Physiology was first recognized as a discipline at the Medical College of Georgia in 1834. Mergers and divisions between Physiology and other departments were common until William F. Hamilton, Ph.D. took over as Chairman of Physiology and Pharmacology in 1934. A Ph.D. program in physiology was approved in 1963, with the first two students entering the following year. In 1986, Physiology merged with the Department of Endocrinology, founded in 1946 by Dr. Robert B. Greenblatt, M.D., inventor of one of the first oral contrceptives and first oral fertility drugs.
In 1986, Chair of Endocrinology Dr. Virendra Mahesh became chairman of The Department of Physiology and Endocrinology. During his tenure, the Department rose to national prominence for its work in reproductive endocrinology and steroid metabolism. In 1999, R. Clinton Webb, Ph.D. became chairman of the Department of Physiology following Dr. Mahesh's retirement. Changes at the Medical College resulted in a significant turnover in faculty, and by 2004 the entire faculty consisted of professors recruited by Dr. Webb.


To read the full Physiology Department History (in PFD form) click here.