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Message from the Chair

Advancing neuroscience for the benefit of all

The Department of Neuroscience strives to support an environment of treating all equally, with respect and fairness. We recognize that it is crucial to foster a thriving, innovative, and socially responsible academic environment that works to support biomedical research that benefits all populations in our community, state, and nation. We value the unique perspectives and contributions of individuals from all backgrounds and identities, and we are fully committed to eradicating barriers, enhancing opportunities, and advancing neuroscience research to the benefit of everyone. Our ultimate goal is to provide health access and research to all communities and support cultural understanding.

We believe that talented scientists come from all backgrounds and communities, but that a lack of access to resources and opportunities can limit the realization of one’s full potential. At a medical university, our department endeavors to support equal health care for all by providing opportunities and access to individuals from medically underserved and rural communities, socioeconomically disadvantaged households, and first-generation college students and graduates. By implementing programs, practices, and transparency, we create a welcoming community, advance scientific excellence, and support our most valuable asset — our students, postdocs, faculty, and staff.

Christopher Cowan, Medicine, PhD, Professor wearing a sport coat and dress shirt

Christopher Cowan, Ph.D.

Chair, Department of Neuroscience
William E. Murray SmartState Endowed Chair of Excellence in Neuroscience
Professor, College of Medicine - Neuroscience & Psychiatry

Dr. Chris Cowan is Professor and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience at Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, and holds the SmartState Endowed Chair in Brain Imaging. Dr. Cowan is also the Director of the NIH-funded Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) in Neurodevelopment and Its Disorders (CNDD), the Scientific Director of the NIDA-funded Charleston Opioid Center on Addiction (COCA), and he is co-founder of NeuroEpigenix, a company advancing a novel therapeutic treatment for alcohol use disorder.

Dr. Cowan earned his BA from Wesleyan University (CT) and his PhD in Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology from Baylor College of Medicine. He completed his postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital in the area of molecular neurobiology. Prior to joining MUSC in 2016, Dr. Cowan was an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical School and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital.

Dr. Cowan’s NIH-funded research focuses on molecular mechanisms of developmental brain wiring, syndromic forms of autism spectrum disorder, and epigenetic mechanisms underlying relapse and drug-cue reactivity in substance use disorders. His preclinical research lab utilizes a multidisciplinary approach to study these disorders, including genomics, cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, electrophysiology, complex behavioral analyses, and therapeutic development.

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