Cellular and Molecular Physiology

B-147 Sterling Hall of Medicine, 737.2215
M.S., M.Phil., Ph.D.

Chair
Steven C. 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, Arthur DuBois (Epidemiology), Barbara Ehrlich (Pharmacology), Bliss Forbush III, John Geibel (Surgery), Gerhard Giebisch, Steven Goldstein (Pediatrics), Steven Hebert, Leonard Kaczmarek (Pharmacology), Steven Segal, Gerald Shulman (Internal Medicine/Endocrinology), Fred Sigworth, Carolyn Slayman (Genetics), Clifford Slayman, John Stitt (Epidemiology), Fred Wright (Internal Medicine/Nephrology)

Associate Professors
Cecilia Canessa, Lloyd Cantley (Internal Medicine/Nephrology), Marie Egan (Pediatrics), Vincent Pieribone, George Richerson (Neurology), Yufeng Zhou

Assistant Professors
Angelique Bordey (Neurosurgery), Reiko Maki Fitzsimonds, P. Darrell Neufer, David Zenisek

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, 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 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. 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. After passing the qualifying examination and submitting a satisfactory thesis prospectus, students are admitted to candidacy and begin research on their thesis. The completed dissertation must describe original research making a significant contribution to knowledge.

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. Students are not expected to teach during their first year.

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. Under certain circumstances continuing or transferring students may become eligible for the M.S. or M.Phil. degree.

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

Courses
C&MP 520a, Current Perspectives in Physiology.  Reiko M. Fitzsimonds, 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, exercise physiology. 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.  Steven Segal and staff. MWF 9.30–10.20
We develop a foundation in human physiology, the regulation of homeostasis, 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. Regulation of cardiac output, blood flow, and vascular exchange are integrated in light of exercise performance. Respiratory physiology explores the mechanics of ventilation, gas diffusion, and acid-base balance. Renal physiology explores the formation and composition of urine and the regulation of electrolyte, fluid, and acid-base balance. Organs of the digestive system are developed from the perspective of substrate metabolism and energy balance. Hormonal regulation is applied to metabolic control and to calcium, water, and electrolyte balance. The special senses are considered in light of signaling processes inherent to the nervous system. 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.  Michael Caplan, Emile Boulpaep, Mark Mooseker. MWF 9.30–10.20
This course focuses on understanding the processes that transfer molecules across membranes at the cellular, molecular, biophysical, and physiologic 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 and their individual functions. The interactions among transport proteins in determining the physiologic 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 MCDB 560bu.

[C&MP 610b, Neurophysiology: Theory and Practice.] 

C&MP 710b, Electron Cryo-Microscopy for Protein Structure Determination.
Vinzenz Unger, Fred Sigworth. Understanding cellular function requires structural and biochemical studies at an ever-increasing level of complexity. 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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