foundation track: The foundation track is for investigators who have not previously designed their own prospective, interventional clinical trial. Most applications received by the CTMC will fit into the foundation track. Projects in this track will typically be single-center and early phase. The course is best suited for clinical trials that deliver one or more interventions (may include placebo or other control) in prospective manner to human participants with a neurological condition to evaluate the outcome of the interventions. 
• Advanced track: The advanced track is for investigators who are proposing a large, multi-center phase 2/3 trial. Investigators in the advanced track will typically have prior clinical trials experience as a site PI or co-investigator, although for some rare or pediatric diseases, a multi-center trial may be required for the initial trial. Projects in the advanced track should be suited for one of the NINDS research networks (SIREN, StrokeNet, NeuroNEXT).
• Biostatistics track: The biostatistics track is an opportunity for early-career biostatisticians to get hands-on experience developing clinical trials across a range of neurological disease-areas and design types. Please contact us at ninds.ctmc@virginia.edu to learn more about the biostatistics track (do not submit the application linked below).

Course Information: 

The CTMC includes a combination of virtual and in-person activities. Virtual webinars and small group mentorship meetings will take place weekly between March – July 2026. The in-person, residential part of the course will be held June 15-18 in Indianapolis, IN. Attendance at the residential course is required; funding for travel (within the US) and accommodations will be provided for participants. Learn more about the course schedule and time requirements on our website. 

We will host an informational webinar on December 10, 2025, from 12:00-1:00pm Eastern Time to provide more guidance and answer questions about the course and application process. Register to attend the webinar here; a recording will be added to our website after the session.

For those who are unable to participate in the 2026 course, the course webinars are open sessions that anyone can attend; more information will be posted on the website in spring 2026. 

Application & Deadline: 

The application deadline for 2026 is January 21 at 11:59pm Pacific Standard Time. 

• 2026 Application Instructions
• 2026 Application Portal

Questions? 

Please refer to the FAQ on our website. You are welcome to contact us at ninds.ctmc@virginia.edu or Mark Quigg, MD with any additional questions. 

Thank you, 

CTMC Executive Committee

The NINDS Clinical Trials Methodology Course is supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R25NS138633 and is administered by the University of Virginia and Indiana University. Additional support is provided by the American Academy of Neurology. 

ninds-ctmc.org

Fueled by her compassion and relentless dedication, Dr. Merit Cudkowicz, was honored with the AAN Lifetime Achievement Award for Clinically Relevant Research this past Spring for her unwavering commitment to improving the lives of her patients and community. Her work has not only elevated standards of care but also inspired countless others in the field, and will continue to do so.

To read more about Dr. Cudkowicz accomplishments and career, the full article can be read here.

Congratulations Dr. Cudkowicz!

In an article published in the recent issue of Brain and Life (a magazine managed by the American Academy of Neurology) an article commemorating the 75th anniversary of NINDS mentioned NeuroNEXT by name.

To read the full article, click here.

Thank you to all NeuroNEXT members and participants, past and present, for your hard work and dedication over the years.

We are pleased to announce the call for applications for the 2025 cohort of the NINDS Clinical Trials Methodology Course (CTMC). Now in its 13^th year, the overall goal of the CTMC is to train early career investigators to develop scientifically rigorous, feasible, and ethically designed clinical trials. CTMC participants will learn best practices in clinical trial design from experienced neurological clinical trialists and biostatisticians. By the end of the course, participants will have a refined protocol synopsis, as well as a working version of the full trial protocol and the beginning steps of a grant. 

The CTMC seeks applications from investigators who are from diverse backgrounds, from across various institutions, or performing research in diverse neurological disease populations, including pediatric patients, underrepresented groups, and rare diseases. 

The 2025 CTMC will include 2 tracks: 

• Foundation track: The foundation track is for investigators who have not previously designed their own prospective, interventional clinical trial. Most applications received by the CTMC will fit into the foundation track. Projects in this track will typically be single-center and early phase. The course is best suited for clinical trials that deliver one or more interventions (may include placebo or other control) in prospective manner to human participants with a neurological condition to evaluate the outcome of the interventions. 
• Advanced track: The advanced track is for investigators who are proposing a large, multi-center phase 2/3 trial. Investigators in the advanced track will typically have prior clinical trials experience as a site PI or co-investigator, although for some rare or pediatric diseases, a multi-center trial may be required for the initial trial. Projects in the advanced track should be suited for one of the NINDS research networks (SIREN, StrokeNet, NeuroNEXT).

Course Information: 

The CTMC includes a combination of virtual and in-person activities. Virtual webinars and small group mentorship meetings will take place weekly between March – July 2025. The in-person, residential part of the course will be held June 23 – 26 in Charlottesville, VA. Attendance at the residential course is required; funding for travel (within the US) and accommodations will be provided for participants. Learn more about the course schedule and time requirements on our website. 

We will host an informational webinar on December 19, 2024, at 1:00pm Eastern Time to provide more guidance and answer questions about the course and application process. Register to attend the webinar here; a recording will be added to our website after the session.

For those who are unable to participate in the 2025 course, the course webinars are open sessions that anyone can attend; more information will be posted on the website in spring 2025. 

Application & Deadline: 

The application deadline for 2025 is January 21 at 11:59pm Pacific Standard Time. 

• 2025 Application Instructions
• 2025 Application Portal

Questions? 

Please refer to the FAQ on our website. You are welcome to contact us at ninds.ctmc@virginia.edu or Mark Quigg, MD with any additional questions. 

Thank you, 

CTMC Executive Committee

You’re invited to an upcoming event entitled “NeuroNEXT Small Business Innovation in Clinical Trials (U44 Clinical Trial Optional) Informational Webinar”, occurring on December 16^th from 12-1pm ET.  Dr. Sophie Cho and Joan Ohayon, along with our esteemed panel, will provide an update to recently reissued Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the NeuroNEXT Small Business Innovation in Clinical Trials (U44 Clinical Trial Optional): PAR-25-133. NeuroNEXT provides robust, standardized, and accessible infrastructure, designed to facilitate the development and conduct of Phase 2 clinical trials or biomarker studies focused on neurological diseases in pediatric and adult populations. The webinar will provide information on new updates in the NeuroNEXT Small Business Innovation Opportunity.

Click here to register

Visit our Event Page!

We hope you can join us!

Hello! We invite you and your community to virtually join us for the second NIH/NINDS Team Science Seminar Series on Thursday December 12 from 12-2PM (Eastern). Registration and event details here! Seats are limited, so be sure to register early!

The NIH/NINDS Team Science Seminar Series facilitates knowledge generation and translation through a dialogical approach to projects, methods, and perspectives at the intersection of biomedical and team science. Reach us at: NindsTeamScience@nih.gov

December 12, 2024: Convergence Research and Complex Science. 
Despite the growing call for interdisciplinary collaborative science, the field of team science is still evolving and the facilitators and barriers to interdisciplinary integration are still being elucidated. Convergence research is situated in solving complex problems through the intentional integration of diverse perspectives to achieve meaningful change. This seminar series will discuss various perspectives and approaches towards conducting convergence research. 

Agenda: NIH/NINDS Team Science Seminar #2
Introduction: Convergence and Convergence Science (12:00-12:05)
Cory Kelly | cory.kelly@nih.gov |NINDS Program Officer & COMBINE Co-Lead

Funders’ Perspective: Supporting Team Science at NINDS (12:05-12:10)
Dr. Karen David | karen.david@nih.gov |NINDS/BRAIN Program Officer & COMBINE Co-Lead 

Career Impediments to Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research (12:10-12:30)
Dr. Bruce Weinberg | weinberg.27@osu.edu
Eric Byron Fix-Monda Endowed Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, The Ohio State University 

A Curious Case of the ‘Convergence Shortcut’ in the Human Brain Science Research Ecosystem circa 2013 (12:30-12:50)
Dr. Alex Peterson | apetersen3@ucmerced.edu 
Associate Professor, Management of Complex Systems Department, University of California Merced

Implementing Complex Interventions for Complex Conditions in Complex Systems (12:50-1:10)
Dr. Sabrina M. Figueiredo | sfigueiredo@email.gwu.edu 
Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical Research and Leadership at the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences. 

Bridging Science and Medicine: The Collaborative Pathway for Breakthroughs in Team Science (1:10-1:30)
Dr. Kelvin Quinones-Laracuente | kelvin.quinones-laracuente@nyulangone.org
Research Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, NYU Langone Health.Moderated Discussion and Q&A (1:30-2:00)
NIH Staff will moderate a discussion with all panelists including opportunities for questions from the audience (please also submit your questions during registration).

The AAN is hosting a Heath Care Equity Webinar Series in response to member interest in more opportunities to learn about topics related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) while earning valuable CME credits. We hope you will join us for our first webinar on Thursday, November 7, from 1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. CT for “Neurodiversity in the Clinic.”

Presented by Diana M. Cejas, MD, MPH, of UNC-Chapel Hill, this session will review best practices for affirming neurodiversity amongst health care providers, staff, and patients. The core principles of neurodiversity affirming practices are: Intersectionality, Respecting Autonomy, Presuming Competence, Validating Differences, Rejecting Neuronormativity, Reframing Expectations, Promoting Self-advocacy, and Prioritising Lived Experience. The session will also provide a brief primer on neurodiversity and inclusive practices, and a panel that includes discussion questions for dialogue between panelists and attendees. The AAN is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. This webinar is eligible for 1 CME credit.

Register now.

Join us for our other upcoming webinars!

• December 5, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm CT: “LGBTQI+ Health in Neurology” with Nicole Rosendale, MD
• December 17, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm CT: “Strategies to Address Health Care Disparities” with Lidia Maria V. R. Moura, MD, MPH, PhD, FAAN

The Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) and SGMRO will be sponsoring a webinar on Advancing Research Participation for LGBTQI+ Individuals on Wednesday, October 2, 12:00pm to 2:00pm EDT. This webinar supports the goal of promoting diversity, inclusivity, and appropriate representation in biomedical and socio-behavioral research to improve health for everyone. This webinar focuses on advancing this endeavor for LGBTQI+ individuals. For more information, including the agenda and a list of speakers, click here.

Registration is required. Click here to register!

Ancestry-associated genes have an important impact on mental health, yet only 5% of neuroscience research subjects are from underrepresented populations. This limits the application of research into a variety of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease.

On Friday July 19 at 11:00 a.m. ET, the African Ancestry Neuroscience Research Institute will join us to discuss their work in increasing the diversity of neuroscience research. The organization’s work on the role of genetic ancestry in several neurological diseases has recently been published in Nature Neuroscience. We look forward to an informative and interactive discussion.

Speakers include:

Dr. Alvin C. Hathaway, Sr., Co-founder of African Ancestry Neuroscience Research Initiative, Pastor Emeritus of Union Baptist Church, and President/CEO of Beloved Community Services Corporation

Daniel Weinberger, M,D., Director and CEO of the Lieber Institute for Brain Development and Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology, Neuroscience and Genetic Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Kafui Dzirasa, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Neurobiology, Biomedical Engineering, and Neurosurgery at Duke University and Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Gwenaëlle E. Thomas, Ph.D., Scientific Project Manager at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development (LIBD) and an Adjunct Professor of Biology at Morgan State University

We hope you will attend what is sure to be a great discussion!

Follow the link below to view the event description and registration page:

NeuroNEXT Other Transaction Authority Informational Webinar | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (nih.gov)