One of the currently emphasized research areas is Toxicology which studies the adverse effects of drugs on the body. Toxicology is the biomedical science concerned with understanding the adverse effects of chemicals and other dangerous substances on living organisms. Toxicologists seek to identify the toxic effects of drugs and chemicals on living organisms, and to understand the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms associated with toxic injury. In addition to graduate students, there are many postdoctoral fellows, highly trained technicians and undergraduate researchers within the Toxicology program. After students complete their coursework and choose a project, they become essentially full-time researchers until the dissertation is submitted to the faculty.
Students normally attend and present their research results at national scientific meetings.
Communication with scientists at other institutions is considered an important facet of research training. The School of Pharmacy offers a 4-5 year graduate training program leading to the Ph.D. in Toxicology. Core and elective coursework are usually completed during the first two years. The remainder of the program is devoted to independent research under the supervision of a faculty mentor. Core courses include Statistics, Molecular Biology Core, Introduction to Toxicology, Principles of Mammalian Physiology, Pharmacology, Instrumental Analysis, Normal and Abnormal Biological Structure, Pharmacokinetics, Principles of Toxicology, and Toxicologic Pathology.