Department of Human Physiology

Undergraduate degrees: B.A., B.S.
Undergraduate minor

Life Sciences: Exercise As Medicine

What better place to study the physiology of human function and performance than Eugene, Oregon? The Department of Human Physiology boasts award-winning scientists who study a wide range of issues in medical science. They do so in Track Town, U.S.A., as Eugene is fondly known, which hosts the prestigious Prefontaine Classic and the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. You’ll explore the intricate functional and structural mechanisms underlying human performance while surrounded by world-class athletes in a physically active community.

To members of the human physiology faculty, “human performance” encompasses a wide spectrum, from the lofty achievements of the nation’s premier athletes to the physical challenges faced by older adults. You’ll gain comprehensive, multidisciplinary knowledge in the physical, biological, and chemical sciences that will prepare you for entrance into many health care professions. Graduates have gone on to medical school, physical therapy, sports training, and a vast number of other specializations in human physiology.

In addition to completing the core science courses, you will be encouraged and challenged to question critically, think logically, and communicate clearly. Your education will take place not only in the classroom, but in practical environments like research labs, physician practices, and hospital operating rooms. Human physiology students also examine the health sciences from a perspective that explores the functional and structural mechanisms underlying human movement across the life span, ranging from simple motor skills to the more complex environment of whole-body exercise.

At the UO, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to learn by doing—whether it’s hands-on fitness labs, an internship, or hitting the slopes or the track yourself. We invite you to join us in the Department of Human Physiology at the intersection of medicine, science, and exercise.

Points of Interest

• Gain hands-on training through internships with the UO Athletic Training Center, Sports and Wellness Center, Sacred Heart Hospital’s Oregon Heart Center, McKenzie-Willamette Hospital, and local fitness organizations
• Technology-based lab programs give you experience taking neuromuscular and cardiovascular measurements in a variety of environments
• Conduct research in the exercise, health, and sports sciences at the UO’s International Institute for Sport and Human Performance
• Work with faculty members who specialize in diverse areas including sports medicine, geriatrics, biomechanics, and exercise physiology

Sample Courses

• Biomechanics teaches fundamental principles of physics applied to the analysis of human movement, with an emphasis on developing abilities to analyze human movements quantitatively
• Human Physiology I: Nerve, Muscle, Senses studies physiological principles as they operate in normal function, including neuronal resting and action potentials, muscle contraction, synaptic transmission, sensory transduction, special senses, neural reflexes, and central processing of information
• Human Physiology II: Homeostatic Mechanisms focuses on the circulatory, respiratory, digestive, metabolic, immune, endocrine, and reproductive systems
• Motor Control is an introduction to the processes of control and coordination in the performance of motor skills. Neurophysiological, mechanical, and cognitive bases of motor skill acquisition are also studied
• Physiology of Exercise focuses on the physiology of exercise, physical conditioning, and training, and on the significance of these effects for health and performance
• Tissue, Injury, and Repair is an exploration of the physiology of injury and trauma. Emphasis is placed on inflammation and healing of connective tissue injury as well as therapeutic strategies and rationale
• Training in Health and Performance investigates how regular exercise influences quality of life, longevity, and ability to perform physical activity. The course emphasizes integration of theory and practice

Interdisciplinary Opportunities

You will take classes in chemistry, physics, and biology that apply to your work in human physiology. If you plan to open your own professional practice, you may find that a minor in another area such as business or psychology will expand your opportunities after graduation.

Hands-on Learning

If research is one of your goals, many professors welcome qualified undergraduates to work in their labs for upper division credit or paid compensation. In fitness labs, you’ll analyze human movement and exercise. You can gain first-hand knowledge about physical therapy while interning at the Athletic Training Center, or take a rotation at the Sports and Wellness Center, both on campus. Eugene’s Sacred Heart Medical Center, the largest hospital between Portland and San Francisco, offers practicum opportunities at the Oregon Heart Institute.

Student Work

Nate Ansbaugh has already found a way to apply the knowledge he has acquired in the human physiology program. He landed an internship at the Oregon Urology Institute, and helped design and run a research project to track treatment outcomes of patients recovering from prostate cancer surgery and treatment. Ansbaugh says that the internship helped prepare him for medical school and guided his interest. “I would have never thought about pursuing urology as a career choice,” he says, “but I have come to find that it is pretty amazing.”

Ansbaugh thoroughly enjoyed his classes in the human physiology program. “Anatomy is a great course,” he says. “Oregon offers a lab with real cadavers. This is the best way to learn. With classes like tissue and injury repair, environmental physiology, and exercise prescription… what more can I say? If you want to pursue a career in medicine, this is the place to be.”

Amy Predeek chose to attend the UO for its social sciences program. But she had always enjoyed math and science, and wanted to do something that involved helping people. “I took some anatomy and human physiology classes and loved them!” she says. “After that I knew I had found my major.”

Volunteering at a physical therapy clinic helped Predeek discover her area of interest, and recognize the fundamental value of her UO classes. “I especially enjoy the tissue injury and repair class,” she says. “It’s directly related, which makes it exciting. It’s fun to learn things that you know you will use in your future career.”

Selected Faculty Work

Li-Shan Chou teaches courses on the biomechanical analysis of human movement, orthopedic biomechanics, and rehabilitation engineering. In his research, Chou applies engineering and mechanical theories to enhance the understanding of mechanisms governing human locomotion and factors related to the increased incidence of falls in the elderly. His areas of expertise include clinical gait analysis, assessment of dynamic stability during locomotion, and mathematical modeling of the musculoskeletal system.

John Halliwill teaches human physiology and exercise physiology, and co-directs the Exercise and Environmental Physiology Labs. His research relates to how the human cardiovascular and respiratory systems adapt and respond to exercise and other stresses encountered during everyday life.

Christopher Minson’s research is focused on two areas of cardiovascular physiology. With funding from the National Institutes of Health, Minson investigates the neural and vascular interactions in the skin during environmental heat stress. He is also studying how natural and synthetic forms of estrogen and progesterone impact cardiovascular health and blood pressure regulation in women, with funding provided by the American Heart Association. Minson trained at the Mayo Clinic.

Rick Troxel teaches courses in tissue injury and repair. His professional interests include clinical anatomy, the treatment and rehabilitation of injuries in active populations, and the role of nutrition in tissue, injury, and repair. Troxel also has a strong interest in teaching technology and the impact it has on the classroom and laboratory experience.

Paul Van Donkelaar’s research focuses on the neural control of human movement. He has approached this issue using behavioral, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and functional magnetic resonance imaging studies in healthy humans, and in patients suffering from a number of different neurological syndromes including stroke, concussion, and cerebral palsy. Van Donkelaar teaches courses in motor control.

Susan Verscheure has conducted  research on issues specific to the athletic woman, including the effect of estrogen fluctuation on the anterior cruciate ligament and knee injury. As the human anatomy instructor, Verscheure uses problem-solving and case study techniques to emphasize the clinical and practical application of the subject matter.

Career Opportunities

With your degree in human physiology, you might choose a career with a health club, or pursue employment in corporate fitness and risk management. Pharmaceutical or medical technology sales and hospital administration are other possibilities. Many human physiology graduates pursue careers in allied health professions. These include medicine, sports medicine, physical and occupational therapy, homeopathy, osteopathy, dentistry, optometry, physicians assistant, podiatry, nursing, emergency medical technician, athletic training, and chiropractic. You also might choose to earn teaching certification, or to go on to a graduate program. Your academic and professional horizons are limited only by your imagination.
 

Contact Information
(541) 346-4107
(541) 346-2841 fax