Jump To:  Graduate Search  >  Institution  >  College/School  >  Department/Program      

My Saved Schools  |  Print

Apply Now	Faculty	School Web Site
Program Information	Research

Others also viewed:

• Case Western Reserve University, Department of Pharmacology
• Creighton University, Department of Pharmacology
• University of Washington, Department of Pharmacology

View full list

Detailed Information

Program of Study

The program offers the degree of Ph.D. in pharmacology. The Department of Pharmacology is a part of Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine. The course work and research training are offered at the Springfield Campus. The program consists of formal course work in pharmacology with emphasis in neuroscience, research, teaching experience, presentations at professional meetings, and publication of research. The objective of the program is to provide a thorough understanding of basic pharmacology and neuroscience. Students may choose from a variety of specializations (see faculty research fields) when picking a research adviser and a research topic.

Students must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate School and the Pharmacology Graduate Program to receive an advanced degree in pharmacology. Students entering the pharmacology graduate training program are required to have a strong background in physiology and biochemistry. Deficiencies, if they exist, can be remedied by taking the course work offered at the Carbondale campus, the main campus of Southern Illinois University (SIU).

All the pharmacology course work takes place at the Springfield Campus. During the first year, core course work in pharmacology and related areas is accomplished. In addition, the student, in collaboration with the adviser, formulates a research project and selects a dissertation committee, which provides guidance for the project. After successful completion of a written comprehensive examination, typically taken in late summer at the end of the first year, the student submits a research proposal for dissertation work and defends it in an oral examination conducted by the dissertation committee. Before final admission to candidacy, tool requirements and fulfillment of residency requirements (24 credit hours) must be accomplished. After all other requirements for the degree are satisfied, the final oral exam is taken. This exam consists of a seminar that describes the dissertation work and a formal review conducted by the dissertation committee. Completion of a Ph.D. degree takes, on average, five years.

Research Facilities

The Department of Pharmacology occupies approximately 13,000 square feet of the Medical Instructional Facility of the School of Medicine. Each research group has access to highly specialized, state-of-the-art facilities for research on electrophysiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, cellular biology, and behavioral science. The School of Medicine continues to render strong support in the form of state-supported, technical assistance and a core research facility. Through collaborative agreements, facilities in other departments of the medical school are available. This permits the students and faculty members to interact extensively with other basic and clinical research programs. Research facilities, all housed within the Medical Instructional Facility, include a computer center, an extensive biomedical sciences library, an electron microscope and image analysis facility, a biomedical communications department, a fine-instrument shop, and a laboratory animal facility accredited by the American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care. 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 that have provided funding include the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Deafness Research Foundation, Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association, American Heart and Stroke Association, and the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Financial Aid

Students admitted into the Pharmacology Graduate Program, if qualified, may receive stipend support when entering the Ph.D. program. Financial support is given for a twelve-month period in the form of a fellowship with a competitive stipend and full tuition waiver. Financial assistance is also provided to qualified students for attendance at a national scientific meeting. Yearly renewal of this financial support is contingent upon satisfactory academic performance. The Department offers graduate research assistantships at $17,976 per year.

Cost of Study

In-state graduate tuition is $313.90 per credit hour in 2008–09. Out-of-state tuition is 2.5 times the in-state tuition rate ($784.75 per credit hour). Graduate students with at least a 25 percent appointment as a graduate assistant receive a tuition scholarship. Fees vary from $511.26 (1 credit hour) to $1416.05 (12 credit hours). Students with a graduate assistantship receive a 25 percent reduction in the Primary Care Medical Fee.

Living and Housing Costs

For married couples, students with families, and single graduate students, the University has 690 efficiency and one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments that rent for $484 to $686 per month in 2008–09. Residence halls for single graduate students are also available, as are accessible residence hall rooms and apartments for students with disabilities.

Student Group

There are currently 17 students studying at the graduate level in the Department of Pharmacology.

Student Outcomes

Almost all the students earn a Ph.D. degree. Graduates typically pursue careers of independent research and teaching in pharmacology at academic institutions, industrial laboratories, or government research and administrative agencies. Recent graduates obtained postdoctoral positions at Yale University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Florida, University of Virginia, and Loyola University and a researcher position in the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

Location

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine Springfield is located in Springfield, the capital of the state of Illinois and the hometown of Abraham Lincoln. It is 200 miles south of Chicago and 90 miles northeast of St. Louis. Springfield has the state capitol, several tourist spots related to Abraham Lincoln including the new Lincoln Presidential Library, and the Sangamon Auditorium that offers performing arts. Educational facilities available for the families of students are excellent.

The University and The Department

Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a comprehensive public university with a variety of general and professional education programs. The University offers associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees as well as the J.D. and M.D. degree. The University is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The Graduate School has an essential role in the development and coordination of graduate instruction and research programs. The Graduate Council has academic responsibility for determining graduate standards, recommending new graduate programs and research centers, and establishing policies to facilitate the research effort. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a state-funded university founded in 1869. The Department of Pharmacology is part of the School of Medicine of SIU at the Springfield Campus.

Applying

Applications for admission to the graduate program may be obtained from the Director of the Pharmacology Graduate Program or directly from the Graduate School in Carbondale. Although there is no deadline for the receipt of applications, early application is advised for those applicants with outstanding qualifications to be considered for competitive fellowships. The applicant must first be admitted to the Graduate School before final acceptance into the program can be granted by the Pharmacology Graduate Program Committee. The Department of Pharmacology Graduate Program typically begins each June, but other arrangements may be possible for students already possessing related graduate degrees. A completed application and transcripts of all college and postgraduate work must be sent to the Pharmacology Graduate Program Director before consideration of admission. International students must request that a copy of their TOEFL scores be sent directly to the Director. International students must also provide official transcripts as required by the Department and the Graduate School. In addition to the above requirements of the Graduate School, all applicants must submit a brief typed statement (300–600 words) indicating why they desire to do graduate work in pharmacology and neuroscience. The statement should demonstrate their ability to organize and present information in proper English. It should be as specific as possible, especially if the applicant has concrete ideas about the field of research she or he wishes to enter. Moreover, three letters of recommendation must also be received before consideration of admission. Further supporting materials that must be sent include scores on the General Test of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE).

The Faculty and Their Research

• The Department of Pharmacology is one of the most vigorous research-oriented departments. The Department has strong emphasis on pharmacology related to neural function and on neuroscience. Because both are interdisciplinary fields, faculty members pursue their research goals by using a wide range of experimental approaches that include in vivo and in vitro electrophysiology with state-of-the-art recording techniques, cellular and molecular biology, immunocytochemistry, and behavioral analysis. Main areas of research currently pursued by faculty members are age-related hearing loss and tinnitus, seizures induced by alcohol withdrawal, pain perception, sleep, learning and memory, circadian rhythms, calcium homeostasis, central autonomic system regulation, neuromuscular physiology, and neuronal death and its prevention. In addition to intradepartmental projects, opportunities for collaborative research with clinical investigators are available.
• Department of Pharmacology Faculty
• Amy C. Arai, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Chiba (Japan), 1987. Molecular and pharmacological modulation of AMPA-type glutamate receptors and its impact on synaptic transmission/synaptic plasticity and learning and memory; cognitive enhancers.
• Donald M. Caspary, Distinguished Professor; Ph.D., NYU, 1973. Age-related hearing loss and tinnitus: problems of inhibitory neurotransmission and activity.
• Julio A. Copello, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., National University of La Plata (Argentina) 1989. Physiological and pharmacological modulation of ryanodine receptors/calcium release channels and its impact on excitation-contraction coupling of skeletal muscle and heart.
• George A. Dunaway, Professor Emeritus; Ph.D., Oklahoma, 1975. Gene transduction and hearing.
• Randolph C. Elble, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Indiana, 1986. Tumor suppression in breast cancer by the CLCA family of chloride current regulators.
• Carl L. Faingold, Professor and Chairman; Ph.D., Northwestern, 1972. Drug action on neuronal network, electrophysiologic, and neuropharmacologic mechanisms that control brain function, alcohol withdrawal, and epilepsy.
• Tony Jer-Fu Lee, Research Professor Emeritus; Ph.D., West Virginia, 1975. Cardiovascular pharmacology.
• Louis Premkumar, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Australian National, 1992. Molecular neurobiology; molecular mechanism(s) underlying pain perception; structure and function of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels and other ion channels.
• Vickram Ramkumar, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Maryland, 1992. Molecular pharmacology of adenosine receptors in the central nervous system and cardiovascular system.
• Shelley A. Tischkau, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1995. Exploring molecular and neurological bases that underlie whole animal physiological processes, neurotoxicity, circadian rhythms, and environmental toxicology.
• Linda A. Toth, Professor; Ph.D., Pittsburgh, 1980; D.V.M., Purdue, 1986. Neural-immune interactions and sleep.
• Victor Uteshev-Gaard, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Toronto, 1997. Role of the cholinergic system on neuronal functions and signaling in the hypothalamus and brainstem.
• Department of Pharmacology Cross-Appointed Faculty
• Gregory Brewer, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology.
• Ronald Browning, Ph.D., Department of Physiology.
• Richard Katholi, M.D., Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine and Prairie Cardiovascular Consultants, Ltd.
• Jay C. Means, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Toxicology and Chemistry.
• Dean Naritoku, M.D., Professor, Department of Neurology.
• Leonard Rybak, M.D., Professor of Surgery, Department of Surgery, Otolaryngology Division.
• Jeremy Turner, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, Otolaryngology Division.

Correspondence and Information

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
Director, Pharmacology Graduate Program
P.O. Box 19629
Springfield, Illinois 62794-9629
Email: LMoss@siumed.edu