Faculty Profile

Biography

Dr. Longley is Professor of Immunology and Microbiology and Facilitator for Problem Based Learning at LECOM Bradenton. Following completion of his Doctorate in Immunology and Microbiology at the University of Oklahoma, Dr. Longley undertook a 3 year post-doctoral fellowship with world renowned immunologist, the late Dr. Robert A. Good, MD, PhD. Dr. Longley then joined the University of Central Florida as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology and taught Immunology and Microbiology for three years. Dr. Longley joined the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce, FL, where he led a natural products chemistry and biology effort to discover new drugs from marine organisms to treat human diseases such as cancer. Those efforts led to the discovery of a novel compound, discodermolide, derived from a marine sponge which demonstrated potent anti-cancer activity. The compound was subsequently licensed by a major pharmaceutical company and underwent phase-1 and phase-2 clinical testing in patients with breast cancer. From there, Dr. Longley joined a company known as Taxolog whose efforts were directed towards the discovery of chemical analogs of Taxol which would prove to be more effective and less toxic in treating human cancers. Dr. Longley later left Taxolog to take a position as a faculty member and Problem Based Facilitator at LECOM Bradenton, where he served as a member and chair of a number of committees and was appointed as Director of Research and later as the Director of Problem Based Learning. After seven years, Dr. Longley then left LECOM for an opportunity to serve as the Inaugural Associate Dean of Preclinical Medicine and Research at Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (ARCOM) in Fort Smith Arkansas where he helped to develop and write a new curriculum for this new school based on a combination of problem based and team based learning pedagogies. He also was responsible in helping to design a new research facility for the school and helped raise money for the eventual construction and outfitting the facility with equipment for use by faculty and students. After seven productive years, Dr. Longley semi-retired from ARCOM, and chose to return to Florida and accept a part-time position as a Problem-Based Learning Facilitator and is presently using his previous experience and skills to help LECOM students and to train new faculty in various aspects of self- directed learning in the Problem-Based learning curriculum.