NOTE: This page is for detailed information about the Physiology and Aging Advanced Concentration only. All inquiries concerning admission to the BMS Admissions office at BMSadmissions@ad.ufl.edu. More information on admissions is also available on the Admissions Page.
Program Areas of Research | Program of Study
Program Faculty | Program Contacts
Overview
The Advanced Concentration in Physiology and Aging is one of eight advanced concentrations leading to the Ph.D. degree under the auspices of the Graduate Program (BMS) in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Florida College of Medicine.
Imagine the thrill of discovering a new protein involved in a signal transduction pathway regulating cell death, the excitement in revealing that a specific gene is regulated during a disease or induced by a drug, or the immense reward of showing in a model system that a new drug affects a specific cellular target and slows the progression of a disease. These are possible because of the research training in the Advanced Concentration in Physiology.
The Physiology Concentration is responsible for supervising the academic and intellectual development of each student, creating and maintaining supervisory committees for graduate students, overseeing student mentoring, and administering qualifying exams. Graduate training beyond the first or second semester mainly focuses on laboratory research supervised by the student’s mentor, and supplemented with a selection of advanced courses that are relevant to one’s individual research project. A weekly student seminar series and participation in journal clubs is required as these forums help to sharpen critical thinking and communication skills.
The basic goals in research training are to develop skills in: hypothesis development, experimental design to test hypotheses, technical execution, data analysis, and data interpretation. The faculty associated with the advanced concentration in Physiology have expertise in a variety of biomedical disciplines, including cell & molecular biology, pharmacology, physiology, neuroscience, biochemistry, genetics, immunology and various ‘omic’ platforms, which bring together unique strengths that provide students with innovative and diverse training.
Meet Annette de Kloet, Ph.D., associate professor, and Lance Riley, transfer Ph.D. student:
Areas of Research
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- Aging and Obesity
- Cancer Biology
- Circadian Rhythm Biology
- Diabetes
- Drug Development
- Endocrine Systems
- Gene Therapy
- Heart Failure and Stroke
- Hypertension and Cardiovascular Disease
- Ion Channels and Membrane Transport
- Muscle Biology
- Pregnancy and Fetal Development
- Renin-Angiotensin System
- Signal Transduction Pathways
- Vascular Biology
Meet Charles Wood, Ph.D., department chair, and learn about his research on pregnancy and fetal development:
Program of Study
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For students considering the Physiology concentration, during the first semester, students should take Fundamentals of Biomedical Science (GMS 6001). This course covers fundamental biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, and signal transduction mechanisms. Students will also take course work that is required by the BMS program (eg., Essentials of Graduate Research & Professional Development). In the second semester, students should take Fundamentals of Physiology & Functional Genomics I, II, and III (GMS 6471, GMS 6472, and GMS 6473, respectively) as well as BMS required coursework (eg., Fundamentals of Biomedical Science Education). Beginning with the second year, students will take at least 6 additional credits of course work that are germane to the specific area of research. Such courses include, but are not limited to the following:
Advanced Signal Transduction (GMS 6051) *Note: Course Offered by Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics*
Physiology of Circulation of Blood (GMS 6410)
Advances in Hypertension Research (GMS 6413)
Advanced Renal Physiology (GMS 6414)
Fundamentals of Endocrine Physiology (GMS 6405)
Fundamentals of Respiratory Physiology (GMS 6406)
Fundamentals of Renal Physiology (GMS 6408)
Fundamentals of Cardiovascular & Muscle Physiology (GMS 6411)
Fundamentals of Gastrointestinal Physiology (GMS 6415)
Fundamentals of Vascular Physiology and Pathology (GMS 6683)
Students will also take Journal Club (GMS 6491) and a seminar course (GMS 6495) for all Fall and Spring semester that they are enrolled in the Physiology Concentration.
Example Schedule – Physiology and Aging Concentration
| Semester 1 | Semester 2 | Semester 3 and Beyond |
|---|---|---|
| GMS 6001: Fundamentals of Biomedical Research, 5 credit hours | GMS 7877: Responsible Conduct of Biomedical Research, 1 credit hour | GMS 6491: Journal Club in Physiology, 1 credit hour |
| GMS 6003: Essentials of Graduate Research & Professional Development, 1 credit hour | GMS 6090: Rotation #3, 1 credit hour | GMS 6495, Seminars in Physiology, 1 credit hour |
| GMS 6090: Rotation #1, 1 credit hour | GMS 6471: Physiology & Functional Genomics I, 1 credit hour | Advanced course work (need a minimum of 6 credit hours prior to graduation), 2 credit hours |
| GMS 6090: Rotation #2, 1 credit hour | GMS 6472: Physiology & Functional Genomics II, 1 credit hour | GMS 7979, Laboratory Based Research, 5 credit hours |
| GMS 6491: Journal Club in Physiology, 1 credit hour | GMS 6473: Physiology & Functional Genomics III, 1 credit hour | |
| GMS 6491, Journal Club in Physiology, 1 credit hour | ||
| Additional course work of interest to the student/research, 3 credit hours |
The Faculty and Their Research
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For a list of core faculty members in the Physiology and Aging advanced program, along with information on if they are currently accepting rotation students, please click here.
For a list of affiliate and joint faculty members in the Physiology and Aging advanced program, along with information on if they are currently accepting rotation students, please click here.
Meet Karyn Esser, Ph.D. and learn about her research on circadian rhythms:
What We’re Reading
The latest from Science Magazine:
Concentration Contacts
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Andrew Chuanyin Liu, Ph.D.
Coordinator, Physiology and Aging Concentration
Department of Physiology and Aging – UF College of Medicine
Phone: (352) 294-8900 | E-mail: andrew.liu@ufl.edu
Co-Coordinator Coordinator, Physiology and Aging Concentration
Department of Physiology and Aging – UF College of Medicine
Phone: (352) 273-5682 | Email: han.s@ufl.edu
Robyn Edwards
Graduate Administrator
Phone: (352) 294-5064 | E-mail: redwards@ufl.edu