Quick Program Facts
Degree Programs: PhD
Application Deadlines: February 1
The pharmacology and physiology graduate program at Saint Louis University is nationally recognized for excellence. Our program is designed to provide students with a strong foundation in basic biomedical science and the freedom to explore diverse research opportunities. During the first year of study, all traditional doctoral students enroll in the core graduate program in biomedical sciences. Upon successful completion of the first-year curriculum, students who choose a mentor from pharmacology and physiology can enter the departmental graduate program. Students who have a master’s degree in a related subject can bypass the core program and enter the department directly as second-year students.
In preparing students for productive careers in academics and industry, our program has five defining goals:
- to instill enthusiasm for discovery and the scientific process,
- to foster the development of critical thinking skills,
- to develop laboratory research competence,
- to develop oral and written communication skills, and
- to promote a commitment to scholarship.
We are committed to fostering an environment of diversity and inclusivity within our department and we especially encourage applications from individuals who have historically experienced exclusion because of race, ethnicity, gender identity, disability or sexual orientation.
The first year of the curriculum is covered by a core program in biomedical sciences consisting of courses that cover the broad basics of the biomedical sciences, as well as laboratory rotations where students gain hands-on research experience and identify a future mentor.
Upon acceptance into the pharmacology and physiology program, students undertake advanced coursework designed to help them become proficient in the fundamentals of pharmacology as well as understand physiology and the application of pharmacology to specific systems. The curriculum covers neuroscience, endocrinology, the autonomic, cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, and gastrointestinal systems. At the conclusion of these courses, students learn the fundamentals of grant writing with a hands-on course culminating in a mock study section.
Formal coursework is followed by a preliminary examination—a written document in the style of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) R21 application—that will be defended in an oral examination. Students then complete two to three years of laboratory-based research. Completion of a written dissertation along with public and private oral defenses are required for graduation. The program is completed in an average of five years.
The major areas of research within the pharmacology and physiology department include:
- pain disorders and therapeutics,
- metabolic disorders,
- neuronal diseases,
- cardiovascular control mechanisms,
- diabetes,
- cancer,
- immune cell control, and
- medicinal chemistry.
Full-time PhD students in good academic and professional standing receive a financial support package that includes full tuition coverage, a yearly stipend ($31,400 for the 2021-2022 academic year) and health insurance.
We have graduated over 73 PhDs since 1985, and many of our alumni have secured prominent positions in academia, government and industry. Our graduates hold tenured faculty positions at numerous institutions including Boston University, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Virginia, the University of Washington and the University of Pittsburgh. Three of our graduates are now chairs of medical school departments (University of Chile, University of Houston, and City University of New York School of Medicine) and one is the dean of the graduate school at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. We also have many graduates in leadership positions in industry including Merck USA, Sanofi, Millipore Sigma and Novartis and others in government agencies including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and NASA.
Our Funding
Our faculty has an excellent record in obtaining funding from recognized agencies such as the NIH and the National Science Foundation. We have had over 30 years of continuous funding from the NIH for a highly competitive T32 Training Grant in Pharmacological Sciences.
Core Facilities
Saint Louis University boasts many state-of-the-art research facilities at including core centers in cellular imaging, X-ray crystallography, protein expression, metabolomics, microarray, bioinformatics and nuclear magnetic resonance.
Program Contacts:
Rick Samson, PhD, Core Graduate Director; willis.samson@health.slu.edu or Heather Macarthur, PhD, Director of Graduate Studies for Pharmacology and Physiology; heather.macarthur@health.slu.edu.