The study of Pharmacology at Upstate Medical University has a long and distinctive history. As part of the College of Medicine, which was founded in 1834, and as one of the oldest medical colleges in the nation (graduating this country's first woman doctor in 1849), the Pharmacology Department has been an important contributor to the College and University.

Our faculty excel in both research and teaching and our students are highly sought after by academia and industry. To continue our tradition of excellence in research and teaching and to stay at the forefront of the field, the Department is undertaking a multi-year effort to enhance our existing research strengths and expand into new areas. Please join us!

Department History

The Department of Pharmacology of the Syracuse University College of Medicine was formally recognized in 1917 and Dr. Marion S. Dooley was appointed Associate Professor of Pharmacology. Dr. Dooley joined the College of Medicine in 1907 as Instructor in Physiology and was promoted to Assistant Professor in 1910, Associate Professor in 1912 and, upon earning a degree in medicine, Professor in 1914. Dr. Dooley was appointed Professor of Pharmacology in 1919, Professor Emeritus in 1945 and passed away in 1958.

Dr. Dooley is credited with the first published research by a faculty member of the College of Medicine in 1921 as well as the first published research originating from the Department of Pharmacology in 1922. Dr. Dooley described the duration of action of various digitalis compounds on the hearts of cats following intravenous infusion in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics in 1921. Dr. Dooley reported similar studies of digitalis compounds in frogs in the Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association in 1922. Dr. Dooley remained active in research for the succeeding 20 years, publishing reports of his investigations on the effects of anesthesia on respiratory reLlexes, the phenomena of gastric peristalsis and the effects of epinephrine on the kidney. Including those described above, Dr. Dooley is credited 23 authored and coauthored publications appearing the Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, anesthesia and Analgesia, American Journal of Physiology, Journal of the American Medical Association and the American Heart Journal.

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