The Department of Pharmacology at KMC Manipal, is involved in teaching Pharmacology to undergraduate MBBS students (3^rd to 5^th semester). The postgraduate program was started in 1971 and the doctoral programme was introduced in 1987.  It obtained recognition as Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring Centre in 2011 by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India under Pharmacovigilance program of India.

Various research projects - clinical and animal - are carried out in the department. Several projects have received funding from the Indian Council of Medical Research and industry. The faculty are also involved in guiding undergraduates for Short term studentship (STS) of ICMR, postgraduate thesis and doctoral candidates. Students (undergraduate and postgraduates) and faculty have presented papers in conferences and won awards.

The Annual Lecture Update for postgraduates was started in  2000 by the Dept. of Pharmacology, KMC, Manipal and is held annually ever since along with the Dept. of Pharmacology, KMC, Mangalore and MCOPS, Manipal.  The Department has coordinated several clinical trials. The faculty members are resource persons for workshops / CMEs, members of doctoral committee, students’ research forum, ISO core committee and provide Basic Life Support training to undergraduates. 

Key Features

• Training of undergraduates to inculcate a rational and scientific basis of therapeutics
• Training of postgraduates to make them competent in academics, research and industry.
• Guiding doctoral candidates.
• Well-qualified and experienced faculty
• Well equipped with library, computers,  LCDs, laboratories and other resources
• Modern teaching methods practiced including computer assisted learning and use of ICT in teaching-learning
• Curriculum is designed and  reviewed periodically to facilitate students in pursuing higher education and research in India and abroad
• Pharmacogenomics lab providing hands on training for postgraduates
• Research – Clinical – conducted as per GCP guidelines
• Research – Basic – conducted as per GLP/CPCSEA guidelines
• Consultancy service with respect to adverse drug reactions; reporting ADRs to National Coordination Centre, Ghaziabad
• Regular conduct of CMEs and workshops for students and faculty

Collaborations

• Interdepartmental research work- many of the PG thesis & UG projects have been done in collaboration with other department of KMC, Manipal - Department of Medicine, Biochemistry, Cardiology, Neurology, Psychiatry, Oncology, Microbiology, Pulmonary Medicine, Neonatology, Gastroenterology and Urology.
• Various PhD and PG projects is also undertaken through Inter-institutional collaboration – Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Melaka Medical College, Manipal and Manipal College of Nursing, Manipal, AV Baliga Hospital.

About the Area of Study

Pharmacology is the science of drugs. The objective of Pharmacology is mainly to provide such scientific data, using which one can choose a drug treatment of proven efficacy and safety from the various options available, to suit the patient.

Pharmacology has an important role in pharmaceutical industry where drug discovery and clinical trials are all based on pharmacological principles.

Like other biomedical sciences, the boundaries of Pharmacology are extending and it tends to have more than other disciplines. The new arrivals on the fringe are Pharmacogenomics, Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics.