Medical Physiology
The Department of Medical Physiology explores the functions of the human body in health and disease. The department is headquartered in the Medical Research and Education Building at the Bryan campus of the Texas A&M Health Science Center. The teaching, research and service missions of the department are supported by the principal faculty members. Our research focuses on the cardiovascular system with clusters of expertise in cardiac biology, vascular biology, lymphatic biology, physiological imaging, and computational biology. Funding for this research is provided by the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, NASA, American Heart Association, and other foundations. The faculty is committed to bridging the gap between basic and clinical research through translational studies that probe human pathobiology and seek to develop therapeutic countermeasures for these abnormal conditions. Clinical disorders of interest to our faculty include: heart failure, arterial hypertension, ischemia, inflammation, edema, and diabetes. The faculty of the department teaches and trains medical students, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. PhD and MD/PhD training within the School of Medicine are facilitated by a multidisciplinary Medical Science Graduate Program that provides several tracks to accommodate student research interests, including Cardiovascular Science Track. The high level of research and training interactions between faculty members is a strength of the department.
Medical Physiology
Medical Physiology is a single-semester, 4-credit-hour course designed to provide students with an understanding of the function, regulation and integration of human body organ systems. Emphasis is placed on homeostatic maintenance in health as well as in some disease processes. The course covers key concepts that will also help the student acquire the knowledge required in preparing for the MCAT. Course content includes introductory cell physiology and all major organ systems. The course is textbook-based and taught by experts in each organ system.
The MS in Medical Physiology Program is a post-baccalaureate degree program that is specifically designed to help students enhance their academic records and increase their competitiveness for admission to medical, dental, or other professional school programs in the biomedical arena.
The program is 30 credit hours and is designed to be completed in two semesters. Coursework consists of a series of core classes in physiology, pathophysiology, anatomy, and histology followed by electives consisting of more advanced didactic coursework in physiology or a laboratory research elective.
Physiology is the fundamental basis of medicine. Physiology emphasizes understanding the mechanisms of life by integrating molecular, cellular, tissue, organ, and whole-body function. This integrated approach is what sets physiology apart from other biomedical disciplines. The physiology courses predominantly focus on the mechanisms of healthy body functions and normal responses to the environment and the pathophysiology courses will provide an opportunity to learn more about the mechanisms of disease. The anatomy and histology courses complement the physiology course and provide an understanding of the structure of cells, tissues and organ systems so that the function of these systems can be fully understood. Students will have the opportunity to elect to focus on advanced topics in physiology or engage in research (availability of electives will be dependent on cohort size). The content of all courses integrate and provide a rigorous core curriculum in medical physiology mirroring the learning objectives of the first year of medical school.
The Master of Science in Medical Physiology (MSMP) is an intensive, one-year program with an emphasis on human physiology, clinical applications of physiology, gross anatomy, neuroscience, stem cells, and exposure to the latest literature and research in physiology. Graduates of the program will be prepared to continue studies in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and other medical professions, or pursue careers in teaching, regulatory oversight, basic or clinical research in academic or pharmaceutical settings.
Our program requires 9 credits focused on medical physiology and 9 credits focused on aging, as well as 12 additional credits, all designed to help you build a broader and deeper knowledge of the biology of aging. This includes an understanding of:
To graduate from the program, you must complete 30 credit hours: 9 credits of core courses in physiology and 9 credits of core courses in aging, as well as a minimum of 6 elective credit hours from each area. All courses are letter-graded unless stated otherwise.
A graduate certificate in medical physiology is valuable for many career paths. This certificate can help a wide range of pre-professional students to prepare for their future whether they decide to become dental, nursing, or physician assistants, or continue to public health and other graduate studies. Once admitted into a professional program, this certificate can help students prepare for National Board exams and other standardized tests.
GMS 6440 Fundamentals of Medical PhysiologyThis is an introductory course that teaches the basic functions of the human body. Students explore normal physiology and common diseases in each organ system. Participation in online workshops will help students understand the integration of physiology with genetics, genomics, molecular biology and cellular physiology as a basis for understanding human disease.
GMS 6401 Medical Renal PhysiologyThis course teaches the functions of the renal system of the human body at a level required for clinical medicine and basic research in medical physiology. Students will explore how systems act in an integrated manner to regulate overall body functions and how the failure of these normal physiologic functions and integrations are associated with some diseases.
GMS 6402 Medical Respiration Physiology This course teaches the functions of the pulmonary system of the human body, including the uptake, transport and utilization of oxygen and other blood gases. Students will discover acid-base physiology and the mechanisms for controlling pulmonary function and gain an understanding of how the pulmonary system works with other systems.
To be a great Physician/Scientist, one needs to have a profound knowledge of the human physiology. This great classic textbook of medical physiology is a must to have by any practicing physician and enthusiastic scientist no matter what field of medicine or science one is engaged in.
This new edition is divided into 15 units and each unit has its own divided chapters, altogether consisting of 85 chapters. Unit I is an introduction to physiology consisting of 3 chapters: The cell and general physiology. Unit II addresses membrane physiology, nerve, and muscle, consisting of 5 chapters. Unit VIII has 2 chapters addressing to aviation, space, and deep sea diving physiology. It has a section on hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Units IX, X, and XI concern the physiology of the nervous system consisting of 17 chapters which elegantly review different aspects of the human nervous system.
Unfortunately, the current curriculum of medical education in many medical schools does not emphasize on the importance of the knowledge of human physiology and anatomy, which are the foundation of medical education in training the new generation of physicians/scientists.
With the advancement of science, there is no doubt that the other fields such as genetics, molecular biology, nanotechnology, and gene therapy should be incorporated in the curriculum of the medical education but the foundation of the medical field should not be ignored and should be emphasized upon.
The Master of Science (MS) in Medical Physiology Program is an online, distance learning-only program that focuses on educating students in medical physiology. The program is designed to meet the needs of several prospective student populations, including:
Learn how to create in-text citations and a full citation/reference/note for Guyton and Hall textbook of medical physiology by John E. Hall using the examples below. Guyton and Hall textbook of medical physiology is cited in 14 different citation styles, including MLA, APA, Chicago, Harvard, APA, ACS, and many others.
Here are Guyton and Hall textbook of medical physiology citations for 14 popular citation styles including Turabian style, the American Medical Association (AMA) style, the Council of Science Editors (CSE) style, IEEE, and more.
Physiology is the study of the functions and activities of life and living matter at all levels of organization within an organism. While physiology research is frequently at the molecular level, the tradition of the discipline challenges the researcher to consider all homeostatic and developmental functions of an organism. This tradition can guide research efforts seeking to identify causes of disease and critical physiological functions possessing therapeutic and health-promoting opportunities. The Medical Physiology program focuses on the research experience of the thesis track but in special circumstances will consider applications to the non-thesis track.
During and following the presentation, faculty members may pose questions relevant to the presentation to determine if the student has mastered an appropriate breadth and depth of knowledge of physiology. The Examination Supervisor shall then receive reports from faculty attending the presentation, usually within a week, and make a recommendation to the MPHY Graduate Committee as to whether or not the student passed the examination. Unless a member of the Graduate Committee objects, the recommendation shall be considered accepted. If an objection is received a decision shall be made by a secret ballot vote with two thirds of those voting in favor of passage required for passage of the examination. If the student does not pass the examination on the first attempt, at its discretion the MPHY Graduate Committee may grant a second opportunity to pass the examination according to policies in the USC Catalogue. 041b061a72