Justification for name change: VCAPP to Integrative Physiology and
Neuroscience (IPN)
As part of the update to the Department of VCAPP’s strategic plan we propose to change the name of
the department from Veterinary and Comparative Anatomy, Pharmacology and Physiology (VCAPP) to
Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience (IPN). This change in name is timely in that VCAPP is scheduled
to move into the new research building (Veterinary and Biomedical Research Building) in the Spring of
2013. It also coincides with future plans to integrate more closely with the School of Molecular
Biosciences in both our undergraduate and graduate programs. Following are more detailed reasons
regarding justification for the name change:
Reasons to change our name
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Although VCAPP maybe a fine abbreviation (easy to say), the formal name is bulky and difficult
to say, takes up two lines when spelled out, not readily obvious what the initials stand for, and is
often mislabeled (does Pharmacology come before or after Physiology? I have also seen others
write our acronym as VCAP).
This name suggests we are still in the 1970s, or worse. Although we may be marginally called
comparative because we concern ourselves with issues of concern to either human or animal
medicine, this term as a departmental identifier is antiquated, dating from the 1950s or 60s.
Veterinary is also a limiting term. The term implies that we are only concerned with non-human
medicine, when in fact the NIH is our major funder, and most of the research work in the
department is relevant to both veterinary and/or human medicine. For someone interested in
some of the research agendas that are well represented in the department (e.g., cardiac muscle
function, addiction, sleep, feeding), a department of Veterinary and Comparative Medicine
doesn’t sound like it would be a cutting-edge place for such research. Our current name implies
that we are in intellectual and scientific backwater.
Listing out individual biomedical sciences is also old fashioned. This may have been necessary
when individual departments merged into VCAPP in the early 1970s (people did not want to lose
their disciplinary identity), but we are long past the point of thinking of ourselves as an
anatomist, pharmacologist, or physiologist. Although there are still some unique conceptual
perspectives associated with anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology – and we still teach these
subjects – the action is now at the intersection of these fields, not working in isolation from one
another. Clearly, the combining of individual departments when VCAPP was formed nearly 40
years ago was an acknowledgment of this fact, but we no longer should carry individual names.
Most importantly - having an out-of-date name puts us at a real disadvantage in terms of
recruiting top-notch students, post-docs, and faculty. This also extends to evaluations of our
grant proposals, and perhaps even to our published work. It is possible that some of our
reviewers/competitors think we can’t be taken too seriously; after all, from our name we appear
to be a department that applies advances in anatomy, pharmacology, and physiology (all moreor-less passé disciplines with respect to modern biomedical science) to a veterinary specific
context, rather than a place that where very successful scientists work at the forefront of their
individual fields. In fact, we have had several recruits (faculty and graduate students) tell us that
they almost did not apply to our programs because the name was off-putting, but that once
they got past the name, they were impressed by the quality they found (no telling how many
actually never did apply because of the name).
V:Neuroscience/name change final
Why the name Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience?
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This removes ‘Comparative’ and ‘Veterinary’ from our title, thus indicating we have a broader
agenda than these adjectives suggest. We are interested in Physiology and Neuroscience
regardless of the specific application of the science.
Our department already uses the term ‘Physiology’, and we are the home department for the
Programs in Neuroscience, thus other current departments in the CVM and elsewhere at WSU
should not feel infringed upon by our use of these labels.
Including ‘Physiology’ with ‘Neuroscience’ gives us the breadth we need to encompass all
components represented in the department, both research wise (we have a significant focus on
muscle in addition to a very strong focus in neuroscience), and in the materials we are called
upon to teach (professional courses in anatomy, physiology, neuroscience, and pharmacology,
as well as undergraduate and graduate courses in physiology and neuroscience). Restricting our
name to either Physiology or Neuroscience would be too confining.
Adding the term ‘Integrative’ reflects the nature of our department’s perspective. The focus of
the research activities in our department is to know how cellular and molecular events integrate
to control organismal physiology (e.g., cardiac function, autonomics) or behavior (sleep, feeding,
addiction, emotion). Those of us who primarily approach our science with a molecular or
cellular perspective ultimately want to integrate our findings into the larger picture, and those
of us with a behavioral perspective are grounded in exploring cellular and molecular
explanations for the behavior.
On the other hand, selecting other possible terms such as ‘Biomedical Sciences’, or ‘Integrative
Biology’ may imply too broad of an agenda and cause confusion as to the areas covered in our
department versus other departments in the CVM and elsewhere at WSU.
“Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience” nicely complements “Molecular Biosciences”, the
program we plan to become more closely allied with at both the undergraduate and graduate
levels. The difference in perspective between our two units, as well as how we complement one
another, is immediately apparent from these names.
What other departments use “Integrative Physiology” in their name? Is it common? (Results obtained
from a brief internet search):
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Department of Integrative Physiology
o University of Colorado (School of Medicine)
o University of North Texas (Health Science Center)
o University of Split (Croatia, School of Medicine)
o University of Iowa (This is part of an undergraduate program in Health and Human
Physiology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology
o University of Michigan (School of Medicine)
o University of Kansas (School of Medicine)
o University of Illinois (School of Medicine)
Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology
o University of Minnesota (School of Medicine)
o UCLA (College of Letters and Science)
Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology
o Indiana University (School of Medicine)
o University of Nebraska (School of Medicine)
V:Neuroscience/name change final
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Program in Integrative Physiology (within the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at
the Karolinska Institute)
Centre for Integrative Physiology (School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh)
Section for Molecular Integrative Physiology (Department of Biology, University of
Kobenhauns, Denmark)
Center for Integrative Human Physiology (Interdisciplinary program, University of Zurich)
Integrative Physiology and Metabolism (Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard)
Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology (a program at Hanover College, Indiana)
How do other veterinary colleges divide their academic departments? How common is the term
‘Veterinary’ and/or ’Comparative’ used in a department name? (Note that all three selected examples
have a division of labor close to the structure at the CVM at WSU. Not one of them feels compelled to
include the term ‘veterinary’, even in their clinical departments):
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Colorado State University, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences:
o Biomedical Sciences
o Clinical Sciences
o Environmental Health & Radiological Health Sciences
o Microbiology, Immunology, & Pathology
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University of California Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine:
o Anatomy, Physiology, & Cell Biology
o Molecular Biosciences
o Pathology, Microbiology, & Immunology
o Medicine & Epidemiology
o Surgical & Radiological Sciences
o Population Health and Reproduction
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Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine:
o Biomedical Sciences
o Molecular Medicine
o Clinical Sciences
o Population Medicine & Diagnostic Services
V:Neuroscience/name change final