Education & Training
Graduate Programs
The Department of Physiology is dedicated to biomedical graduate education. We train students with diverse backgrounds who are interested in the principles of molecular, cellular, and organ physiology. Penn Physiology faculty are at the forefront of their fields and receive over $19,000,000 in research funding. State-of-the-art facilities, resources, and equipment are available for graduate training and scientific discovery.
The intellectual and collegial environment of the department is ideal for student education. Seminars, journal clubs, lab meetings, and informal departmental gatherings provide students with opportunities to participate in research discussions and to establish the collaborations necessary for interdisciplinary training. All Physiology graduate students are administered through the office of Biomedical Graduate Studies. The majority of our students belong to one of the following three graduate groups: Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Cell and Molecular Biology, and Neuroscience.
Cell & Molecular Biology
The Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group (CAMB) is an interdisciplinary graduate program, providing rigorous training in modern cell and molecular biology. Within this integrated program are six discipline areas: Cell Biology and Physiology, Cancer Biology, Developmental Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Gene Therapy and Vaccines, Genetics and Gene Regulation, and Microbiology Virology and Parasitology. Physiology faculty play a leading role in the organization and development of CAMB graduate courses and sponsor students through the Cell Biology and Physiology program. The research efforts of these extraordinary scientists are diverse in their focus, experimental system, methodology, and represent the leading edge of basic and translational biomedical science.
Neuroscience
The Neuroscience Graduate Group (NGG) at the University of Pennsylvania is a collaborative and interdisciplinary Ph.D. program that provides training for careers in neuroscience research and teaching. Founded in 1984, the NGG is part of the Biomedical Graduate Studies (BGS) program. They bring together over 100 faculty from 32 academic departments in the Schools of Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, and the associated Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Physiology faculty teach in the core curriculum courses and serve as supervisors for dissertation research in Cell and Molecular Neuroscience.
Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics
The Graduate Group in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics is devoted to the education and training of a new generation of scientists ready to apply quantitative, mechanistic and molecular approaches to advance the frontiers of biomedical research.
Grounded on a strong relationship with the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, BMB offers truly interdisciplinary training that is coordinated by a fluid and diverse faculty representing many departments and schools of the University.
Physiology faculty mentor students and sponsor courses through this graduate program.
