Dr. Bruce Wright, Ph. D.
Monday, 6 April 2026
Research Interests, Bruce Wright Note: This Canvas page is updated, 3 April 2026). Background: Dr. Bruce Wright received his Ph.D. in Physiology in 1993. He is Professor of Physiology at LECOM's Seton Hill campus. General Research Theme: Dr. Wright engages in educational research. He is particularly interested in creation and validation of new ... Read More »
Victoria Hrach, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Microbiology, LECOM at Seton Hill Areas of expertise: • Microbiology • Molecular biology Research interests: Evaluating efficacy of antimicrobial compounds Research summary: Dr. Hrach's laboratory work examines the impact of novel antimicrobial substances against different bacterial and fungal species. These project... Read More »
Lia Rae Edmunds, Ph. D.
Background and Interests My long-term research interests center on understanding how cellular and mitochondrial bioenergetics integrate with gut-derived signals to regulate metabolic health, particularly in the context of nutritional stress, obesity, and insulin resistance. As I transition into my new faculty role as Assistant Professor of Molecular ... Read More »
Christopher Divito
Dr. Divito facilitates OMS-I and II problem-based learning and lectures on topics in neuropharmacology. Background and Experience Dr. Christopher Divito completed his doctoral studies on conducting states of neurotransmitter transporters at the University of Pittsburgh, Department of Neurobiology in 2013. He then continued at the University of Pit... Read More »
Courtney Baker, D.O.
Research Interests My research interests include topics in adult, child & adolescent psychiatry-especially in ADHD and autism spectrum disorders. ... Read More »
Joseph C. Galley, Ph.D.
Background and Experience Dr. Joseph Galley is a scientist with over 10 years of experience in cardiology, endocrinology, nephrology, immunology and vascular biology academic research experience. He has a B.A. in Biochemistry from Washington & Jefferson College and earned his Ph.D. from University of Pittsburgh in 2021. He completed a post-doctor... Read More »
Ronald Fecek, Ph.D.
Background and Experience Recent advances in immunotherapy have enabled rapid evolution of novel interventional approaches designed to reinvigorate and expand patient immune responses against cancer. An emerging approach in cancer immunology involves the conditional induction of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), which are non-encapsulated ectopic l... Read More »
Francis DeFabo, MD
Wednesday, 1 April 2026
Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology LECOM at Seton Hill (2024–Present) Background and Experience Dr. DeFabo is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist with nearly three decades of clinical experience as the founder and managing partner of Athena Women’s Care in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. In addition to his clinical career, he has... Read More »
Jennifer M. Burgoon, PhD
Tuesday, 31 March 2026
Associate Professor of Anatomy Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine – Seton Hill Dr. Jennifer M. Burgoon earned her B.S. in Biology, with a minor in Chemistry, summa cum laude, from Baldwin Wallace University (formerly Baldwin-Wallace College) in 1992. She subsequently worked as a research technician at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, where ... Read More »
Stephanie Palmer, PhD
PhD, Johns Hopkins University Areas of Expertise • Functional Anatomy • Evolutionary Biology • Embryology • Histology Research Interests • Structure–function relationships in vertebrate morphology Research Focus Summary Dr. Palmer’s work centers on understanding how mammalian functional anatomy supports adaptations for feeding and... Read More »
Christopher Divito, Ph.D.
Monday, 6 May 2024
Dr. Christopher Divito completed his doctoral studies on conducting states of neurotransmitter transporters at the University of Pittsburgh, Department of Neurobiology in 2013. He then continued at the University of Pittsburgh as a post-doctoral scholar researching how alteration in glutamatergic transmission through loss of VGLUT3 created a neuroprotec... Read More »
