The Department of Physiology was founded in 1970, concurrently with the opening of the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The Department has a long-standing commitment to education and research in the biomedical sciences and was the first department at the Medical School to offer Ph.D. training. All faculty members are actively engaged in federally sponsored research representing some aspect of virtually all of the sub-disciplines of Physiology. The scientific accomplishments of the faculty are recognized by the Department ranking among the top fifteen per cent of medical school physiology departments in the award of grant funds from the National Institutes of Health. The rich variety of research topics share the common theme of exploring the cellular and molecular mechanisms that are the underpinnings of essential bodily functions.