Medical Physiology

Our Program

Within a vibrant learning atmosphere, the Department of Physiology offers the Master of Health Science (MHSc) in Medical Physiology. This program is designed to address the rapidly emerging need for professionals who can interpret near-infinite amounts of data generated by clinicians at the bedside, researchers at the bench, and emergent health technologies every single day. Students successfully complete this program in one year.

Led by world-class faculty, the unique combination of coursework and hands-on experience ensures our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills sought in today’s competitive health-related workforce. The program culminates with a work placement in an industry, hospital, or government setting. A professional development component runs throughout the program to ensure our students succeed and help them find a career they love.

Curriculum

Students in this program complete 6.0 FCE*

PSL4000Y, Seminars and Graduate Professional Development (1.0 FCE)
PSL4010Y Mentored Literature Review Project in Physiology (1.0 FCE)
PSL4020Y Medical Physiology Practicum (1.0 FCE)
PSL4030H Clinical Physiology (0.5 FCE)
PSL4040H Big Data and Health (0.5 FCE)
PSL4050H Collaboration and Commercialization in Physiology (0.5 FCE)
1.5 FCE elective courses

Typically, successful students complete this program in 12 months.

About the Summer Work Placement

The work placement is a unique chance to integrate work and learning in a field that interests you.
Spend the summer term applying knowledge gained from your course-work in a business, clinical, research, or other relevant setting.
Develop your practical and professional skills and attain valuable work experience.
Guidance is offered throughout the program to find a placement that suits your interests and strengths.

Alumni Profile

Shandon Ashitei, MHSc

The program taught me to evaluate health technologies, communicate with diverse stakeholders, and think strategically about implementation. All are key in my role at Realize Medical, where I work with hospitals to bring VR surgical planning tools into practice.

I benefit from our Clinical Physiology course daily, using my understanding of physiology to support surgeons and imagers. The Commercialization course shaped how I navigate the industry by teaching me how innovations make it to market; differences between startups and large medtech companies; and how to position a product.

I loved that the program was hands-on and collaborative, and the assignments felt aligned with real-world healthcare problem-solving. My passionate, curious cohort shared ideas and late-night study sessions, but also a lot of laughs.

Potential Career Paths

Job-Ready Skills

Graduates will obtain a knowledge and skill set that enables them to:

Project manage multi-investigator research teams
Bring new scientific discoveries to market
Develop technology skills for commercial success
Usefully interpret big data sets produced by products like wearable devices
Attain transferable skills in core competencies and professionalism to complement further training
50% of our graduates have been hired by their placement organization upon graduation. Others have gone on to MD, Dentistry, & PhD programs.

By the Numbers

24

Number of students in the program

12

Number of months to complete the program

1 in 2

Students employed after graduation via placement

*Full course equivalent. A typical 0.5 FCE is over one term (13 weeks), meeting 1-2 times per week. A typical 1.0 FCE is over two terms (26 weeks), meeting 1-2 times per week.