Pharmacology and Neuroscience (Doctorate)

At Creighton, you’ll have access to the specialized equipment, resources and broad expertise of a large university, but with smaller class sizes. You’ll be able to use this to your advantage with opportunities for frequent one-on-one interactions with faculty and your primary mentor.

You can also expect to have regular interaction with other students in your cohort and our faculty members. By focusing on a small group of students, our faculty can cover each topic in the program in more depth, which leads to a comprehensive, well-rounded education. You’ll gain a deep knowledge of physiology, learning about the mechanisms of drugs and their impact on biological systems at the molecular and genetic levels. You’ll also develop your critical thinking skills and discuss research ethics.

Research at Creighton is mission-driven, making your work part of a larger effort to serve others and create a more just world. Our students and faculty continue to research various human diseases such as:

• Neurological diseases such as epilepsy, autism, and schizophrenia
• Asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease and pulmonary hypertension
• Substance abuse, stroke and birth defects

Our faculty reflect the complex scope of modern pharmacological research as they apply methods of systems and cell physiology, neuroscience, biochemistry, genetics, and cellular and molecular biology to better understand drug action. Their research includes diverse topics such as:

• G protein-coupled receptor signal transduction and regulation
• Control of neurotransmitter release
• Ion channel modulation and metabolism
• Molecular pharmacology of excitatory neurotransmission
• Environmental contributions to neuroplasticity and development
• Cardiovascular and CNS drug discovery

Your research passions are our priority

Creighton’s pharmacology and neuroscience doctoral degree can be customized to fit your interests and career goals. You’ll work with a major advisor and dissertation committee to create a customized plan of study. Options for specialization include neuropharmacology, autonomic, cardiovascular, ocular, renal and exocrine pharmacology, immunopharmacology, neuropharmacology and toxicology.

Your professors will work closely with you—guiding your studies and acting as teachers, advisors and mentors throughout your degree and career. Many of our faculty members collaborate and work with students long after they earn their degree.