The Department of Molecular and Biomedical Pharmacology
The Department of Molecular and Biomedical Pharmacology in the College of Medicine at the University of Kentucky offers programs in cellular and molecular pharmacology and training in biomedical research based on technologies and concepts at the cutting edge of rapidly developing fields in biomedical and molecular research. The Department has a long-standing commitment to excellence in graduate training.
Pharmacology, as a discipline, appears to be one area of biomedical sciences that will almost surely grow in importance, as the biomedical research community, government and pharmaceutical industry strive to utilize new scientific advances for the health and welfare of an aging society.
Consequently, the faculty strongly believe that Ph.D. Pharmacologists of the future must be well trained in the newest concepts and technologies of the rapidly evolving biomedical sciences, in order to be able both to conduct sophisticated modern research and to teach molecular and cellular pharmacology relevant to the future of medicine. In addition, our students receive excellent training in traditional concepts of pharmacology, within which the new approaches are integrated.
The Department currently includes basic research programs relevant to a wide range of important health issues, from brain aging, neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's Disease to cardiovascular function and disease, and molecular carcinogenesis.
The Department prides itself on its state-of-the-art research equipment and cutting edge approaches. Advanced Facilities in Molecular Biology, DNA Array Techniques and Cell Imaging are housed in the department or in nearby space. Instrumentation in individual laboratories includes equipment for molecular biology, real time PCR analysis of gene expression, new patch clamp and electrophysiological setups, imaging facilities, including rapid confocal laser scanning microscopy and other items.
In addition to a number of classical pharmacological methods, the techniques used in these programs include: sophisticated molecular biological analysis of drug and hormone receptors, patch clamp electrophysiology for recording electrical currents through single membrane ion channels, Ca2+ imaging, quantitative autoradiography, gene expression profile analysis in single cells, tissue cultures, high performance liquid chromatography, mass spectroscopy, and behavioral characterization of animals following genetic manipulations (e.g. gene knockouts).
These programs are highly successful and many are nationally and internationally recognized. At present, the Department ranks tenth among all U.S. public medical school pharmacology departments in external grant funding per full-time faculty member.
Students seeking the Ph.D. in the Department are officially enrolled under the auspices of the UK Graduate School, and take a first-year course of study through the Integrated Biomedical Sciences (IBS) program that includes a broad background in Biochemistry, Physiology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Cell Biology, and Cell Signaling.
Following completion of IBS training, students choose a department and research advisor. Most course work is completed within the first two years, leaving the student free to concentrate on research and a Ph.D. thesis in subsequent years.
Students receive a yearly stipend that is highly competitive by national standards, and participate in a full range of departmental and Medical Center activities (e.g., seminars, research presentation days, social events, etc.).
Throughout their training, students are exposed to a rich intellectual environment, that includes attending national conferences and interacting with internationally recognized researchers through the Department seminar series. Various programs in the College of Medicine sponsor annual graduate student research colloquia, which bring together graduate students from all of the college's programs. Students present posters and oral presentations of their research projects and compete for awards.
Furthermore, students attend and present research results at national meetings. It is the department's goal that at the completion of the Ph.D. degree, a student in this program will have received one of the strongest preparations available for beginning a career in state-of-the-art research and/or teaching in modern biomedical science and pharmacology.
In addition to the research and education components of the graduate program, there are numerous social functions that are organized by the Department and by the Graduate Student Organizations within the Medical Center.