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What is Pharmacology?
Pharmacology is the study of how chemicals affect living organisms. These chemicals include drugs, toxic substances, dietary components and endogenous components such as hormones and neurotransmitters. The study of pharmacology presupposes an understanding of physiology and an implied, if not explicit, objective of research in pharmacology is understanding how the effects of drugs or other compounds are manifested in intact organisms (e.g., man). A full understanding of the actions of drugs or other agents requires knowledge of how the chemical arrives at its site of action, as well as an understanding of its molecular mechanism(s) at target sites. Generally, both of these processes relate to normal events in living organisms.
Thus, understanding the pharmacological effects of a drug involves understanding the interplay of chemistry and biology. Pharmacology involves understanding the interplay of chemistry and biology.An important component of this interplay is the quantitative relationship between the amount of the chemical and the biological response. A fundamental tool of the pharmacologist is an understanding of the use and interpretation of quantitative experimental data. Pharmacology research, by nature, is interdisciplinary. It ties together science at nearly all levels, and uses experimental approaches from many areas ranging from chemistry and physics to molecular and cell biology to physiology and clinical medicine. Training in pharmacology requires a broad understanding of normal processes (physiology), their disease-related counterparts (pathology), and the use of chemicals (i.e., drugs) to treat disease (therapeutics). Generally, pharmacology provides the bridge between basic sciences and clinical sciences in a biomedical education curriculum.
Please find specific information about the graduate program and structure under our program link.
Further information regarding the program may be obtained by writing to the Director of the Graduate Training Program, Steven A. Rosenzweig, Ph.D., in the Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology.