History of the Department

The Department of Physiology and Functional Genomics began in 1955 when the medical school opened at the University of Florida. The Department has had only three chairmen in its history, Dr. Otis, Dr. Phillips and Dr. Wood. For the first 25 years, the chairman was Arthur B. Otis, who was well-known for his fundamental work on oxygen uptake at different pressures. This work was important during World War II in helping pilots fly at higher altitudes. For many years, the department received research support from the U.S. Air Force.

For more than 20 years the department chairman was Dr. M. Ian Phillips, who is known for his research on angiotensin and hypertension. In 2002, Dr. Phillips accepted a promotion to the position of Vice-President for Research at the University of South Florida in Tampa. In 2003, Dr. Charles Wood was named Chairman of the Department. Dr Wood is recognized for his work in understanding cardiovascular function during both fetal and adult life.

Dr. Bodil Schmidt-Nielsen spends half a year in Gainesville and the other half in Mount Desert Island, Maine. Dr. Schmidt-Nielsen was the first woman to have been president of the American Physiological Society. Dr. Robert Cade developed an off-campus Physiology laboratory. Dr. Cade is the inventor of Gatorade®. Other joint appointees included Drs. Charles Wingo (Nephrology), Paul Davenport (Veterinary Medicine), Scott Powers (Center for Exercise Physiology), Maureen Keller-Wood (Pharmacodynamics), William Dawson (Ophthalmology), Wilmer Nichols, Richard Conti (Cardiology), Ted Copeland (Surgery), Michael Banner (Anesthesiology), Satya Kalra (Neuroscience), David Burchfield (Pediatrics), Carrie Haskell (Pharmacy) and William Harvey (The Whitney Laboratory).

So, welcome to the Department of Physiology and Functional Genomics, at the College of Medicine, University of Florida. The university is dedicated to high-quality education in a friendly atmosphere.