# Integrated Physiology Training: Molecule to Organism

> **NIH NIH T32** · MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN · 2024 · $404,930

## Abstract

Project Summary
Scientific training in the Physiological sciences in the U.S. has undergone a transformation largely toward
molecular mechanisms and away from whole animal integrative physiology, creating a shortage of scientists and
educators with mastery of integrative physiology. The Physiology training program at the Medical College of
Wisconsin (MCW) is an exception to this trend. Our training program offers multidisciplinary instruction and
cutting-edge integrative physiology research training emphasizing the integration of knowledge from the
molecule to cell to organ to organism. Trainees develop the critical thinking, integrative reasoning, and technical
skills participating in research focused on the prevention and control of HLBS diseases such as hypertension,
metabolic disease, epilepsy and chronic respiratory diseases. Our current proposal maintains a focus on critical
thinking, organ systems physiology and translational research training with enhancements in: 1) interdisciplinary
instruction, 2) self-directed learning, 3) the trainee candidate pool, 4) the acceleration of reaching training
milestones, 5) instruction in rigor and reproducibility in the scientific method, and 6) the recruitment of students
from populations underrepresented in science and medicine. Trainees are recruited nationally from
geographically diverse areas and selected on a competitive basis on undergraduate academic credentials,
previous research experience, and commitment to a career in research in the Physiological Sciences. Students
are full-time PhD candidates, and must successfully complete the course and research requirements, including
passing the Qualifying Exam before being considered for NIH training grant support. Selection of T32 trainees
will be based on several performance metrics in coursework and research productivity, in addition to the
alignment of their research focus in the Physiological sciences and the candidate’s potential for a successful
career in the biomedical sciences. An innovative feature of the training program is to meet the anticipated need
to train students in integrative physiology to meet the growing need for such expertise in the era of Team Science
and in the post-genomic era. Research training is under the direct supervision of highly skilled and experiences
faculty preceptors in the basic sciences (primarily Physiology) and enhanced by clinical faculty. Trainees will
undergo continuous evaluation of progress by Individual Development Plans that facilitate career development
and progress toward individualized trainee goals. The success of our program in training is evidenced by a high
completion rate and publication record of the twelve T32 supported graduates in the past 10 years, who had 25
first-authored and 42 co-authored publications (~5.6/trainee). The high number of co-authored publications
reflects the highly collaborative environment among our faculty and Team Science approach. Each of these
trainees has gone on ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10824219
- **Project number:** 5T32HL007852-27
- **Recipient organization:** MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN
- **Principal Investigator:** Matthew Robert Hodges
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $404,930
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1996-07-01 → 2028-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10824219

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10824219, Integrated Physiology Training: Molecule to Organism (5T32HL007852-27). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10824219. Licensed CC0.

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