Welcome > A letter from the Chair
Dr. William Spielman
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The discipline of physiology today is uniquely positioned among
the biomedical sciences to span the gulf between scientists investigating
the most fundamental aspects of biology and those interested in
the most practical and applied problems of human and animal health.
Because of this unique perspective, physiologists find themselves
in demand as university, pharmaceutical and government researchers;
professors and teachers; and consultants in an increasingly health-conscious
world. As symbolized by our departmental logo, "from molecules
to man," physiology investigates the entire array of biological
processes from the biochemical organization of the genome to the
processing of complex information into memory engrams by the brain.
Physiology examines the means by which the vast array of molecular
and cellular events successfully integrate to define the phenomenon
of human existence. Inappropriate physiological responses are
often associated with dysfunction such as diabetes, cancer, and
cardiovascular disease. As an instrumental component of the MSU
Chronic Disease Initiative, the Department of Physiology has inaugurated
efforts to examine the hypothesis that a cause of the increased
chronic disease burden comes from a shift in the gene expression
in response to stress and diet of industrialized societies. Using
a wide variety of technologies, including magnetic resonance imaging,
laser scanning confocal microscopy, and genetic over expression
and gene knockout experiments in transgenic animals, students
and faculty in the department of physiology are undaunted in accepting
the challenges of contemporary biomedical research. The Department
of Physiology is administered jointly by the Colleges of Natural
Science, Human Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, Veterinary Medicine,
and the Michigan Agriculture Experiment Station.
