The Dorothy H. and Lewis Rosenstiel Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics vigorously pursues a multifaceted mission of research, research training at both predoctoral and postdoctoral levels, and medical school teaching. Predoctoral training in pharmacological sciences is under the auspices of the Graduate School of Biological Sciences.

The disciplines of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics are devoted to the study of biological processes at molecular, cellular, tissue, and organism levels in order to understand the mechanisms by which these processes function and how these processes can be modulated for therapeutic purposes. Studies often involve analysis of interactions of exogenous and endogenous substances with biological systems and the development of new therapeutics based on our understanding of cellular and molecular interactions. Biochemistry seeks to define life processes in terms of chemical interactions and reactions. Physiology defines how biochemical processes lead to tissue, organ and organismal functions. Pharmacologists ultimately aim to understand how perturbation of these systems can lead to therapeutic modalities and how an organism's handling of specific therapeutic agents determines treatment regimens and affects therapeutic utility. Systems Pharmacology and Therapeutics represent a continuum of thought and research in understanding the origins and mechanisms underlying complex diseases and how they can be treated. The research activities in the Department fall into three broad areas: 1) Biochemistry and Regulatory Biology, 2) Applied Mathematics and Systems Biology and 3) Physiology and Drug Development.

The Department is home to a NIGMS National Center for Systems Biology. This Center brings together faculty from the Department and other departments at Mount Sinai together with faculty at sister institutions in the New York area to develop the fields of Systems Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

Department faculty members participate in a number of pre- and postdoctoral training programs funded by the NIH. At the predoctoral level, the faculty members participate in interdisciplinary training areas such as Pharmacology and Systems Biology (PSB), Neurosciences (NEU), and Molecular, Cellular, Biochemical, and Developmental Sciences (MCBDS).

The Department hosts the Interdepartmental and Interdisciplinary Training Grant in Pharmacology that is funded by the NIGMS. Pharmacology Training Grant activities include the Integrated Journal Club-Trainee Research Project and the yearly mini-retreats.

The Department has a Postdoctoral Training Grant on Drug Abuse from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA). Faculty members are research faculty on other pre- and postdoctoral training grants from which trainees may derive support. Many trainees also obtain individual research fellowships from national funding agencies such as the National Institutes of Health.

Faculty participate in the medical school teaching of Molecules and Cells, Medical Pharmacology, Ethics, and Cultural Diversity in Medicine. The Directors of Molecules and Cells and Medical Pharmacology are primary faculty members in the Department.

The Department hosts regular seminars including a series on Pharmacology and Drug Development, Drug Abuse Research and Systems Biology. In addition, other departmental activities include research colloquia (Works in Progress), where ongoing research for departmental laboratories are presented: and the Research Activities Group, a twice a year meeting of postdoctoral fellows and research associates.

The Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics is located both on the 12th floor of Mount Sinai's Icahn Medical Institute—1425 Madison Avenue—and the 19th floor of the Annenberg Building. Within the Department, primary faculty members have their laboratories and offices, and there are a number of research facilities. There is easy access via tunnels to other buildings in the Medical Center, including those housing the library, the preclinical teaching facilities, and the Hospital.