Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Southeast University:Decoding the Rhythms of Life, Pioneering the Future of Medicine through Integration

Carrying Forward a Century-Old Legacy and Building a Cornerstone of Disciplinary Excellence

The Department of Physiology is dedicated to unraveling the fundamental mechanisms governing life activities and serves as a vital bridge between basic medical sciences and clinical practice. Its origin traces back to the Department of Physiology at the Central University School of Medicine, founded by Professor Cai Qiao, a renowned physiologist and one of the founding figures of physiological sciences in China. Through generations of dedicated scholarship, the department has cultivated a profound academic heritage. Leveraging the world-class engineering strengths of Southeast University, the department has taken a national lead in deepening the integration of medicine and engineering. Focusing on physiological functions and their regulatory mechanisms, it provides systematic and rigorous training in medical theory and scientific thinking for students at various academic stages. By confronting fundamental questions in the biological unknown with cutting-edge exploration, the department continues to redefine the frontiers of disciplinary development through a dynamic balance of tradition and innovation.

A Distinguished Faculty Leading the Way, with Outstanding Educational Achievements

The department boasts a highly innovative and interdisciplinary faculty with diverse academic backgrounds. The team currently comprises 9 faculty members, including 4 full professors and 2 associate professors, with 1 national-level high-tier talent among them, forming a robust academic echelon driven by leading scholars and anchored by mid-career and early-career researchers. Upholding a long-standing tradition of scholarly rigor, the faculty undertakes physiology teaching for both undergraduate and graduate programs in Clinical Medicine (including the 5+3 integrated program) and Preventive Medicine. The department’s curriculum has been repeatedly recognized with prestigious awards, including the Ministry of Railways Excellent Course and the Jiangsu Province First-Class Course. Over the past decade, multiple faculty members have received government teaching awards, the "Excellent Three-Education" title, Southeast University Teaching Achievement Awards, and prizes in young faculty teaching competitions. The department places particular emphasis on cultivating top-tier innovative talents, having established a training framework characterized by "early exposure to research, deep interdisciplinary integration, and a strong focus on translational outcomes." Under this framework, students have garnered multiple national accolades, including the Grand Prize in the main track of the "Challenge Cup" National College Students' Extracurricular Academic Science and Technology Competition, as well as gold and silver awards in the "National College Students' Basic Medical Innovation Research and Experimental Design Forum," earning widespread recognition from peers across the country.

At the Forefront of Research, with Remarkable Scientific Achievements

Building on a solid disciplinary foundation, the Department of Physiology has long been renowned for its outstanding contributions to traditional fields such as auditory physiology, neuroendocrinology, and gastrointestinal electrophysiology. In the new era, the department has proactively aligned its research with major national strategic needs, focusing on frontier areas including auditory physiology and the mechanisms and intervention of deafness, endocrine physiology and metabolic regulation, respiratory physiology and major diseases, and tissue regeneration and repair, conducting systematic investigations from the molecular to the integrative level. Over the past five years, the department has undertaken dozens of research projects at various levels, including sub-projects of the National "973" Program, National Key Research and Development Programs, National Natural Science Foundation grants, and key projects of the Jiangsu Provincial Basic Research Program, with research funding steadily increasing. Research findings have been published in internationally renowned peer-reviewed journals, and several faculty members have been recognized for their outstanding academic contributions, earning places on the Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers list and the Elsevier Top 2% Most-Cited Scientists list, reflecting the department's growing international academic influence.

Engaging with International Frontiers and Charting a Vision for the Future

In 1986, the department was approved by the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council as a Master's degree-granting unit. To date, it has trained over 60 Master's graduates, who are now active and have become leaders in top domestic and international research institutions, universities, and clinical settings. In the face of the post-genomic landscape and the paradigm shift driven by artificial intelligence in scientific research, the department is committed to integrating electrophysiological, molecular biological, omics, and imaging platforms, combined with AI-powered multidimensional data analysis and physiological modeling. This integration aims to establish a complete cognitive chain from genes and molecules to whole-organism functions, forging an innovative paradigm for integrative physiological research. Looking ahead, the department will continue to deepen the convergence of medicine and engineering, foster dynamic interactions between physiology and data science as well as intelligent diagnostics, expand in-depth collaborations with world-class research institutions, and embrace an increasingly open approach to pooling innovative resources. Through these efforts, we strive to achieve leapfrog development in physiology, and to contribute indispensable wisdom and strength from Southeast University to decoding the blueprint of life and safeguarding human health.