Prof. Dr. Umer Farooq
The subject of ‘Physiology’ forms the foundation of medical sciences. It is taught in every under-graduate (BS Level) program of the medical field for the first two years such as in the Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor in Surgery (MBBS), Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS), Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), BS Physiology, BS Biochemistry, BS Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT), Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm-D) programs and even in programs of allied health sciences.
It actually is the study of how a body works i.e. functions and mechanisms of a living organism. More than any other of the biological sciences, it uses an understanding of biological processes at the most basic level to explain how whole organ or an entire body functions. This intricate study helps to ascertain the underlying pathophysiological aspects of a disease. One of the five originally coined Nobel Prizes include Nobel Prize in the subject of ‘Physiology or Medicine’ with the remaining four being awarded in the subjects of Physics, Chemistry, Literature and Peace.
E.H. Starling, a renowned physiologist of the 20th century once said, “The Physiology of Today is the Medicine of Tomorrow”. And the legendary literati from various fields of medical sciences have globally admitted that the knowledge of ‘Physiology’ is to the ‘medicine’ what the knowledge of ‘anatomy’ is to the ‘surgery’.
Globally, 4-5 year degree programs with varying nomenclature such as BS Science in Physiology Major (Seattle University, USA), BS Physiology (Wyoming University, USA; Illinois University, USA), BS Physiology with Pharmacology (Lankashire University, UK) etc. are being offered and their scope in terms of jobs is quite satisfactory.
In Pakistan, since 1960s, the oldest institutes of University of Karachi and Sindh University Jamshoro (Sindh) have been offering BSc (Hons), MSc, MPhil and PhD in Physiology. The graduates are dispersed globally at lucrative positions in various medical institutes and laboratories. In addition, many other human and veterinary medical institutes of Pakistan have also been offering various degree programs in Physiology since long. Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad has since long been awarding post-graduate degrees in the subject of Reproductive Physiology. Considering the global shift from generalization to specialization, the 04-year HEC-approved BS-Physiology program was initiated in Government College University, Faisalabad (GCUF) (Punjab) at its Department of Physiology in 2013. Seven batches of Physiology graduates have passed out, and are employed at various medical institutes of the country, and also pursuing their post-graduate degrees in national/international institutes. Apart from GCUF, Faisalabad, following the lead in Punjab, the Department of Physiology at the Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB) has also embarked upon this degree program since 2019.
The curriculum of this degree program was finally approved by National Curriculum Revision Committees (NCRC) of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan in 2012. Since then, various universities and degree awarding institutes of the country have embarked on this emerging degree program through initiation of BS Physiology. The BS Physiology program is a 04-year program expanded on 8 semesters and its eligibility includes FSC/Intermediate students (Pre-medical). As per the objectives denoted by the NCRC, HEC, this program aims to cater theoretical and practical aspects of normal bodily functioning in humans/plants/animals at the level of cells, tissues, organs and organ systems (dubbed as comparative physiology), and to apply this knowledge in intricate understanding of a disease. The core subjects of this program hence include detailed study in pulmonary, renal, respiratory, cardiovascular, reproductive, parasite, bacterial and other allied systems physiology. The practical aspects of this degree program involve hands-on training of its graduates in spectrometry, spectrophotometry, electrophysiology, molecular physiological techniques, membrane physiological proteomics, metabolomics and genomics, diagnostic/prognostic approaches and various laboratory protocols. The program is gradually attaining the attention of all and sundry in Pakistan owing to paucity of options left with the FSc/Intermediate (pre-medical) students if they fail to attain merit in high-merit-based medical degree programs such as MBBS, BDS, DVM etc.
Regarding the Department of Physiology at IUB, Bahawalpur, it has been an integral part of the IUB, Bahawalpur since 2006. However, it emanated as a separate entity in 2020. Henceforth, the BS Physiology and MPhil Physiology programs have been initiated at the department whereas the PhD program is being launched in upcoming spring admissions, 2024 apropos the approval from the HEC. The graduates of first batch of BS Physiology program of IUB, Bahawalpur have recently completed their internship at various medical institutes and laboratories, and are about to embark on their practical world. The dynamic and foreign qualified faculty of the department is actively involved in teaching various subjects of Medical Physiology to the under-graduate students of DVM, BS Physiology, BS Biochemistry and other BS programs at the IUB, Bahawalpur which offer subject(s) specific to Physiology. Furthermore, it is also conducting substantial research work in collaboration with other departments of the IUB, Bahawalpur as well as with other universities. The two separate labs of the department (under-graduate and post-graduate) are fully-equipped, well-furnished with latest equipment, and fully-functional which are catering various research projects funded by the Punjab Agricultural Research Board (PARB) and Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF). The research thus emanated has been lime lightened in various international peer-reviewed journals.
The students at the Physiology Department, IUB, Bahawalpur are provided an in-depth understanding of the ‘secrets of life’ through interesting and applied aspects of medical physiology, animal physiology, hematology, endocrinology, electrophysiology, molecular physiology, exercise physiology, physiological biochemistry and many other. Hands-on practical training is also provided in various physiological/clinical lab techniques such as complete blood count, hematology, electrophysiology, spectrophotometry, etc. Ultimate goal is to equip the students with strong concepts of pathophysiology of a disease, its diagnosis and management. Conceptual methodology of teaching with the help of modern teaching tools, problem-based learning and national/international collaborations of the department with various medical institutes groom the future physiologists for multiple careers in medical and its allied fields.
The field of Physiology is continually evolving, making it a promising choice for those interested in biological sciences. Scope of its graduates include but are not limited to research and academics, biological companies, hospitals and laboratories, pharmacological research labs, and agricultural and veterinary research institutes. It is a dire need of time that the students and their parents must realize that in the present age of specialization, the students must enter globally emerging medical fields such as Physiology. Furthermore, as the Physiology graduates are uniquely suited to teach both theory and practical aspects of biological sciences as they have strong foundation in the life science courses, hence the relevant authorities (Punjab Higher Education Department and School Education Department) may take immediate action in including the graduates of Physiology in the eligibility (Educators Biology/Zoology) list advertised under Punjab Public Service Commission.
Author is Professor at The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan and can be contacted at
