A Synopsis

We celebrate our Centennial with the College of Medicine in 2005. The Dept. of Physiology, originally the Dept. of Physiology and Pharmacology was one of the eight original departments when the Charter of the Philippine Medical School was approved in 1905. In 1922, the year before the Philippine Medical School was renamed UP College of Medicine, the Department separated into the Department of Pharmacology and Department of Physiology and Biochemistry. Five years later, the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry transferred from the main building to the 2nd floor of the newly built Medical Annex Building (now called Juan Salcedo Hall). During the Liberation of Manila, this building was heavily damaged but it was rebuilt in 1946. Finally, in 1953 the Dept. of Physiology and Biochemistry separated into two separate departments, the Department of Physiology and the Department of Biochemistry.

All through its 100-year history, the Department of Physiology has remained a trailblazer in the field of Physiology both in teaching and research. The department is fortunate to have had in its roster of faculty eminent leaders in the field which include Drs. Isabelo Concepcion, Narciso Cordero, Esperidion Reyes, Emilio Bulatao, Augusto Litonjua and Bayani Baylon to name some. The period during the chairmanship of Dr. Santiago Guzman (1962-1970) is often referred to as the “Golden Years” of the department, characterized by the unprecedented productivity in research. On the other hand, under the leadership of Dr. Zenaida Bagabaldo (1975-1985), Physiology was the first department of the College to adopt new trends and innovations in medical education. This was to a large extent due to the influence of one of its faculty, Dr. Corazon Gonzales, the first Director of the then National Teachers’ Training Center (NTTC) for the Health Professions. The department also takes pride in the fact that two of its faculty, Drs. Alberto Romualdez and Cecilia Tomas have become deans of the College, while Dr. Dolores Bonzon as Associate Dean. In addition, Drs. Juan Salcedo and Romualdez became Secretaries of the Dept. of Health. Some of the world renowned physiologists such as Klaus Thurau, Silvio Weidman, John Brobeck, John West and John Nichols have walked through the corridors of the department and gave lectures to students and faculty.

The years approaching the new millennium saw the department grow in maturity. The openness to innovate and change in pursuit of improvement and relevance continued. In testimony of this desire for excellence, the department under the leadership of Dr. Xenia Tigno was awarded “Most Outstanding Department in the Basic Sciences” for four consecutive years (1995-1999). At the same time, its faculty has received and continues to receive distinguished University and national awards and recognitions. In 2000, a complete makeover of the department to its present state was initiated and gave birth to the Center for Enhancement of Human Performance (CEHP), the research and service arm of the department, whose main objectives include the establishment of standards of human performance of the Filipino worker, as well as methods for determining impact on human performance of interactions between environment, disease and host factors.

True to its commitment as a leader in the community, the department has shared the expertise of its faculty through postgraduate courses and extension services. The first Filipino textbook in Integrative Physiology was published by the department in 1998, and in 1999, in collaboration with the CHED developed the basic Human Anatomy and Physiology course for the nationwide implementation of the Associate in Health Science Education. To this date, the department remains in the forefront of teaching and research in the disciplines related to normal functions of the human body. It continues to move towards a holistic, context-based and humane curriculum. Cognizant of an illustrious past and looking towards the future, the Department of Physiology remains committed to its mission of being a “department of highly trained and motivated professionals with integrity, spirituality and social consciousness, committed to the improvement of knowledge in the physiological sciences through excellence in education and research and its application towards achieving delivery of optimal health care and community development.”

The Master of Science in Physiology program is designed for students who wish to pursue an academic career in Physiology. It is intended also for Health Professionals engaged in either clinical practice or in the teaching profession, who would like to strengthen their mastery of principles of Physiology, because the curriculum is enriched with hands-on experimental course, it also provides the prospective researcher with a variety of models for future research in the discipline. The program can also be fine-tuned to serve the needs of the non-health professionals, such as engineers, physicists and the computer scientists, who may wish to find their niche in the biomedical sciences.

Description of Courses:

Physio 202 Physiology for Graduate Students – Fundamental concepts of physiology in the Cardiovascular, Pulmonary, and Gastrointestinal and Endocrine systems.

Physio 203 Neuroscience for Graduate Students – Essential principles of Neurophysiology correlated with Neuroanatomy.

Physio 204 Correlative Physiology – Integrated analysis of human physiological mechanisms.

Physio 205 General Techniques in Physiology – The theory and practice of basic laboratory methods and techniques needed for teaching undergraduate physiology.

Physio 211 Advanced Physiology – Theoretical and experimental analysis of physiological concepts.

Physio 298 Special Problems in Physiology – A specific research project undertaken with focus on a particular system to include experimental procedure, statistical analysis and discussion of results.

Physio 298.1 Special Problems in Cardiovascular Physiology – Specific problems in the Cardiovascular system.

Physio 298.2 Special Problems in Endocrine Physiology – Specific problems in the Endocrine system.

Physio 298.3 Special Problems in Gastrointestinal Physiology – Specific problems in the Gastrointestinal system.

Physio 298.4 Special Problems in Neurophysiology – Specific problems in the Nervous system.

Physio 298.5 Special Problems in Renal Physiology – Specific problems in Renal and Body fluid physiology.

Physio 298.6 Special Problems in Pulmonary Physiology – Specific problems in the Pulmonary system.

Center for the Enhancement of Human Performance

The Department of Physiology recognizes the pressing need to address the effects of industrialization on today’s worker population. While other institutions promote physiology as a “basic” science, preferring to study biologic systems in isolation, we at the U.P. College of Medicine believe it has a resounding relevance because it improves our understanding of how man can best adapt to his environment.

We believe that we can achieve this goal through the Center for the Enhancement of Human Performance (CEHP). The CEHP vision is to produce a highly effective and physiologically fit Filipino workforce. Its mission is to apply scientific methodology in the assessment of the work performance of Filipinos for the development of strategies and recommendations to maximize their ability to adapt to the constantly changing demands of the work environment.

Work Stations

• Pulmonary Workstation
• Cardiac Work Station
• Metabolic Work Station
• Neurologic and Muscular Work Station
• Gastrointestinal Workstation

Some faculty members received the International Publications Awards from the University of the Philippines System for their published scientific works.

Evaluation of abdominal fetal electrocardiography in early intrauterine growth restriction. Velayo C, Silao J, Funamoto K, Kimura Y, Nicolaides K. Front Physiol. 2017 Jun 26;8:437. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00437. eCollection 2017.

Ultrasound imaging of mouse fetal intracranial hemorrhage due to Ischemia/Reperfusion. Funamoto K, Ito K, Funamoto K, Velayo CL, Kimura Y. Front Physiol. 2017 May 24;8:340. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00340. eCollection 2017.

Paz-Pacheco E, Sandoval MAS, Ardena GJR, Lantion-Ang FL, Juban N, Paterno E, Jimeno CA, Patal P, Bongon J. Effectiveness of a community-based diabetes self-management education (DSME) program in a rural community. Primary Health Care Research and Development 2017, 18: 35-49 doi:10.1017/S1463423616000335.

Faltado A, Sandoval MAS, Kaw L. Radiographic appearance of bilateral femoral artery calcification. BMJ Case Reports 2017 doi: 10.1136/bcr-2017-221873.

Gutierrez JB, Sandoval MAS, Khu KP. Pituitary abscess mimicking a pituitary adenoma presenting with secondary amenorrhea and blurring of vision. Journal of the ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies 2017; 32(2): 166. ISSN 2308-118X. Available at: . Date accessed: 27 nov. 2017.

Sandoval MAS, Palermo MA, Carrillo R, Bundoc R, Carnate JCM, Galsim RJ. Successful treatment of tumor-induced osteomalacia after resection of an oral peripheral ossifying fibroma. BMJ Case Reports 2017 doi:10.1136/bcr-2016-218637.

UP College of Medicine, Physiology Department
2nd Floor Salcedo Hall Building 547 Pedro Gil Street Brgy. 669 Ermita Manila
Landline: (+632) 5264262
Mobile: (+927) 6192932
Email: physiology.upcm@gmail.com
FB Page: www.facebook.com/UPCMPhysio/