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Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology
University of Minnesota
Medical School
6-125 Jackson Hall
321 Church Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455

phone 612.625.5902
fax 612.625.5149

 

Questions about this site? Contact the Physiology Department at 612.625.5902 or physio@umn.edu.

 

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Graduate Studies in Cellular and Integrative Physiology: An Overview

The Cellular and Integrative Physiology (CAIP) graduate program at the Twin Cities campus looks for Ph.D. and M.S. students from three separate categories.

    1. We are accepting applications for the Ph.D. degree from people with a previous medical degree who are already accepted into a University of Minnesota medical program for advanced training. For instance, a surgical resident, a renal or cardiology fellow, or other comparable student may be interested in bundling their required research into a Ph.D. program.
    2. We are also trying to establish ties to local private industries that are engaged in relevant physiological projects.  For instance, there are people working at bioengineering and biotechnology companies in the Twin Cities area that are already doing work in Physiology, and who may benefit from formal training. A Masters degree (MS) from the Twin Cities campus is possible for qualified applicants in this category. Please see Special Master's Degree Program.
    3. Also, people already affiliated with our graduate faculty are encouraged to apply for admission. For instance, appropriate undergraduate students, lab technicians, or other people already working in a graduate faculty laboratory may be good candidates for the Ph.D. program.
      4.

We encourage applications from individuals who are bright, inquisitive and capable of independent thinking and learning. These are essential traits for a successful career in scientific research.

Graduate Training Program

As the title Cellular and Integrative Physiology suggests, faculty research interests focus on two main areas:

  • Cellular and Molecular Physiology: Research in this area deals with membrane transport processes, ion channels in membranes and regulatory processes of cell function. It addresses issues such as cell-to-cell communication, intracellular signaling mechanisms through second messenger pathways and neural encoding and transduction.
  • Integrative Physiology: Research in this area occurs at both the organ system and cellular level where investigators examine the complex interactions that exist between multiple physiological processes. Specialties in these areas include cardiovascular, respiratory and renal physiology.

The graduate program is interdisciplinary. The graduate program faculty consists of all active researchers in the Physiology Department and many other researchers from other basic science and clinical departments. We have faculty members from both the Minneapolis and St. Paul campus as well as the Duluth campus.

There are 3 separate graduate tracks:
(1) Master's Degreee at Duluth
(2) Special Master's Degree at the Twin Cities
(3) Ph.D. Degree at the Twin Cities

A full listing of faculty and their individual research interests can be accessed here: Faculty and Research Laboratories

Success in research demands creativity, the ability to think critically and mastery of technical skills. Although it is often said that one "cannot teach creativity", it certainly can be encouraged and rewarded. As for critical thinking and technical skills, these are acquired through a carefully structured curriculum that emphasizes learning from original research papers and hands-on laboratory experience rather than summaries usually found in textbooks. In all cases, the training program at Minnesota is highly individualized so that each student has the freedom to pursue their own scientific interests with respect to their unique academic history. There is, however, a fundamental base of knowledge in the life sciences (cell biology, biochemistry, systems physiology and neuroscience) that provides a strong foundation for advanced study. Course work in these areas constitutes the core curriculum and demonstrated understanding of this material is required of all students. These courses are usually taken within the first two years of study. Beyond the core requirements, individualized programs are structured to address advanced work in the student's area of specialization.

Each student is encouraged to participate in laboratory rotations with faculty having research interests similar to that of the student. These rotations provide hands-on experience with state-of-the-art techniques and give the student an opportunity to explore a variety of specialization options available within the program.

History

The Department of Physiology has a long and distinguished tradition for excellence in research and graduate education. The Department was founded in 1889 and achieved national and international prominence in large part through the efforts of Dr. Maurice Visscher during his tenure as Chairman from 1936 to 1968. Dr. Visscher received both his MD and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Minnesota. His pioneering research on cardiac energy metabolism began in Starling's laboratory in Cambridge and eventually provided a foundation for the development of open heart surgery techniques at the University of Minnesota. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, served as president of the American Physiological Society and as president of the International Union of Physiological Scientists. In recognition of his scientific contributions and his service to the University, an endowed professorship was established in his honor.

Dr. Visscher also began another tradition at Minnesota: A tradition of collaboration between the departments of Physiology, Surgery and Medicine that emphasized the importance of understanding basic physiologic mechanisms and applying this knowledge to the development of new approaches in clinical medicine. This tradition continues today through an interdepartmental graduate program in Cellular and Integrative Physiology, which draws upon the expertise of physiologists in both basic science and clinical departments. This program provides a greater range of opportunities and experiences for graduate training than could otherwise be provided through a single department. It also increases access to state-of-the-art research facilities and equipment in each of these departments to support graduate student and faculty research activities within the program.

In 1999 the Physiology Department moved into new space in the completely renovated Jackson Hall, located in between the Basic Sciences and Biomedical Engineering building and the site of the new Cellular and Molecular Biology Building, which opened in 2002. The current interim Head is Professor O. Douglas Wangensteen, Ph.D.
 
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