Faculty and Staff
Anna V. Blenda, Ph.D.
| Title: | Clinical Professor |
| Biomedical Sciences | |
| Prisma Health Cancer Institute | |
| School of Medicine Greenville | |
| E-mail: | ablenda@greenvillemed.sc.edu |
| Phone: | 864-766-2087 |
| Office: | HSAB 250 Greenville SC 29605 |
Bio
| Background: | Dr. Anna V. Blenda is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville (SOMG) and holds a joint appointment with the Prisma Health Cancer Institute. She most recently served as SOMG’s Director of Research Strategy and Operations, leading initiatives that strengthened collaboration between basic science and clinical research, expanded student research opportunities, and aligned research activities with accreditation and institutional priorities. She also played a key role in SOMG’s Curriculum Refresh, designing and delivering the inaugural Foundations of Medicine 1 course in Fall 2023. Dr. Blenda maintains an active translational research program with projects stemming from her sabbatical at Emory University investigating the antimicrobial properties of human galectins. At Emory, she conducted research in collaboration with Dr. Sean Stowell as a visiting associate professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Through her partnership with the Prisma Health Cancer Institute, she utilizes clinical biospecimens from Biorepository of over 10,000 cancer patients and collaborates across disciplines while engaging medical students and trainees as core members of her research team. Her mentees have earned national recognition, securing top research awards, HHMI and AOA Kuckein Fellowships, and selection for the NIH Medical Research Scholars Program. As an educator and academic leader, Dr. Blenda has contributed significantly to curriculum development, faculty advancement, and institutional effectiveness at SOMG. She has chaired or co-chaired major committees related to program evaluation, LCME self-study, and educational quality, and is a founding member of the Academy of Educators. Nationally, she has held leadership roles in the International Association of Medical Science Educators, contributed to the Association of Biochemistry Educators initiatives, and serves on the Genetic Curriculum Directors Executive Committee of the Association of Professors of Human and Medical Genetics. She is also an active reviewer for National Science Foundation and several international funding agencies. Before joining SOMG, Dr. Blenda held faculty positions at Erskine College and research appointments at Clemson University. She earned a Diploma of Specialist with Distinction (a degree equivalent to a Master’s) from Bohdan Khmelnytsky Melitopol State Pedagogical University in Ukraine, a Ph.D. in Biotechnology from the Institute of Agroecology and Biotechnology in Kyiv, and a Ph.D. in Genetics from Clemson University. This extensive training shaped her interdisciplinary approach to medical education and translational research. Complete List of Dr. Blenda's Published Work in My Bibliography: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/anna.blenda.2/bibliography/public/ |
| Teaching Interest(s): | Genetics Curriculum Lead (2023-present) Course Director, Foundations of Medicine 1 (2023-present). Course Director, Molecular and Cellular Foundations of Medicine (2022) Course Co-Director, Endocrine and Reproductive Systems (2022) Course Co-Director, Molecular and Cellular Foundations of Medicine (2017-2021). |
| Research Interest(s): | 1. Circular RNAs as biomarkers in cancer and endometriosis. Collaborations with Michael Shtutman, PhD, Functional Genomics Core, USC College of Pharmacy and Office of Research, Jeffery Edenfield, MD, Prisma Health Cancer Institute; Lisa Green, MD, and Paul Miller, MD, Prisma Health OB/GYN. 2. Analysis of cancer patients' molecular and clinical data using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning approaches. Collaboration with Homayoun Valafar, PhD, USC Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing, and Jeffery Edenfield, MD, Prisma Health Cancer Institute. 3. Analysis of cancer mutational landscape. Collaboration with Jeffery Edenfield, MD, Prisma Health Cancer Institute. 4. Galectin and glycomic profiling of cancers. Collaboration with Jeffery Edenfield, MD, Prisma Health Cancer Institute, Connie Arthur, PhD, Harvard Medical School, and Nourine Kamili, MD, PhD, Emory University School of Medicine. 5. Investigation of antimicrobial properties of galectin proteins and application of glycan microarrays. Collaboration with Sean Stowell, MD, PhD, Harvard Medical School, and Nourine Kamili, MD, PhD, Emory University School of Medicine. 6. Medical education research (assessment of knowledge retention and performance on course objectives by medical students; validity and reliability of student evaluations of teaching; impact of medical student research on residency match). |
| Honors & Awards: | Certificate of Mentor Excellence in Student Research (2025 SOARinG Program) "Bench to Bedside" Faculty Research Award, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, 2024 Certificate of Mentor Excellence in Student Research (2024 SOARinG Program) Outstanding Mentor Award, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, 2022 "Bench to Bedside" Faculty Research Award, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, 2021 Golden Peach Excellence in Education Award, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, 2020 Best Overall Research Poster Award, Health Sciences Center Research Showcase, Greenville Health System, April 13, 2018 Erskine College sabbatical award to participate in a research project "Innate Immunity in Fighting Molecular Mimicry" at Emory University School of Medicine, 20015 - 2016 South Carolina EPSCoR/IDeA Postdoctoral Academic Career Development (PACD) Scholarship (funded by NIH grant P20 RR-016461), Clemson University, 2007-2008 Former Soviet Union Area Studies Travel Award, Clemson University, 2007-2008 Clemson University Graduate Student Government Travel Award for the International Plant and Animal Genome-XI conference, January 2003 Wade Stackhouse Fellowship Award for Outstanding Graduate Student in Plant and Animal Genetics, Clemson University, 2002-2003 Schilletter Fellowship (Horticulture Department Outstanding Graduate Student Award), Clemson University, 2001 Wade Stackhouse Fellowship Award for Outstanding Graduate Student in Plant and Animal Genetics, Clemson University, 2001-2002 Schilletter Fellowship (Horticulture Department Outstanding Graduate Student Award), Clemson University, 2000 Wade Stackhouse Fellowship Award for Outstanding Graduate Student in Plant and Animal Genetics, Clemson University, 2000-2001 Diploma of Specialist with Distinction (equivalent to a Master’s degree), Melitopol, Ukraine, 1996 |
| Professional Affiliations: | Association of Professors of Human and Medical Genetics - Course Director Special Interest Group Member American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Member International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) Member Society for Glycobiology (SFG) Member American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) Other - Affiliate Scientist Association of American Medical Colleges SGEA Member Association of Biochemistry Educators (ABE) Member American Association of University Women (AAUW) Member American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Member Association of Professors of Human and Medical Genetics (APHMG) Other - Medical School Course Director An International Association for Medical Education (AMEE) Member American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Member American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) Member |