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4 IN FOCUS t ISSUE 2025-2026Master%u2019s Degree in Integrative Biology and PhysiologyDr. Joseph Sepe Director, MS Program in Physiology Just as the Mississippi River begins as a trickle at its headwaters in Itasca State Park before growing into a mighty force, so too has the MS Program in Physiology grown with purpose and momentum. Now in its second year, the newest graduate program in the University of Minnesota Medical School continues to build on the success of its inaugural class, welcoming 25 new students as part of the Class of 2026.The program%u2019s first graduating class (%u201925) is already making strides, with alumni having secured positions in industry and teaching, while others are actively navigating the medical school application and interview process. We are proud to see our graduates pursuing their goals, and the program remains committed to supporting alumni as part of a lasting relationship with the Department that continues well beyond their time as MS students.Master%u2019s Students, 2025MS Program in Physiology,First Graduating Class, Spring 2025Dr. Joe Sepe was awarded the Stephen A. Katz Excellence in Education Award. Congratulations Joe! Speaking of Dr. Sepe, under his leadership the Master%u2019s program has taken off with record enrollment of a stellar class of matriculants this year!Congratulations to Dr. Alessandro Bartolomucci who is the new Editor-in-Chief for the journal Neuroscience and BioBehavioral Reviews!The IBP PhD program continues its upward trajectory with four new outstanding PhD students %u2013 also new - Dr. Tim O%u2019Connell - as he takes the helm of program director, taking the program director%u2019s baton from Dr. Jop van Berlo, who served admirably and elevated the program these past five years for IBP. Congrats to Tim and Jop!Dr. Dale Abel, Visscher Symposium keynote speaker, gave a tremendous lecture highlighting mitochondrial mechanism in cardiometabolic disease at the annual Visscher Symposium. Mark your calendar, Dr. Mihai Netea, the discoverer of trained immunity and its role in complex physiological disease processes, with an amazing 900+ scientific papers published, will be giving the Visscher keynote address this year on May 7, 2026.Cardio-Palooza was a great success in smashing records of posters (100+) and attendees (250+)(summary enclosed). Mark your calendars for Cardio-Palooza 17 %u2013 July 29, 2026.State Fair: 3%u2019 Heart Health Test app, a medical school initiative featuring IBP and LHI, was a great success with over 260 trial participants, including a 90-year-old woman who successfully completed the test! Our goal is to review these data and then make the app freely available for all. Final thoughts, the department began this year with an excellent student-faculty retreat at the Mississippi headwaters. As the river gains strength from its beautiful, but rather humble beginnings, we can reflect that while going upstream takes a lot of extra work- the extra effort pays great dividends in the end.Hats off to IBP in 2026!Joseph M. Metzger, PhD Maurice B. Visscher Endowed Land-Grant Chair in PhysiologyProfessor and Chair of the Department of Integrative Biology and PhysiologyDr. Stephen Katz, Associate Professor Director of Education The educational mission of the DepartmentIntegrative Biology and Physiology (IBP) fon physiology and anatomy classes aimed aundergraduate, graduate and professional stFor the year ending in June 2014, we offerethan 40 separate courses reaching over 3,000 students and total tuition revenue of approximately $5.7 million. Our twMedical School courses, Human Structure and Function (Aand Physiology, each placed well above the mean in sevenareas of medical school course comparisons. They also plaand second respectively in the most recent graduation quesconcerning course preparation for clerkships. IBP started aprogram to prepare future physiology teachers. We have exour teaching program to now include graduate students anddocs who want to pursue extra teaching assignments. IBP added a new anatomy teacher, Dr. Mercedes Gutierrez. Meis an anthropologist with previous anatomy teaching experWashington University, Harvard, the Mass. General PT proand Tufts. Medical student Benjamin A. Johnson-Tesch warecipient of the Clarence Martin Jackson Award for 2013 bupon outstanding performance in Gross Anatomy. GraduatSnider Desir and undergraduate physiology majors Kelseaand Joel Peterson received Lifson/Johnson Memorial Awaoutstanding teaching.THE IBP WAY, continueThis fall IBP launched the inaugural Dr. Zofia Zukowska Dguished Lectureship. This lectureship, organized and led bgraduate students, featured Dr. Ronald Victor, UCLA. Dr.gave an excellent lecture on his basic and clinical studies ilar dystrophy. The IBP graduate students are already hard organizing next year%u2019s lectureship to be held in the fall of 2As we launch into the New Year, 2015 promises great newfor IBP. One goal this year is to enhance IBP outreach andmunication. We are committed to reach out to all past IBP alums, faculty and friends. Inside this brochure, please finIBP alumni database form. Please take a moment to fill thireturn it to us so we can re-connect and keep you informedprogress. We also hope to use this as a new networking fooptimize career path options for our graduate students. I look forward to working with you in the coming year.Sincerely,Joseph M. MetzgerUPSTREAM, continued