Search |
The Pharmacology Department at Georgetown University Medical Center offers a comprehensive and rigorous graduate program leading to the Ph.D. in Pharmacology.
To learn more about the program, continue reading -- or go right to:
Pharmacology is the study of the effects of drugs and chemicals on living organisms. Modern pharmacology is inherently interdisciplinary. It builds on the strengths of biochemistry, physiology, cell biology, neuroscience, and molecular biology to explore and understand these effects.
But just as importantly, drugs and chemicals have become powerful tools that allow researchers to probe the molecular machinery of living systems. For this reason, much of the research in pharmacology is directed toward understanding how cellular and organ systems function and how they are regulated.
At Georgetown University, the Department of Pharmacology has four major research areas:
Faculty at Georgetown use physiological, biochemical, and molecular approaches
to pharmacology in their research, which is conducted in man, intact animals,
isolated organs, and cultured cells.
Would you like more information about a faculty member?
Click here to find out more about the research interests
of individual faculty members. And feel free to write to anyone listed
below at the following address: Department of Pharmacology, Georgetown
University Medical Center, 3900 Reservoir Road, NW, Washington, DC 20007.
Return to the Graduate Program Menu, or to the Pharmacology Home Page
Georgetown's graduate program in Pharmacology reflects the department's major research strengths in neuropharmacology, cardiovascular and cancer pharmacology, and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics/pharmacogenetics.
The program consists of four components:
Return to the Graduate Program Menu, or to the Pharmacology Home Page
Coursework in the Ph.D. program is flexible and tailored to each student's interests and background. Students choose courses that are offered from both the Department of Pharmacology and from other departments, including Physiology, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, and Neuroscience.
Graduate students in the program complete 48 credits of coursework and three laboratory rotations during the first two years. They then complete a research project and write and defend a thesis, which usually takes another two or three years.
Here is a typical timetable for coursework:
Typical Electives:
If you'd like to read descriptions of these courses, go to the Georgetown University catalog.
Return to the Graduate Program Menu, or to the Pharmacology Home Page
Founded in 1789, Georgetown University overlooks the Potomac River in one of the most historic and beautiful neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. The University is within 8 miles of the National institutes of Health and the National Library of Medicine. It is just minutes from the rich and diverse cultural centers of our nation's capital, including the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Smithsonian Institution, and is situated amidst an eclectic mix of Colonial-style homes, shops, pubs, restaurants, and cafés.
To find out more, click on these items:
Return to the Graduate Program Menu, or to the Pharmacology Home Page
Return to the Graduate Program Menu, or to the Pharmacology Home Page
All graduate students accepted into our Ph.D. program and who are making
appropriate progress are fully supported. They receive a fellowship
that pays:
Return to the Graduate Program Menu, or to the Pharmacology Home Page
Here's a sampling of some recent thesis titles:
| Manny Ferreira, 2000 | Identification and Characterization of nAChRs in the Brainstem of the Rat that Influence Gastrointestinal and Cardiovascular Function |
| Kate Pryblowski, 2000 | NMDA Receptor Splice Variant Composition and Possible Stoichiometry |
| Gavin Rumbaugh, 2000 | Distinct NMDA Receptor Subtypes in Developing Cerebellar Granbule Neurons |
| R. Daniel Mellon, 1999 | Characterization of the Interaction Between Central Opioid and Peripheral Nicotinic Receptors in an Immunomodulatory Pathway |
| David Dybdal, 1999 | The Role of the Substantia Nigra Pars Reticulata and Subthalamic Nucleus in Mediating Posture, Movement, and Seizure Susceptibility: An Interspecies Comparison Between Rat and Monkey |
| Bjorn Knollmann, 1999 | Electrical Remodeling and Cardiac Phenotype of Transgenic Mice Overexpressing Calsequestrin |
| Xiao-Ke Liu, 1999 | Gender Effects on Potassium Channels in the Heart |
| Trisha Pelligrino, 1999 | Modulation of Immune Cell Function by SSRIs and Serotonergic Systems |
| Violane Harris, 1998 | Transcriptional Regulation of the Angiogenic Factor FGF-BP in Squamous Cell Carcinoma |
| Robert Bies, 1998 | Investigations Concerning Outward Transdermal Movement |
| Anne Tuveson, 1998 | The Regulation and Function of the FGF Binding Protein in Colon Adenocarcinoma |
| Erin Meyer, 1998 | Pharmacological Properties and Regulation of the Rat Neuronal Nicotinic Receptor alpha3/beta4 Subtype Stably Expressed in HEK 293 Cells |
| Bryan Boyle, 1997 | Regulation of a Binding Protein for FGF using Receptor Specific Analogs of Retinoic Acid |
| Huey-Ling Wang, 1997 | A Cell-Based Approach for Production and Delivery of a Basic FGF Antagonist Short Peptide in Cancer Therapy |
| Anthone Dunah, 1997 | The Structure and Function of NMDA Glutamate Receptors that Incorporate the NR2D Subunit Protein |
| Ken Colley, 1996 | Antisense Inhibition of Pleiotrophin Elucidates Its Role as an Essential Growth Factor for Human Metastatic Melanoma |
| Tom Bosy, 1995 | Antibodies to the 1-alpha and 1-beta Subtypes of the mGluR1 Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor |
| Binwu Tang, 1995 | Regulation of Nerve Growth Factor Gene Expression by Okadaic Acid: Identification of Cis- and Trans- Acting Factors Controlling mRNA Stability |
| Shani Cohen Missner, 1995 | Developmental Regulation of Pleiotrophin Gene Expression in the Mammary Gland of the Balb/c Mouse |
| Steven William Collier, 1995 | Approaches to the Modeling of Percutaneous Absorption of Drugs and Drug Effects in the Skin |
| Christian Rohlff, 1994 | Regulation of Multidrug Resistance Through cAMP-Dependent Protein Kinase and Transcription Factor Sp1 |
| Kang Chen, 1994 | Evidence of a Tonic Role for Excitatory Amino Acids in the Ventrolateral Medulla to Control Central Sympathetic Outflow and Cardiovascular Function |
Return to the Graduate Program Menu, or to the Pharmacology Home Page
What do former students have to say about Georgetown's graduate program in Pharmacology?
"A major strength of the Department is an emphasis on classical principles of pharmacology: pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, drug interactions, structure-activity relationships ... These principles are fundamental to a 'real' understanding of the discipline, and can be applied to virtually every other major field, such as biochemistry, neuroscience, and physiology."Christopher M. Flores (Ph.D. '92)
Assistant Professor
University of Texas, San Antonio
"My graduate training has been an excellent preparation for my position, which is focused on drug discovery. I think that the thorough fundamental training, the clinical affiliation, as well as the good relation to the FDA all make the Georgetown program a winner."Christian Rohlff (Ph.D. '94)
Senior Researcher, Oxford Glycosystems
Guest Researcher, National Cancer Institute
| A recent party celebrating the graduation of Pharmacology Ph.D. students Kate Prybylowski (seated left center) and Gavin Rumbaugh (right foreground). Also celebrating that day was Stacie Grossman (seated right center)who received her Ph.D. in Cell Biology but did a significant amount of her thesis project in Pharmacology labs. |  |
Return to the Graduate Program Menu, or to the Pharmacology Home Page
