Interview with Bruce M. Koeppen, and Bruce A. Stanton

Why did you feel that it was important to write a book on this topic? What does Berne & Levy Physiology add to the field? 

The Berne & Levy Physiology is intended for students in the health care professions, who have not previously taken a course on human physiology. It is best suited for graduate students (e.g., medicine, dentistry, nursing, etc.), but it can easily meet the needs of upper-level undergraduate students. Because the book is written specifically for students training for careers in the health care professions it emphasizes physiological concepts and topics that are clinically important, and thus should be of long-lasting relevance to them throughout their careers. Throughout the book clinically relevant material is highlighted with “In The Clinic” insights throughout the book.

What new ideas, practices, or procedures do you hope your readers take away from Berne & Levy Physiology? 

We hope that the students who use Berne & Levy Physiology to learn physiology gain an appreciation of the function and complexities of the human body in health as well as in certain disease states. In addition, we hope that they will be able to apply the concepts presented in the book (e.g., homeostasis and steady-state balance, etc.) to provide better care of patients they serve in their careers as health care professionals.

What problem do you hope the future generation of your specialty will be able to solve? 

The field of physiology is wide ranging and has always been, and we expect will continue to be, an area of active research. New findings will bring new understanding at both the molecular and systems levels which can only help to lead to the development of ways to improve life and prevent and treat disease.

What is the most exciting aspect of Berne & Levy Physiology? What chapter or topic covered in the new edition are you most excited about? 

We are excited to welcome a number of new contributors to the 8^th edition. Agnieszka Swiatecka-Urban, MD and Julianne M. Hall, PhD served as Associate Editors, and contributed to the renal and endocrine sections of the book. New section authors include, Alix Ashare, MD, PhD and James L. Carroll, Jr., MD (Respiratory); Robert D. Harvey, PhD (Cardiovascular); and Mark Yeckel, PhD (nervous system).

About the Editors

Bruce M. Koeppen, MD, PhD, is the Dean Emeritus of the Frank H. Netter, MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. Bruce A. Stanton, PhD, is the Andrew C. Vail Professor at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire. He is also the Director of the Cystic Fibrosis Research Program.

Purchase your copy of Berne & Levy Physiology here!