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Introduction

PhD Programme in Pharmacology and Physiology

The PhD Program in Pharmacology and Physiology (RD 99/2011) is a continuation of the PhD program RD 1393/2007 granted with the Mention towards Excellence by the Spanish Ministry of Education in 2011 (reference MEE2011-0607). Originally, this program results from the fusion of two PhD programs of the Autonomous University of Madrid: the PhD program in Pharmacology (RD 778/1998 with the Quality Mention Reference MCD2003-00223) and the PhD program in Physiology. These data support the long history of the Program in training researchers with a high index of excellence

The grounds for this PhD Program in Pharmacology and Physiology is based on two fundamental aspects:

(1) The need to train preclinical and clinical researchers in the field of health, and specifically in the area of​​ physiopharmacology.

(2) The extensive research and training experience of the professors and researchers that participate in the PhD Program that belong to several departments and institutions in and out of the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM): Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology and Medicine- UAM, the Institute Teófilo Hernando for Drug discovery-UAM, the Health Research Institutes of the university hospitals La Paz (IdiPAZ), La Princesa (IIS- Princesa), Puerta de Hierro and the Jiménez Díaz Foundation (IIS-FJD), CIBER for Cardiovascular Diseases (CIBERCV),  CIBER for Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases (CIBERDEM), Hospital Ramón y Cajal, the Center for Energy, Environmental and Technological Research (CIEMAT).

The PhD Program in Pharmacology and Physiology is mainly focused in the training of researchers in two areas that have an enormous social impact, such as Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Neuropsychopharmacology.

Diseases such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, or metabolic disorders (ej, diabetes mellitus) have a huge health and social impact. Although there are currently useful drugs to prevent and treat these diseases, the figures for hospital admissions, clinical sequelae and deaths are still very high. Therefore, there is a need to further understand the physiopathology of these diseases to identify new targets to develop more effective drugs.

During the last decades, there has been an explosion of new neuropharmaceuticals and psychotropic drugs in clinic that has revolutionized the treatment of diseases such as epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, neuropathies, pain and surgery (local and general anesthetics). However, diseases with a great social and health impact such as neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer´s, Parkinson´s, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, among others) or stroke, which affect predominantly the aged population, still have no effective treatments. Therefore, there is an urgent need to strengthen our knowledge in the pathophysiology of these diseases with special focus in identifying new targets to develop innovative and disease modifying drugs for these diseased.

In this context, the Program is fully justified from the point of view of the need to train future professionals in drug research in cardiovascular and neuropsychopharmacology. These researchers will have the mission of understanding pathophysiological mechanisms, identify therapeutic targets and contribute to the development of innovative drugs aimed at the prevention and treatment of a diseases with a huge social and health impact. Therefore, there is a real demand for professionals trained in or PhD program in different public and private sectors such as pharmaceutical companies and other R&D centers.

Within our PhD program, around 20% of the students have a clinical profile and are trained in the services of Clinical Pharmacology of the university hospitals mentioned above to which several of the professors of the Pharmacology Department are assigned.

Our PhD Program is integrated into the R&D+i strategy of the UAM through its inclusion in the Multidisciplinary Doctoral School of the UAM (EDUAM). Among the strategic objectives of EDUAM is the reinforcement of research of excellence as well as the improvement of teaching quality and innovation and the internationalization of Doctoral studies in various strategic areas, including Biomedicine.

Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Calle del Arzobispo Morcillo 4. 28029 Madrid. Tel. +34 91 497 54 86  Fax. 91 497 53 53. Email. informacion.medicina@uam.es