About
Biomedical research is all about the excitement of new discovery. Biomedical sciences are constantly evolving and forever forward-looking, seeking to harness the best new approaches and tools to understand biology and life. What are the most exciting opportunities in biomedical research today? There is great interest today in studies of biological complexity from molecular building blocks to the whole animal. With beautiful molecular and genetic tools in hand, discovery into the complexities of systems biology in living animals - once a distant dream - is now possible.
This new department of Integrative Biology and Physiology at the University of Minnesota is central to the mission of the Medical School and University. The department stands on the shoulders of legends, most notably Professor Maurice Visscher who, more than 50 years ago, had the vision to reach across disciplines in the quest for knowledge discovery. This was a huge leap forward as most everyone then built departments as silos—not daring to seek cross-disciplinary interactions. Visscher's efforts helped launch a remarkable period of biomedical growth and discovery, particularly in cardiovascular biology and disease, where landmark breakthroughs in portable cardiac defibrillators and cardiac open heart repair were envisioned and brought to fruition.
In this spirit, the Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology emerges. Our research centers on integrative systems biology of the heart and vasculature, including the close linkages among cardiovascular diseases and obesity, diabetes and metabolism at the whole animal level. The department is ideally positioned to bridge basic science discoveries to clinically relevant applications, spanning from academia to our neighbors in the biomedical industry. The spotlight is on Minnesota as a rising star in cardiovascular research. We welcome new faculty and students who embrace this vision.
Thanks for visiting— wish you were here!
Joe Metzger, PhD, Department Head
Our Vision
We are a dynamic and growing medical school basic science department that values excellence, innovation, diversity, inclusion and impact as cornerstones to biomedical research and education.
We aspire to be the leading research and education physiology program in the country.
Our research vision is focused on mechanistic studies of the cardiovascular system, including muscle, and in obesity, diabetes and metabolism. We expressly integrate new knowledge discoveries from genes and molecules to the whole organism, with impact and relevance to human health.