Undergraduate Programs
Physiology Specialist Program
14 full courses or their equivalent, including at least two 400-series courses. First-year courses: BIO120H1, BIO130H1, (CHM138H, CHM139H)/CHM151Y1 and 1.0 FCE from (MAT135H1, MAT136H1)/MAT135H1/MAT137Y1/MAT157Y1/(PHY131H1, PHY132H)/(PHY151H, PHY152H1) with an average of at least 70% on these 3.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) and a final mark of at least 60% in each course (for admittance into the specialist program).
Physiology Major Program
8 full courses or their equivalent, including 0.5 FCE at the 400-level.
First-year courses: BIO120H, BIO130H, (CHM138H1, CHM139H)/CHM151Y1, and 1.0 FCE from any of the following: MAT135H1, MAT136H1, MAT135H, MAT137Y1, MAT157Y1, PHY131H1, PHY132H1, PHY151H1, PHY152H1 with an average of at least 70% on these 3.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) and a final mark of at least 60% in each course (for admittance into the major program).
Physiology Minor Program
4 full courses or their equivalent.
Enrolment in this Program requires the completion of 4 courses. One 300+level FCE must be included in the program.
Biological Physics Specialist Program
This program is now offered through the Department of Physics.
Website: https://artsci.calendar.utoronto.ca/program/asspe2738
Recent Undergraduate Specialist Student
Student: Rebecca Bic Kay Wong
Supervisor: Dr. Zdenka Pausova, Professor, Departments of Physiology and Nutritional Sciences
Rebecca graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Science with high distinction in Spring 2020. She completed a specialist in physiology, and thoroughly enjoyed all of the physiology courses she took. She received various admissions and academic awards throughout her degree, such as the C. David Naylor University Scholarship and the University of Toronto Scholar awards. She also received graduation awards, including the Ross S. Lang Scholarship in Life Sciences for achievement in the physiology specialist program, the Elsie Gregory MacGill Memorial Scholarship as the top graduating female student in the sciences, and the University College Prize for Best Science Degree.
In her second year, she began research work in the Multi-Organ Transplant Student Research Training Program at the Toronto General Hospital, where she worked on various epidemiological projects related to kidney transplantation. She is the first author of an accepted manuscript on surgical site complications in kidney transplant recipients, which is expected to be published in 2021. She was a student mentor within the program and was actively involved in organ donation advocacy as Co-President of the Multi-Organ Transplant Insight, Outreach, and Networking Society at the University of Toronto.
For her fourth year research project in physiology, she worked in the lab of Dr. Zdenka Pausova (University of Toronto, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute). Her project focused on a subset of women in the Saguenay Youth Study, focusing on blood pressure determinants in middle-aged women and whether they are affected by steroid hormone levels. Her research compared the relative contributions of stroke volume, heart rate, and total peripheral resistance to blood pressure in pre- and post-menopausal women. It is a topic of interest because the increase in incidence of cardiovascular disease with age in women is greater than in men and it is thought that hormonal changes after menopause may play a role in cardiovascular changes.
In addition to her studies and research work, Rebecca was a member of the University College Dragon Boat Club for all four years of her undergraduate studies and served as a Co-Captain for the team during her fourth year.
Rebecca is currently pursuing her MD at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University.