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Pharmacology is the unified study of properties of biologically active chemicals and living organisms and all aspects of their interactions. It is an important link in medical education and biomedical science. The Department of Pharmacology at Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine evolved in July of 1979 from a broad-based, six-year old medical sciences group, resulting in a new emphasis on this discipline. The Department is charged with delivery of the graduate program in pharmacology and the main pharmacology medical student curriculum. Since its inception, this unit has grown substantially in research capability, having acquired both research personnel and substantial extramural funding support. Although it is still relatively young, the Department is highly energetic and rapidly achieving academic excellence.
Today, the Department of Pharmacology is comprised of eight (8) full-time faculty members, eleven (11) associated faculty, sixteen (16) graduate students, and five (5) postdoctoral fellows. The graduate students and postdoctoral fellows represent a rich variety of American and international background and experience. Five main areas of research are currently pursued by faculty: neuropharmacology, cardiovascular pharmacology, molecular and biochemical pharmacology, and toxicology. In addition to intradepartmental projects, opportunities for collaborative research with clinical investigators are available. Such efforts to date have brought fruitful results. The Department's research programs have attracted many federal and private grants that have provided almost $3 million over the past five years in support of research. Some of the extramural agencies which have provided funding include the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Department of Defense, American Heart Association Illinois Affiliate, Deafness Research Foundation, American Health Assistance Foundation, Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association, Illinois Department of Public Health and Environmental Protection Agency.
