The multi-departmental Pharmacological Sciences Training Program (PSTP) brings together faculty from the Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy at the University of Illinois at Chicago to train Ph.D. students to become the next generation of leaders in pharmacological research. The pharmacological sciences have been defined as: """"""""research on the biological phenomena and related chemical and molecular processes involved in the actions of therapeutic drugs and their metabolites"""""""". According to this broad definition, the pharmacological sciences incorporates not only the discipline of pharmacology, but cell biology, physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and toxicology, pharmacognosy, and pharmaceutics, as well. The PSTP is designed to expose students to aspects of all of these disciplines, and to develop pharmacological scientists who will be effective at conceiving, designing, developing, and assessing the efficacy of novel therapeutic agents. Because of the outstanding depth and breadth of expertise in pharmacological sciences at UIC, provided by the assembled training faculty of 42, representing 5 departments (Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, Pharmacology, and Physiology and Biophysics), we are able to offer students training that spans this multidisciplinary spectrum. Faculty expertise is grouped into the following 8 areas: Molecular Pharmacology and Cell Signaling; Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Pharmacology; Neuropharmacology; Tumor Cell Biology and Cancer Chemoprevention; Drug Discovery/ Natural Products; Anticancer and Antimicrobial Chemotherapy; Biopharmaceutics and Drug Delivery; and Structural Biology. PSTP students will affiliate with a preceptor from one of the 5 participating departments, and the student's progress toward the Ph.D. degree will be subject to the degree requirements of the preceptor's home department. All PSTP students will experience common and integrated training experiences that transcend and supplement departmental degree requirements and experiences. The training experience will cross departmental lines, and comprises the following integrating features: 1) Common core courses; 2) Common elective courses; 3) Integrated research and thesis committees; 4) A common PSTP seminar series; 5) Informal research presentations by faculty and trainees; 6) An annual PSTP Research Symposium.
