INTRODUCTION
The Department of Physiology, J N Medical College had a humble beginning on the KLE Society’s Lingaraj College campus in 1963. Affiliated to Karnataka University Dharwad from inception, it was shifted to the present premises in December 1964. With the formation of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences – Karnataka in 1996, the Departmental affiliation changed. Presently the department is under the ambit of KLE Academy of Higher Education & Research (KLE University) since 2006. We are proud that the KLE University is accredited at the ‘A’ level by NAAC.
Apart from promoting need based and value based physiology education to undergraduate and postgraduate medical students, it has made innovations in teaching learning and evaluation and is one of the first departments of JNMC to introduce Objective Structured Practical Examination for formative student assessment. The department has pioneered the use of Audio-Visual teaching aids including multimedia CDs for promoting student learning. All the teaching facilities in the Department are equipped with LCD projectors for use by the faculty and students. The department has modern, fully equipped laboratories devoted to the study of hematology, clinical and human physiology as well as amphibian and mammalian physiology.
The Department in Collaboration with Dept of Pharmacology and KLE Society’s College of Pharmacy has established the Belgaum Branch of Association of Physiology & Pharmacology India (APPI) in the year 1992. The APPI Belgaum Branch conducts an annual CME focused on currents trends in Biological Sciences besides Guest Lectures and Workshops for updating the knowledge and skills of its members. These programs have gained popularity among the faculty of Medical Colleges in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa and attract enthusiastic participation. As a testimony to its efforts for promoting scientific temper and academic culture among the faculty and students, the APPI Belgaum Branch has been conferred the Best Branch Award at the National Conferences of APPI thrice – in the years 1993, 2010,2011,2012,2013,2014, and 2017.
Besides providing training to Undergraduate and Postgraduate Health Professions Students of different disciplines – Medical, Dental, Nursing, Physiotherapy, Hospital Administration and Allied Health Sciences – the Department also offers M.Sc. Physiology (from 2008) and Ph.D. in Physiology ( from 2007 ) programs.
The Department has taken a number of Faculty Development initiatives by deputing the faculty members to National & International Universities for Masters’ Degree Programs, Fellowship Trainings and Workshops. The Department faculty participates as members of multi-disciplinary research teams collaborating with Universities in the USA for implementing community based research projects funded by International agencies like: National Institutes of Health, USA; World Health Organization, Geneva; International Atomic Energy Agency, Austria; Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USA. A number of peer-reviewed publications in reputed international journals with high impact factor have resulted from these studies.
The Faculty excellence in teaching has been recognized by the college with three teachers being conferred the “Best Teacher Award” on the occasion of Teachers Day celebration in the years 2003, 2006 and 2010.
The Department has developed basic research capability with special emphasis on Neurophysiology, Exercise and Sports Physiology. The undergraduate students are encourages to undertake research projects funded by ICMR.