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 Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience — Faculty — Instructors — Kiran Sapkota, PhD

Kiran Sapkota, PhD

Instructor

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Laboratory of Daniel T. Monaghan, PhD

Kiran Sapkota, PhD

Research Interests

Study of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) subtypes specially GluN2C-2D-subtype in psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and autism
Development and pharmacology of NMDAR allosteric modulators with potential application for neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia
Mechanism of action of NMDAR allosteric modulators
Use of NMDA receptor subtype selective modulators to study the role of specific receptor subtypes in nervous system function and CNS disorders

Ongoing Projects

Characterization and pharmacological study of NMDAR allosteric modulators

Evidence from various studies strongly suggests the association of NMDA receptors with schizophrenia. Reduced NMDAR function, especially in GABAergic interneurons containing parvalbumin (PV), is one of the replicative factors involved in pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The primary goal of this project is to identify chemical compounds selectively potentiating the GluN2D subtype since these are expressed in PV-neurons. Identification of subunit-selective modulators for other subtypes also serve valuable tools for studying brain function under normal and pathological conditions. We are also interested in studying NMDA receptor signaling in astrocytes.

Education

PhD in Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 2016

Memberships

Society for Neuroscience (SfN)
American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Graduate Pharmacists' Association Nepal (GPAN)

Recognition

2016: UNMC Graduate Student Fellowship
2015: Travel award offered to attend International Student Research Forum (ISRF) meeting in Scotland (Asia Pacific Rim Development Program, UNMC)
2015: First Place poster presentation award, 46th annual Midwest Student Biomedical Research Forum (MSBRF)
2012: Travel award to attend AAAI, Florida, USA (Creighton University)
2006: Dean’s listed candidate for outstanding academic performance (Pokhara University, Nepal)