HISTORY
Two renowned Bioscience researchers, professors Paulo Sawaya and Erasmo Garcia Mendes, founded PPGFG during the early 1970s. In 1994, our Graduate School split from the Graduate School in Physiology and Biophysics of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences. The PPGFG has greatly contributed to the establishment of new research groups in Animal Physiology in Brazil. Most research centers in this field currently employ (or employed) professors graduated from our Program. Some examples of notorious excellence include those at the São Paulo State University (Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho - UNESP) at Rio Claro, the Federal University of São Carlos, and the Federal University of Rio Grande. The PPGFG continues favoring the creation of new research centers in Comparative and Integrative Physiology.
Our original research program focused on classical Comparative Physiology and was centered on two central questions: (i) What are the main mechanisms supporting and integrating animal body function? and (ii) How did these mechanisms evolve? This traditional approach is still a main benchmark, not only as a current characteristic but also as a historical differential. However, classical Comparative Physiology developed into several branches and became one of the most integrative subjects of biological sciences. New approaches, disciplinary interactions, goals, and models were incorporated to the field, and the PPGFG followed these changes while acquiring unique characteristics. Currently, our Graduate School favors not only research in Comparative Physiology, but also disciplinary convergence of Physiology and other areas of knowledge.
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Prof. Erasmo Garcia Mendes (1916 - 2001) |
Prof. Paulo Sawaya (1903-2003)
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