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Basic Biomedical Sciences
Lee Medical Building
414 E. Clark St.
Vermillion, SD 57069
Office Hours
Monday - Friday
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Welcome to the Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences

Biomedical scientists ask questions and find solutions to examine human disease and advance medicine. Through biomedical research, experts can expand our understanding of health and improve the human condition.

In the Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, we transform students into biomedical scientists who can bring a wealth of experiences and knowledge to their work. Here learning takes place in both the classroom and the research laboratory, with a variety of robust facilities and resources available to our students and faculty; this hands-on learning experience helps our students understand the human organism and translate that knowledge into diagnostic and therapeutic development. Students benefit from mentorship from expert faculty who have a wide breadth of research and teaching interests. Through discovery, education and service, our faculty develop novel approaches for diagnosing, managing and treating disease.

Join our community of biomedical scientists and problem-solvers in the Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences.


Programs

Faculty & Staff

Get to know the faculty and staff in the Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences. Our faculty are experts in their field, specializing in cancer biology, cardiovascular, entomology, human genetics, infectious disease, microbiology, and neuroscience among other areas.
Bio Image for Faculty Member William Mayhan

William Mayhan

Dean, Basic Biomedical Science

Specialty

Brain Effects from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Bio Image for Faculty Member Daniel Bird

Daniel Bird

Assoc Dean of Basic Sciences

Specialty

Microbiology & Immunology
Bio Image for Faculty Member Priya Anbalagan

Priya Anbalagan

Teaching/Research Post Doc
Bio Image for Faculty Member Denise Arrick

Denise Arrick

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Educational Faculty
Bio Image for Faculty Member Edward Bagu

Edward Bagu

Associate Professor

Specialty

Educational Faculty
Bio Image for Faculty Member Lee Baugh

Lee Baugh

Associate Professor

Specialty

Neuroscience
Bio Image for Faculty Member Brian Burrell

Brian Burrell

Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Grant Campbell

Grant Campbell

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Molecular Microbiology & Immunology
Bio Image for Faculty Member Michael Chaussee

Michael Chaussee

Professor

Specialty

Microbiology
Bio Image for Faculty Member William Chen

William Chen

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Cardiovascular
Bio Image for Faculty Member Bruce Cuevas

Bruce Cuevas

Associate Professor

Specialty

Educational Faculty
Bio Image for Faculty Member Scott Druecker

Scott Druecker

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Educational Faculty
Bio Image for Faculty Member Marc Dvoracek

Marc Dvoracek

Associate Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Barbara Goodman

Barbara Goodman

Professor

Specialty

Educational Faculty
Bio Image for Faculty Member Dana Hansen

Dana Hansen

Instructor

Specialty

Educational Faculty
Bio Image for Faculty Member Victor Huber

Victor Huber

Professor

Specialty

Microbiology
Bio Image for Faculty Member Curtis Kost

Curtis Kost Jr.

Associate Professor

Specialty

Physiology
Bio Image for Faculty Member Yifan Li

Yifan Li

Professor

Specialty

Cardiovascular and Physiology
Bio Image for Faculty Member Pasquale Manzerra

Pasquale Manzerra

Asst Dean, Med Student Affairs

Specialty

Neuroscience
Bio Image for Faculty Member Lisa McFadden

Lisa McFadden

Associate Professor

Specialty

Cardiovascular and Neuroscience
Bio Image for Faculty Member Gerald McGraw

Gerald McGraw Jr

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Educational Faculty
Bio Image for Faculty Member Robert Morecraft

Robert Morecraft

Professor

Specialty

Neuroscience
Bio Image for Faculty Member Jose Pietri

Jose Pietri

Associate Professor

Specialty

Microbiology
Bio Image for Faculty Member Luye Qin

Luye Qin

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Cardiovascular
Bio Image for Faculty Member Khosrow Rezvani

Khosrow Rezvani

Associate Professor

Specialty

Cancer Biology
Bio Image for Faculty Member Samuel Sathyanesan

Samuel Sathyanesan

Professor

Specialty

Neuroscience
Bio Image for Faculty Member Arun Singh

Arun Singh

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Neuroscience
Bio Image for Faculty Member Taylor Soderling

Taylor Soderling

Assistant Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Xuejun Wang

Xuejun Wang

Director of MD, PhD Program

Specialty

Cardiovascular and Physiology
Bio Image for Faculty Member Hong Zheng

Hong Zheng

Associate Professor

Specialty

Neuroscience and Physiology
Bio Image for Faculty Member Michelle Baack

Michelle Baack

Professor

Specialty

Physiology, Pharmacology
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member Francisco Bustos Velasquez

Francisco Bustos Velasquez

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Molecular Biology & Genetics
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member Indra Chandrasekar

Indra Chandrasekar

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Other
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member Pilar De La Puente

Pilar De La Puente

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Molecular Biology & Genetics
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member Erik Ehli

Erik Ehli

Associate Professor

Specialty

Molecular Biology & Genetics
Avera
Bio Image for Faculty Member Kevin Francis

Kevin Francis

Associate Professor

Specialty

Other/General
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member Kurt Griffin

Kurt Griffin

Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Keith Hansen

Keith Hansen

Chair, OB/GYN
Bio Image for Faculty Member Michael Kareta

Michael Kareta

Associate Professor

Specialty

Molecular Biology & Genetics
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member Lance Lee

Lance Lee

Associate Professor

Specialty

Molecular Biology & Genetics
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member Abdelhalim Loukil

Abdelhalim Loukil

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Molecular Biology & Genetics
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member Ikuo Masuho

Ikuo Masuho

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Molecular Biology & Genetics
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member W. Keith Miskimins

W. Keith Miskimins

Professor

Specialty

Cancer Biology
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member David Pearce

David Pearce

Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Louis-Jan Pilaz

Louis-Jan Pilaz

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Molecular Biology & Genetics
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member Steven Powell

Steven Powell

Associate Professor
Bio Image for Faculty Member Kyle Roux

Kyle Roux

Professor

Specialty

Molecular Biology & Genetics
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member Alexei Savinov

Alexei Savinov

Associate Professor

Specialty

Other/General
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member William Spanos

William Spanos

Associate Professor

Specialty

Cancer Biology
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member Anna Strahm

Anna Strahm

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Other/General
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member Kameswaran Surendran

Kameswaran Surendran

Associate Professor

Specialty

Molecular Biology & Genetics
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member James Tao

James Tao

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Molecular Biology & Genetics
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member Paola Vermeer

Paola Vermeer

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Cancer Biology
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member Kurt Warnhoff

Kurt Warnhoff

Assistant Professor

Specialty

Molecular Biology & Genetics
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member Jill Weimer

Jill Weimer

Professor

Specialty

Neuroscience
Sanford Research
Bio Image for Faculty Member Brenda Auen

Brenda Auen

Body Donation Program Assistant
Bio Image for Faculty Member Pamela Bernard

Pamela Bernard

Accounting Assistant
Bio Image for Faculty Member Jamie Cuka

Jamie Cuka

BBS Financial Assistant
Bio Image for Faculty Member Nicole Comp Hinrich

Nicole Comp Hinrich

BBS Program Assistant
Bio Image for Faculty Member Wendy Pederson

Wendy Pederson

Graduate & Educ Manager
Bio Image for Faculty Member Jacquelyn Rubida

Jacquelyn Rubida

BBS Personnel Assistant
Bio Image for Faculty Member Cassie Stolpe

Cassie Stolpe

BBS Administrative Assistant
Bio Image for Faculty Member Brian Waage

Brian Waage

Fabrication Technician
Bio Image for Faculty Member Laura Wiemers

Laura Wiemers

BBS Management Analyst
 

Known for Excellence

At USD, you'll find a high quality educational experience strengthened by our faculty's research and creative scholarship. See what makes our department exceptional.

DEPARTMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Explore the resources and opportunities available in the Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences.

Departments & Facilities

Explore the departments, facilities and centers connected to the Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences.
Lee Baugh smiling in front of a monitor showing brain research.

Center for Brain and Behavior Research

The Center for Brain and Behavior Research (CBBRe) promotes outstanding training of research students and fellows, feeding the pipeline of creative independent scientists in the fields of neuroscience and behavioral science.

Male Research Utilizing Equipment in Behavioral Core Facility.

Behavioral Core

Behavioral assessment in animal models is often a necessary component for answering research questions effectively. The Behavioral Core provides a range of paradigms to measure discrete and varied forms of behavior, which can then be related to underlying physiological processes. Our modular equipment and software allow either automated or experimenter-based recording to facilitate rapid acquisition of data.

Female Researcher Using Equipment in Imaging Core Facility.

Imaging Core

The goal of the Basic Biomedical Sciences Imaging Core is to provide researchers with access to microscopy instrumentation. With a range of digital imaging microscopy systems, the Imaging Core offers various optical microscopes for slide and cellular biological imaging.

The neuroimaging core in use.

Neuroimaging Core

We support the training, use and analysis of structural and functional neuroimaging data.

Interior of the Physiology Core Facility.

Physiology Core

The Physiology Core Facility provides basic and biological researchers with a central resource for creating models of animal physiology and pathophysiology. While our main focus is exploring the effects of cardiovascular disease and cancer in rodents, we can provide support to any aspect of animal research.

Equipment Inside the Proteomics Core Facility.

Proteomics Core

The Proteomics Core facility is a collaborative research enterprise that provides state-of-the-art proteomics services to researchers from South Dakota and the surrounding region.

USD Body Donation Garden at the Vermillion Cemetery.

Body Donor Program

The Body Donation Program supports educational programs in providing more and better trained health care professionals through helping donors bequest their bodies after death. We serve as the contact point for all inquiries, communication and assistance in donating one’s body to educational study.