From the Chair

Dear Readers, W hen we began to assemble the 2019 edition of Physiology Matters, we could not imagine the world we would be living in when it went to press. As I write this, the number of COVID-19 cases world-wide has crossed one million. While our research labs are currently ‘ramped-down’ to essential activities, our faculty and trainees have made an astoundingly rapid and successful transition to delivering courses via webbased platforms, ensuring educational continuity. Many of our joint faculty and alumni are on the front lines of the clinical response caring for patients, and our laboratories have contributed with generous donations of personal protective equipment for the hospital. We sincerely hope all members of our extended Physiology Family are safe and well, and remain so through this crisis.

Despite the world situation, there is much to celebrate with the continued development of Physiology at Michigan. We hope this look at the extraordinary activities carried out by our department members over the past year provides you a welcome break.

The department has 110 faculty among primary, joint, research, adjunct and active emeritus tracks, as well as many trainees. There are over 60 postdoctoral fellows, 45 PhD and 31 MS students. Despite the large size of our department, we treasure our informality and unique sense of community. It is thrilling to enter any of our laboratories or classrooms and sense the intellectual excitement all around us. It grows from our shared passion for physiology, its importance and knowing that we are part of this great enterprise.

Conscious of this, we will continue prioritizing our efforts to remain as one of the top physiology departments in the world through our outstanding research, education and service contributions. In the immediate future, we will be focusing on the well-being of our trainees and faculty, and helping them transition back to full-time, in-person research and education activities. Our near-term philanthropic efforts will focus on two areas. The first will be support for our Physiology Annual Fund, allowing us to direct resources where they are most needed as we emerge from the COVID-19 crisis. The second will be support for the MS and PhD Education Funds, which serve our domestic and international students from all backgrounds working in any area of physiology.

It has been a pleasure to meet so many alumni and friends over the last three years of service as interim department chair. I am delighted to continue sharing the responsibility of guarding our department’s history as well as its future.

Yours faithfully,

Santiago Schnell Interim Chair, Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology John A. Jacquez Collegiate Professor of Physiology