Dr. Christopher C. Keller, Ph.D., FNAOME

About Dr. Keller

Dr. Keller is the Director of Curriculum and Student Achievement and serves as the Director of Microbiology, Immunology, Pharmacology, Public Health, and Biostatistics. He is a Professor of Microbiology and is the Director of the Laboratory of Human Pathogens, which investigates tick-borne infections in Erie County, PA, and the effect of essential oils on antibiotic-resistant bacteria, for which he has secured extra- and intra-mural funding. His research also focuses on innovative educational techniques to improve student performance in microbiology, immunology, and pharmacology. Dr. Keller is the Director and Founder of the Doctorate in Medical Microbiology Education, a PhD program fostering new medical microbiology educators in teaching of the subject. Dr. Keller graduated with a PhD in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology from the Graduate School of Public Health
at the University of Pittsburgh where he received both pre-doctoral and post-doctoral
training. He is an active member of SOME and is a current National Academy of Osteopathic Medical Educators fellow.

Research Interests
Dr. Keller leads a multidisciplinary research team with Dr. Robert Waters. Various research projects in the lab are listed below and have included former and current Osteopathic Medical students, medical Residents, practicing Osteopathic clinicians, Doctoral students in medical microbiology education, podiatry students, and masters in biomedical sciences students. Specific projects in the laboratory include:

Frequency and Distribution of tick-borne diseases in Erie County, Pennsylvania
The major focus of this project is to determine the annual prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi and co-infections including Babesia microti and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Ixodes scapularis ticks collected in Erie County. Additionally, the laboratory determines the prevalence of pathogens including Rickettsia rickettsii and Francisella tularensis in Dermacentor variabilis and Amblyomma americanum ticks. Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States, and our 20-year study shows that on average, greater than 50% of ticks collected throughout Erie County carry B. burgdorferi. Completed and current studies are being conducted on Presque Isle State Park to ascertain the prevalence of human pathogens in these tick populations.

Synergistic effects of essential oils and antibiotics on overcoming antibiotic resistance
Antibiotic resistant bacteria, such as methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), are a major public health problem throughout the United States. Previous and ongoing studies are determining if essential plant oils, such as cinnamon cassia oil, can overcome antibiotic resistance in multidrug resistant bacteria and fungi. Previous projects have examined the synergistic effect of cinnamon cassia oil and erythromycin on erythromycin-resistant S. aureus, and current projects are examining the synergistic effect of a panel of essential plant oils, including oregano oil and red thyme oil, and antibiotics on inhibiting growth of various bacteria.

Innovations in medical microbiology education
Innovations in educational delivery play an important role at LECOM. Previous and current studies include the use of hands-on microbiology laboratories and virtual microbiology laboratories in enhancing retention of core concepts and student performance on standardized exams, the use of drawing workshops as an interdisciplinary approach to enhance microbiology, immunology, and pharmacology concept retention, and gamification in enhancing medical microbiology learning.

The Latest Publications from Dr. Keller

Waters R, Carty N, Keller CC. (2023). The Effect of Drawing Microbiology Concepts on Short‑Term Retention Before and After Interrupted Learning. Med. Sci. Ed. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-023-01879-9

Moscatello K, Kalmey JK, Keller CC. (2017). Ten-Year Comparison of a Traditional Lecture Curriculum with an Independent Study Curriculum on COMLEX Performance. Med. Sci. Educ. 27:447–449.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40670-017-0414-4

Kapoor S, Saad J, Keller CC. (2012). Perceived Risks of Chlamydia and Gonorrhea in Different Age Groups. Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association Journal. 54(4): 23-28.

Awandare GA, Kempaiah P, Ochiel DO, Piazza P, Keller CC, Perkins DJ. (2011). Mechanisms of erythropoiesis inhibition by malarial pigment and malaria-induced proinflammatory mediators in an in vitro model. American Journal of Hematology. 86:155-162.

Larson SA and Keller CC. (2010). Perceived risk of Lyme disease by primary care physicians practicing in an Ixodes scapularis endemic area. Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association Journal. 54(1): 21-24.

Recent Student Thesis and Dissertation Projects
Masters of Science in Biomedical Sciences student, 2021-2024: Jacob Maynes. Thesis title: Epidemiological Investigations into the Prevalence of Rickettsia rickettsii and other Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae in Dermacentor variabilis ticks collected in Erie County, PA. Defended 7-18-2024.

Masters of Science in Biomedical Sciences student, 2020-2023: Lindsey Schwanke. Thesis title: Investigation into the inhibitory effects of Frankincense essential oil on growth of HPV-immortalized keratinocytes. Defended 7-21-2023.
Masters of Science in Biomedical Sciences student, 2019-2022: Robert Allen. Thesis title: In vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils against Multidrug Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and Potential Inducibility of Resistance to Red Thyme Oil. Defended 5-20-2022.

Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Microbiology Education student, 2018-2022: Robert Waters. Dissertation title: The Effect of Drawing Microbiology Concepts on Short-Term Retention Before and After Interrupted Learning. Defended 5-5-2022.