Quick Program Facts
Types of programs: doctoral program, master’s in medical physiology
Total PhD Students: 29 full-time
Application deadline: rolling admissions, however the priority application deadline is January 15. Apply through the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Biomedical Sciences.
The physiology PhD program at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is home to one of the top research and training facilities in the nation. The program is led by prominent scientists in disciplines including cardiovascular, renal and respiratory physiology, genetics, genomics molecular and cellular physiology and more.
Students will receive unsurpassed mentorship and training and will benefit from a highly collaborative environment focused on education and training in integrative physiology. The research programs of the physiology faculty expose students to new energy and synergism between classical physiology and the evolving fields of physiological genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, personalized medicine and systems molecular medicine. The research programs offer unique translational studies of whole animal and molecular models with human physiology and health. Integrating information obtained by sequencing the genomes of individual patients with clinical information increases understanding of organ function in health and disease states. Trainees develop the critical thinking, integrative reasoning and technical skills required to create and participate in evolving research careers related to multiple diseases.
The physiology PhD program, part of the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Biomedical Sciences, is interdisciplinary both in course work and basic science and translational research. The program provides a strong foundation for a career in biomedical sciences and integrative physiology, and of equal importance, helps create a mindset and background that will enable the trainees to develop and/or move into new and evolving scientific fields.
The major emphasis of the program is to provide state-of-the-art research training. This training will be obtained under the supervision by a team of National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded physiology mentors and co-mentors from other basic science and clinical faculty. The primary research emphasis is cardiovascular/renal and respiratory physiology and genetics, with endocrine, smooth muscle, central nervous system physiology and genetics as the major focus in some laboratories. Research will range from the use of whole animal through isolated organs, tissue culture and single cells to the molecular level, including signal transduction, biochemical pathways, gene expression and computational approaches to the analysis of complex systems.
The flexible curriculum is designed for students to:
- acquire basic knowledge of all the biomedical basic sciences;
- develop critical thinking, integrative reasoning, and technical skills for research; and
- obtain the oral and written communication skills required for research and teaching responsibilities.
The master’s program in medical physiology at MCW is a one-year program designed for a college graduate looking to strengthen their academic credentials in preparation for applying to U.S. medical schools and other graduate programs in healthcare-related fields. The program is closely integrated with our first-year medical student curriculum, providing students with a comparable experience encountered as a medical student, including examinations. While the program curriculum provides a combination of both medical school and graduate school training, this program is geared for students interested in attending medical, physician’s assistant, pharmacy and other graduate level programs.
The research programs in this department are multidisciplinary and are tightly integrated with several research centers on the MCW campus:
- Cardiovascular Center
- Center of Systems Molecular Medicine
- Neuroscience Research Center
- Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine Center
- Cancer Center
- Joint Marquette University and MCW Department of Biomedical Engineering
MCW has one of the strongest physiology departments in the country with more than $17 million in NIH funding annually and was ranked fourth among all 80 U.S.-based medical schools in 2021. The collaborative research faculty are supported by core facilities including computer, biochemistry, microscopy, cell culture, animal and chronic monitoring. The Physiology Department at MCW also has several large program project grants and consortia which are collaborative efforts of several faculty members focused on specific research topics.
Full-time PhD degree-seeking students in good academic and professional standing receive full tuition coverage, a yearly stipend ($32,633 for the 2022-2023 academic year) and complimentary health insurance. MCW offers a $1,000 annual supplement for any graduate student who receives a competitive extramural fellowship.
All MCW PhD students have published at least one manuscript, generally 2-3 manuscripts. All students who have obtained PhDs over the last 10 years have continued in the biomedical sciences as medical students, postdoctoral researchers, teaching faculty and/or researchers in industry. Average duration from matriculation to graduation is 4.9 years.
Learn more about our faculty members.
Contact us: phone: 414.955.8218; email: gradschool@mcw.edu