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  The History of Physiology and Pharmacology at West Virginia University 1965-2022 A Joint Memoir

  Robert L. Goodman, Vince Castranova, John Connors, Jim Culberson, Ping Lee, Mark Reasor, Lauralee Sherwood, Stan Stephens, and Stan Yokota

  In this book, the authors update an earlier history of the Department of Physiology at West Virginia University that described its first 100 years. It covers the most recent half-century (1965-2022), a tumultuous time characterized by periods of faculty growth and development of the department’s research and educational programs interspersed with major challenges the department had to overcome. The latter included an autocratic chair who created a hostile work environment, an administrator who favored research centers over departments, and the dissolution of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, which led to the creation of the Physiology and Pharmacology Department. Almost all the authors have long-standing ties to the department, and three of them, who joined the department in the 1960s, provided valuable information on the early years covered in this book.

  Rather than primarily describing the academic careers of department chairs and faculty, the authors focus on the development of the educational and research programs of the department and its interactions with other academic units and the administration of the Health Sciences Center and School of Medicine. This approach, of necessity, required consideration of larger forces within the WVU Health Sciences Center that were often driven by national trends. It thus includes a description of the evolution of the teaching of physiology and pharmacology to medical students, and other health sciences students. There are also brief histories of the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOSH), three research centers (focused on cardiovascular function, the neurosciences and inhalation toxicology), and descriptions of two programs (INBRE and HSTA) designed to interest undergraduates in the biomedical sciences. It also conveys the overall collegial atmosphere and culture of the department by including descriptions of social activities and several vignettes relating personal interactions and experiences of the faculty and staff.