| Graduate Study
The department offers the requisite work for medical
students and for the MS and PhD degrees. Doctoral applicants are
required to submit GRE General Test scores.
Required course work includes basic courses in related
sciences or demonstrated competence in these fields, plus other courses
adapted to the needs of the particular student as determined by the
major professor and the thesis or dissertation committee. Most students
will be expected to take graduate courses in biochemistry, physiology,
and pharmacology. Elective courses in pathology, microbiology, anatomy,
chemistry, and clinical medicine are recommended.
Further details on the program and faculty may be
requested from the department.
Master’s Degree
MS graduates usually pursue further graduate training
in pharmacology, its related fields, or medicine.
Doctoral Degree
After postdoctoral training, recipients of the PhD
have accepted teaching and/or research positions in universities, the
pharmaceutical industry, and private and governmental research
institutes.
Physiology
Biomedical Science T-608
1960 East-West Road
Honolulu, HI 96822
Tel: (808) 956-8640
Fax: (808) 956-9722
Faculty
*G. C. Whittow, PhD (Chair)--thermoregulation
*J. R. Claybaugh, PhD--body fluid regulation
*H. L. Gillary, PhD--human evoked potentials
*J. M. Hanna, PhD--physiological anthropology
*D. A. Lally, PhD--exercise physiology
*Y. C. Lin, PhD--cardiovascular, hyperbaric physiology
*M. D. Rayner, PhD--neurophysiology
*D. O. Smith, PhD--molecular neurobiology
*R. M. Smith, PhD--free radical biology
R. K. Wada, MD--cell pathophysiology
Cooperating Graduate Faculty
S. Batkin, MD—physiology of the spinal cord
K. P. Jeraj, DVM—verterinary physiology
J. J. McNamara, MD—cardiopulmonary physiology
J. G. Starkus, PhD—axonology
F. L. Tabrah, MD—environmental physiology
*C. W. Weems, PhD—reproductive endocrinology
Affiliate Graduate Faculty
R. Brill, PhD--fish physiology
*G. H. Hartung, PhD--exercise physiology
S. E. McNeil, PhD--molecular physiology
J. Pegg, MD--diving medicine
*Graduate Faculty
Degrees Offered: MS in biomedical science
(physiology), PhD in biomedical science (physiology)
The Academic Program
Physiology (PHYL) is the study of the function of
animals, i.e., how they work. As part of the School of Medicine, the
department places emphasis on human physiology in its teaching. However,
research is conducted on animals as diverse as laboratory rats and
tropical seabirds. Many of the department’s courses are needed by
students seeking health-related careers, such as dental hygiene,
dentistry, medical technology, medicine, nursing, nutrition, physical
therapy, public health, and the social sciences. Graduate students in
physiology may elect to conduct research at the molecular or cellular
level, on organs such as the lungs, or on the whole animal or person.
There are special opportunities in the department for hyperbaric
research. Higher degrees in physiology prepare students for teaching
careers in universities, community colleges, and high schools, as well
as for research careers at universities, government laboratories, and
large pharmaceutical companies. Other students obtain positions in
sports-training activities or in health and fitness programs in
hospitals or private businesses.
Graduate Study
The PhD and MS Plan A programs require a combination
of course work and original research, the latter forming the basis of
the student’s thesis or dissertation. Both degrees may serve as an
introduction to a research career. The MS Plan B program is also
offered.
Applicants must submit three letters of recommendation
together with either GRE or MCAT scores. All applicants are expected to
have adequate backgrounds in biology, chemistry, mathematics, molecular
biology, physics. The course requirements of admitted students vary with
their degree and specialization, but all candidates for the MS and
PhD degrees must take a written qualifying examination.
Opportunities for research exist in the areas of
hyperbaric and diving physiology; cardiovascular, respiratory, and
environ-mental physiology; endocrinology; neurophysiology; physiological
anthropology; and thermoregulation. In addition to laboratories in the
Biomedical Sciences building, there are special facilities for research
in endocrinology at Tripler Army Medical Center.
Master’s Degree
The MS (Plan B) degree serves as training for teaching
positions at the high school, community college, or four-year college
level. It may also be a prelude to a medical or dental education. The MS
concentration in exercise physiology provides adequate preparation for a
career in sports medicine and training and in health and fitness
programs in hospitals and private businesses.
Requirements
Candidates for the MS Plan B degree are required to
pass a written qualifying examination and to prepare a written paper and
give an oral presentation in addition to fulfilling course requirements
(total of 30 credits). Candidates for the MS Plan A degree must submit
an acceptable outline of their proposed thesis research, submit and
defend a thesis, and fulfill all course requirements. The MS Plan A
degree requires a combination of course work and original research, the
latter forming the basis of the student’s thesis. In addition to
qualifying students for opportunities available to MS Plan B students,
the MS Plan A may serve as an introduction to a research career.
Doctoral Degree
PhD graduates usually obtain postdoctoral positions
elsewhere as further preparation for a career in teaching and research
at the university level.
Requirements
PhD candidates must take a written qualifying
examination and an oral comprehensive examination and submit an
acceptable outline of their proposed dissertation research. They must
also submit and defend their dissertation. |