Pharmacology

Our department strives to achieve excellence in research, graduate and postdoctoral training and medical education. The research interests of our faculty are generally focused on cardiovascular pharmacology and use a wide variety of experimental approaches that include interactions with scientists of other basic science and clinical departments. The Department has a long record of success in graduate education, and our graduates work in numerous universities, pharmaceutical companies and government agencies. The size of our program encourages the development of a close working relationship between students and faculty. We make an effort to tailor our programs to individual student needs in a manner that will provide them with a solid foundation for successful careers in pharmacology and biomedical science.

The Department of Pharmacology graduate program offers courses leading to the degrees of:

• Master of Science (M.S.) in Pharmacology
• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Pharmacology

Emphasis is placed upon training in research methods including the examination of the action of drugs at the systemic, cellular and subcellular levels, quantitation of responses, statistical analysis, literature search and critical interpretation of data. Special efforts have been made to provide considerable flexibility in determining the student's program based on background, interests and projected aims.

A master’s and/or Ph.D. degree in pharmacology is good preparation for career opportunities involving research, teaching and administration. Academic positions are found in schools of medicine, pharmacy, dentistry and veterinary medicine. Also, since pharmacology spans many disciplines, academic positions can be found in departments of biology, cell biology, chemistry, biochemistry, pathology, immunology, microbiology and molecular biology. Career opportunities also abound in the pharmaceutical, chemical and biotechnology industries as well as in numerous private and government research institutes. There is and will continue to be a high demand for individuals trained in pharmacology to address problems that lie at the forefront of fields relating to basic and applied biological science. Such careers offer intellectual stimulation and creative expression, and will be of practical importance to the future needs of our society.

Research

A fundamental goal of the pharmacologist is to better understand the biochemical and physiological mechanisms regulating organ functions, and the nature of the abnormalities which underlie pathological states—for example, hypertension or cancer. Such information lays a foundation for the development of new therapeutic drugs and is critical to understanding how drugs produce beneficial or toxic effects. In the Department of Pharmacology, the underlying questions under investigation in our research laboratories address how hormones and neurotransmitters regulate specific organ functions, and their role in disease states and drug responses. A variety of organ systems are examined to address specific medical problems, but a major focus of the department has been studies on the vasculature, heart and the kidney.

Investigators are particularly interested in how the interactions between circulating hormones, autacoids and cytochrome P450-derived eicosanoids impact the development of hypertension, stroke and vascular changes associated with inflammation. Another major focus is related to the impact of obesity/metabolic syndrome on immunity, the cardiovascular system and pathological conditions including heart failure, pulmonary hypertension and atherosclerosis. The research programs in the Department are funded by various intramural and extramural sources (National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, etc.). Translational aspects of the research programs in the Department are exemplified by fostering collaborations with clinicians through specific IRBs that allows for procurement of specimens to identify biomarkers and/or causative factors in diseases.

Contact Us

Office Phone: 914-594-4116
Office Fax: 914-594-4956

Mailing Address:
Department of Pharmacology
Basic Science Building
15 Dana Road
Valhalla, NY 10595

GSBMS Office of Admissions
Basic Sciences Building, Room A41
gsbms_apply@nymc.edu
Phone: 914-594-4110
Fax: 914-594-4944