Pharmacology is the study of how chemical agents, both natural and synthetic (i.e., drugs) affect biological systems. In its broadest sense, pharmacology includes investigations of the physiological and behavioral effects of drugs, their molecular mechanisms of action, their biological transformations, and their therapeutic and non-therapeutic uses. Pharmacological research determines the effects of drugs upon molecular, systemic, physiological or behavioral processes. This research can focus on the treatment and prevention of diseases or deal with the potential hazards of pesticides and herbicides. Many people believe the word "drug" suggests a dangerous substance that induces addiction. To a pharmacologist, however, the word "drug" really means any chemical substance which alters normal bodily function and so includes medicines as well as poisons and drugs of abuse.

Pharmacology is often described as a bridge science because it incorporates knowledge and skills from a number of basic science disciplines including physiology, biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology. Pharmacologists "translate" such knowledge into the rational development of therapeutics. This interdisciplinary nature of the field offers pharmacologists a variety of research opportunities not found in other fields of scientific inquiry. It is this flexibility as well as the potential for the practical application of research that attracts people into the field. With the recent advances in molecular biology, imaging techniques and novel technologies for the in vivo monitoring of physiological processes, the future promises to be very exciting for pharmacologists.

The Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport is well-equipped with the necessary cutting edge technologies to help you realize your full potential in Pharmacology.

I hope that you find this website informative and will consider applying to our graduate program in Pharmacology.

Nicholas E. Goeders, Ph.D.
Professor and Head
Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Neuroscience
LSU Health Sciences Center - Shreveport