Department of Physiology and Pharmacology

Graduate programs

Science Philosophy of the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology

This department comprises two important and fundamental basic biomedical sciences. Physiology and pharmacology can be thought of as two distinct sciences; however, they also have become fully integrated sciences given the advances in biomedical technology in the 21st century. To be a competent physiologist or pharmacologist one must also have an understanding of each of the respective disciplines in addition to a fundamental understanding of anatomy, biochemistry and molecular biology.

Physiology classically is distinguished by its concerns with the study of the function of intact organisms and emphasis on regulation of physiological variables within narrow limits. Some of these fundamental variables of interest are regulation of body temperature, blood pressure, blood glucose levels, oxygen and carbon dioxide contents in the blood, hormonal regulation, and many other properties. Pharmacology has been defined as the study of the molecular interaction of chemicals with regulatory molecules called receptors in living systems thus altering their physiological function. The definition of receptor has been significantly broadened now to include structural molecules and enzymes within the cell as well as genetic elements.

The distinction of these two sciences has become more blurred as the study of physiology has been enhanced by the use of selective pharmacological agents that can alter the physiological function of the model under study. The proper selection and use of pharmacological agents requires that a physiologist have an understanding of pharmacological principles. Likewise the pharmacologist must have an understanding of the physiology of various models under study so as to employ the proper physiological measurements. The study of both physiology and pharmacology has been enhanced by modern molecular, biochemical, and instrumental techniques. For example, molecular expression of particular receptors that control various physiological functions and determine the effects of pharmacological agents can now be studied using these techniques. Another advancement in these sciences is the power of "genetic knockout models." These models are unique in that genes controlling the expression of molecular receptors can be eliminated and the resulting physiology and pharmacology studied using classical techniques.

At Loma Linda University School of Medicine the faculty in the department of physiology and pharmacology seek to broadly educate respective students in the areas of biochemistry, anatomy, and molecular biology as well as physiology and pharmacology within the first academic year of study. The course that is used to accomplish this goal is the Integrated Biomedical Graduate Studies (IBGS) series, which covers the fundamentals of the various biomedical disciplines. In the second year of study, faculty from both disciplines teach more specialized integrated physiology/pharmacology courses. The goal is to give the prospective PhD candidate a more in depth education into these sciences. These first two years comprise the educational foundation that will allow PhD candidates to competently teach these sciences. Following the comprehensive exam the remaining years of study are spent on specialized research topics with faculty mentors. This training will prepare the PhD candidate to pursue hypothesis-oriented research that will lead to the development of a successful independent investigator (by John Buchholz, PhD).

PhD Study in Physiology and Pharmacology: A mentor's point of view

Loma Linda University School of Medicine offers a broad variety of educational opportunities to students seeking doctor of philosophy degrees in the basic sciences. These degrees are currently offered in the disciplines of physiology, pharmacology, microbiology, biochemistry, anatomy, and neuroscience. In each of these disciplines, basic science faculty of the School of Medicine teach students in numerous programs across campus, including those in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, public health, and the allied health sciences. These teaching responsibilities offer many opportunities for students and faculty from different disciplines to meet and interact with one another, which serves to strengthen the science community on campus. In addition, all basic science doctoral students typically follow a common core curriculum during their first year, which helps create a solid foundation for multidisciplinary approaches to contemporary research problems. The common first-year curriculum also helps build familiarity and friendships among peers in the graduate student community.

Graduate Program in Physiology and Pharmacology
Following completion of the combined first-year graduate core curriculum, doctoral students typically select an area for specialization and complete a second year of didactic courses in that discipline. In the physiology and pharmacology graduate programs, this coursework involves studies of both the theoretical and practical aspects of these disciplines. Upon completion of this second year of coursework, graduate students take a written comprehensive examination. Once this written exam has been passed, students begin full-time research training in any of a variety of extramurally-funded laboratory within the School of Medicine. At present, NIH-funded research in the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology targets many areas including neuroscience, cardiovascular science, perinatal biology, cancer, and population-based health disparities. Graduate students rotate through these labs on an elective basis beginning during the second year to find the optimal match between the students' research interests and all available extramurally-funded programs of research.

Doctoral students must prepare a formal thesis proposal based on their preliminary research work in a laboratory of their choice. This proposal must be written in the form of an NIH RO1 grant application. While preparing the proposal, doctoral students are expected to critically review at least 100 manuscripts among the literature most relevant to the topic of the proposal, and the results of this reading should be summarized in the background section of the proposal. The students are also expected to develop expertise with analytical laboratory techniques essential to demonstrate feasibility of the topic chosen for the thesis proposal. Data gathered using these techniques should be used to build the preliminary results section of the proposal. In consultation with the major research advisor, the student plans and designs a comprehensive series of experiments to test the main hypotheses articulated in the specific aims section of the proposal. These studies must be described in detail in the experimental approach section of the proposal. Once completed, the proposal must be orally presented and defended by the student in the presence of a thesis committee selected by the student and mentor. The thesis committee must be composed of the mentor and four other faculty members, one of whom is not a member of the Department of Physiology or Pharmacology. When the proposal has been satisfactorily presented and defended, the student will become officially classified as a doctoral candidate. During the candidate years, the main objective of the student is to publish at least two peer-reviewed manuscripts, prepare a written thesis dissertation that summarizes the published work, and then defend the dissertation to an audience that includes the thesis committee and any members of the Loma Linda University or general public that wish to attend. Successful completion of this thesis defense is usually the final requirement for awarding the doctoral degree.

Overall, the doctorate programs offered by the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology are rigorous and demanding but are also designed to optimize opportunities for academic success following graduation. Recent graduates from these programs have enjoyed excellent opportunities at institutions such as Harvard Medical School; University of California, San Diego; University of California, Los Angeles; Baylor College of Medicine; and many other prestigious research institutions (By Bill Pearce, PhD).

Programs leading to the doctor of philosophy and the master of science degrees are offered. Combined MD/PhD, MD/MS, DDS/MS, and DDS/PhD degrees are also offered.

See the University Catalog.