The Department of Physiology was formed in 1926 under the wing of the School of Medical Sciences. In 1943, pharmacology was added to the curriculum at the University of Saskatchewan and was then combined with the Department of Physiology. Over the years, the Department of Physiology has occupied various buildings, increasing its space with each move. When new space became available in 1969, pharmacology and physiology became separate departments, and physiology moved to the Health Sciences building where it remains today.

In 1925, D. J. M. Scott, M.A., M.D., Ph.D., was appointed as the first professor of physiology at the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Scott was a pupil of Lovett-Evans at University College, London and worked primarily on nerve physiology. After his death in 1930, Dr. Scott was succeeded by John Fiddes, M.B., Ch.B., M.D. During Dr. Fiddes’ appointment, the world–wide depression hit and as a result, the University of Saskatchewan’s School of Medical Sciences struggled to survive. Dr. Fiddes successfully weathered the severities of war, depression and drought on the prairies. He retired in 1946, and was succeeded by Dr. Louis B. Jaques.

In 1946, Dr. Jaques was appointed professor and head of the Department of Physiology (and Pharmacology between 1950 and 1969). Dr. Jaques was the longest-serving head of the department (1946–71). He devoted most of his sixty-year career unraveling the mysteries of heparin and developing its clinical uses as an effective anticoagulant. At the University of Saskatchewan he established an active research group that attracted students from diverse parts of the world.

Early in his term, Dr. Jaques invited G.J. (Jack) Millar to join him. Together, the two of them shared the teaching of physiology on campus and made a significant impact in the department. Dr. Jacques continued to work after his mandatory retirement in 1979. He maintained an active research lab as Emeritus Professor of Physiology, almost to the time of his death in 1997. In his memory, the department created the L.B. Jaques Physiology Award, given each year to the Physiology B.Sc. Honours graduate with the best academic performance. The L.B. Jacques Memorial Scholarship to support postgraduate training was also established. In recognition of Jack Millar’s contribution, the department set up the G.J. Millar Book Prize, awarded annually to the medical student receiving the highest grade in physiology.

The composition of the teaching faculty in physiology changed significantly between 1979 and 1985. Of the nine full-time faculty members listed for 1978 and 1979, only three remained into the 1990’s. Dr. Sulakhe, who trained in biochemistry, physiology and pharmacology in Bombay and Manitoba, was one of Canada’s firms MRC Research Professors and has served over 25 years. Dr. Prasad, who trained in science and medicine in India and pharmacology in Alberta, retired in 1997 after 24 years of service.

In 1980, Jim Thornhill and Nigel West joined the department. Thornhill trained in pharmacology and physiology at the Universities of Western Ontario and Calgary, and West, trained in zoology in Bristol England and at the University of British Columbia. Both Thornhill and West were awarded Medical Research Council development grants shortly after their arrival. Michel Desautels, who trained in biochemistry and physiology at the Universities of Ottawa and Harvard, was appointed in 1982. In 1983, Armin Wollin and Susan Hemmings joined the department. Wollin, a former student of Jacques trained at the Mayo Clinic and the University of California, Los Angeles, and teaching at the Université de Sherbrooke, Quebec, where he was an MRC scholar. Susan Hemmings trained in biochemistry and physiology at the Universities of British Columbia and Saskatchewan. Mark Evered, trained in biology and physiology at McMaster, University of Western Ontario, and Cambridge, England, and was recruited from Western in 1984. Wolfgang Walz, a neuroscientist trained at the University of Konstanz, Germany, joined physiology in 1985 as a MRC scholar and subsequently obtained a MRC Scientist Award. With the exception of various limited-term appointments, the full-time teaching faculty remained unchanged until 1997, when Rui Wang was recruited from the University of Montreal. He trained in medicine in China and physiology in Edmonton. Also in 1997, Paul Lee was hired as a term faculty member. Dr Thomas Fisher who trained in pharmacology at the Universities of Yale and Saskatchewan, joined our faculty in 2002. Dr. Joseph Ndisang joined the department in 2005. He was trained in pharmacology and toxicology at the universities of Florence, Italy and Saskatchewan. The Department was fortunate to gain two facutly members who each held a postdoctoral postion at the Brain Research Center at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Sean Mulligan joined the Department in 2006, and Dr. Francisco Cayabyab became a faculty member in 2007. The most recent additions to the Department's facutly membership include Dr. Veronica Campanucci  who came from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and Dr. Juan Ianowski, from the Department of Biology at the Univeristy of Toronto at Mississauga, both in 2009.

Throughout its history, the Department of Physiology has maintained a strong record in teaching while contributing significantly to research. A number of faculty members hold external research funding and the scope of their research has covered most of the basic areas of physiology. As well, the undergraduate degree programs continue to be popular choices of students in the sciences, especially those planning careers in the health professions.