Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Bulletin of Yale University
 
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Cellular and Molecular Physiology

B-147 Sterling Hall of Medicine, 737.2215
http://info.med.yale.edu/cmphysiol/
M.Phil., Ph.D.

Chair
Steven Hebert

Director of Graduate Studies
Emile Boulpaep (B-142 SHM, 785.4055, emile.boulpaep@yale.edu)

Professors
Peter Aronson (Internal Medicine/Nephrology), Henry Binder (Internal Medicine/Digestive Disease), Walter Boron, Emile Boulpaep, Thomas Brown (Psychology), Michael Caplan, W. Knox Chandler, Lawrence Cohen, Barbara Ehrlich (Pharmacology), Bliss Forbush III, John Geibel (Surgery), Steven Hebert, Leonard Kaczmarek (Pharmacology), Patricia Preisig (Internal Medicine/Nephrology), George Richerson (Neurology), W. Mark Saltzman (Biomedical Engineering), Joseph Santos-Sacchi (Surgery/Otolaryngology), Gerald Shulman (Internal Medicine/Endocrinology), Fred Sigworth, Carolyn Slayman (Genetics), Clifford Slayman, Fred Wright (Internal Medicine/Nephrology), Lawrence Young (Internal Medicine/Cardiology)

Associate Professors
Angelique Bordey (Neurosurgery), Cecilia Canessa, Lloyd Cantley (Internal Medicine/Nephrology), Marie Egan (Pediatrics)

Assistant Professors
Michael Nitabach, Susumu Tomita, David Zenisek, Yufeng Zhou

Fields of Study

Fields of study range from cellular and molecular physiology to integrative medical biology. Areas of current interest include: ion channels, transporters and pumps, membrane biophysics, cellular and systems neurobiology, protein trafficking, epithelial transport, signal transduction pathways, vascular biology, organ physiology, genetic models of human disease, pathophysiology, structural biology of membrane proteins, and physiological genomics.

Special Admissions Requirements

We welcome applications from students with backgrounds in the biological, chemical, and/or physical sciences. These include majors in biology, biochemistry, physiology, genetics, chemistry, physics, mathematics, engineering, computer science, and psychology. Courses in biology, biochemistry, organic and physical chemistry, and mathematics through elementary calculus are recommended. The GRE General Test is required. To enter the Ph.D. program, students will apply to the Physiology and Integrative Medical Biology track within the interdepartmental graduate program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences.

Special Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree

Formal requirements for the Ph.D. degree include two or three terms of course work, a qualifying examination taken by the end of the second year, submission of a thesis prospectus, two terms of teaching, and completion and satisfactory defense of the thesis.
Students are expected to design a suitable program of courses in consultation with a faculty adviser. The director of graduate studies will provide general oversight of the course selections. These courses will provide a coherent background for the expected area of thesis research and also satisfy the department’s subject and proficiency requirements. Students must pass at least six graduate-level courses, including C&MP 520a, C&MP 550a, and C&MP 560b. Also during the first two terms, each student should explore research projects by performing rotations in at least three laboratories to create an informed basis upon which to select a thesis project by the end of the first year. There is no foreign language requirement. The qualifying examination, which must be passed by the end of the student’s second year, will cover areas of physiology that complement the student’s major research interest.

An important dimension of graduate training in cellular and molecular physiology is the acquisition of teaching skills through participation in courses appropriate for the student’s academic interests. Ph.D. students are expected to participate in two terms (or the equivalent) of teaching, at least at the level of Teaching Fellow 2. Students are not expected to teach during their first year.

After satisfying the departmental predissertation requirements, passing the qualifying examination, submitting a satisfactory thesis prospectus, and having fulfilled the teaching requirement, students are admitted to candidacy. The completed dissertation must describe original research making a significant contribution to knowledge.

Honors Requirement

Students must meet the Graduate School’s Honors requirement by the end of the fourth term of full-time study.

Master’s Degrees

No students are admitted for master’s degrees. A student leaving the Ph.D. program after one year of residence in good standing, and having completed a full two-term curriculum of courses with grades that satisfy departmental requirements, may elect to receive a terminal Master of Science (M.S.) degree. Any student who has fulfilled all the requirements for the Ph.D. except the prospectus and dissertation may elect to receive the Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) degree, normally at the end of the second year. See Degree Requirements.


Program materials are available upon request to the Department Registrar, Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University, School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, PO Box 208026, New Haven CT 06520-8026.

Courses

C&MP 520a, Current Perspectives in Physiology.  David Zenisek.
TTh 2.30–3.45
This seminar course explores a diverse range of current topics in physiology, emphasizing readings and discussions of recent primary literature. A variety of expert physiologists present topics such as structural biology, membrane transport, signal transduction, sensory systems, and neurophysiology. Instructors guide the discussion regarding the background, the experiments, the methods, and most importantly the impact of relevant research papers. The aim of the course is to understand how physiological approaches integrate the study of organismal function from genes, to systems, to behavior and disease.

C&MP 550a, Physiological Systems.  W. Mark Saltzman, Emile Boulpaep.
MWF 9.25–10.15
The course develops a foundation in human physiology by examining the homeostasis of vital parameters within the body, and the biophysical properties of cells, tissues, and organs. Basic concepts in cell and membrane physiology are synthesized through exploring the function of skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscle. The physical basis of blood flow, mechanisms of vascular exchange, cardiac performance, and regulation of overall circulatory function are discussed. Respiratory physiology explores the mechanics of ventilation, gas diffusion, and acid-base balance. Renal physiology examines the formation and composition of urine and the regulation of electrolyte, fluid, and acid-base balance. Organs of the digestive system are discussed from the perspective of substrate metabolism and energy balance. Hormonal regulation is applied to metabolic control and to calcium, water, and electrolyte balance. The biology of nerve cells is addressed with emphasis on synaptic transmission and simple neuronal circuits within the central nervous system. The special senses are considered in the framework of sensory transduction. Weekly discussion sections provide a forum for in-depth exploration of topics. Graduate students evaluate research findings through literature review and weekly meetings with the instructor. Also ENAS 550au, MCDB 550au.

C&MP 560b, Cellular and Molecular Physiology: Molecular Machines in Human Disease.  Emile Boulpaep, Mark Mooseker, Fred Sigworth.
MWF 9.25–10.15
This course focuses on understanding the processes that transfer molecules across membranes at the cellular, molecular, biophysical, and physiological levels. Students learn about the different classes of molecular machines that mediate membrane transport, generate electrical currents, or perform mechanical displacement. Emphasis is placed upon the relationship between the molecular structures of membrane proteins, their normal function, and abnormal function in human disease. The interactions among transport proteins in determining the physiological behaviors of cells and tissues are also stressed. Molecular motors are introduced and their mechanical relationship to cell function is explored. Students read papers from the scientific literature that establish the connections between mutations in genes encoding membrane proteins and a wide variety of human genetic diseases. Also ENAS 570bu, MCDB 560bu.

C&MP 610, Medical Research Scholars Program: Mentored Clinical Experience. Fred Gorelick and staff.
The goals of this course are to introduce MRSP students to aspects of clinically important human diseases. Students explore each disease over three 1⁄2-hour sessions led by a clinician-scientist who is an expert in the relevant organ system. Students explore two disease processes per term. The first of the three sessions is devoted to a discussion of the clinical presentation, natural history, pathology, epidemiology, treatment, and prognosis of the disease process. During this session students have the opportunity to view gross or microscopic specimens of diseased tissue in association with members of the Pathology faculty. Students are assigned readings in pathology, pathophysiology, and clinical texts to prepare for the first class session. The second session focuses on translational aspects of the disease process. Students read and present papers relevant to the molecular basis of the disease and cutting-edge approaches to its therapy. In the third session students meet with patients who have experienced the disease and/or visit and explore facilities associated with diagnosis and treatment of the disease process. Prior to the third session students receive guidance as to what they will observe and how to approach the experience and, at the end of the session, the group discusses its thoughts and impressions. Students are expected to prepare for sessions, to participate actively, and to be scrupulously respectful of patients and patient facilities.

C&MP 710b, Electron Cryo-Microscopy for Protein Structure Determination.Vinzenz Unger, Fred Sigworth.
TTh 9–10.15
Understanding cellular function requires structural and biochemical studies at an ever-increasing level of complexity. The course is an introduction into the concepts and applications of high-resolution electron cryo-microscopy. This rapidly emerging new technique is the only tool known to date that allows biological macromolecules to be studied at all levels of resolution ranging from their cellular organization to near-atomic detail. Also MB&B 710b4.

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