Rate My Professor Karen Baskerville

Karen Baskerville, Ph.D., serves as Professor in the Biology Department at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, where she has been a faculty member since at least 1999. She previously held the position of Chair of the Biology Department from August 1999 to August 2006 and worked as a Senior Researcher in the Department of Neuroscience at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Baskerville earned her B.A. in Chemistry with a biochemistry emphasis from Northwestern University and her Ph.D. in Anatomy and Neurobiology with a concentration in Neuroscience from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in 1996. She currently serves as faculty representative to the Lincoln University Board of Trustees for multiple academic years and chairs various faculty standing committees. In her teaching role, she delivers courses in neuroscience, anatomy, anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, and histology, emphasizing hands-on research experiences for students.

Dr. Baskerville's research specializations encompass neurobiology, neurodegenerative diseases, learning and memory, immunohistochemistry, cell culture, PCR, Western blot analysis, gene expression, gel electrophoresis, and immunofluorescence. She leads the PA CURE Temple University-Lincoln University Minority Training Program, a four-year initiative funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Health's Commonwealth Universal Research Enhancement Program, which mentors underrepresented undergraduate and master's students in research on substance use disorders through didactics, immersion at Temple University, and high-impact learning opportunities. Her contributions extend to partnerships such as the Lincoln University-Fox Chase Cancer Center summer internship program promoting minority access to cancer research careers. Baskerville has authored or co-authored 21 publications, including 'Using Open Neuroscience to Advance Equity in the Pedagogy and Research Infrastructure in Colleges/Universities Still Financially Impacted by COVID-19' (2023), 'Programmed Neuron Cells' Morphology Multiphase Assessment' (2017), 'Algorithmic Systematized Neuron Cells' Morphology Evaluation' (2017), 'Regulation of Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition Using Biomimetic Fibrous Scaffolds' (2016), 'Pairing of a Major Research University and an HBCU Institution to Promote Minority Student Access to Careers in Cancer Research' (2015), and 'Increased Cerebral Matrix Metalloprotease-9 Activity is Associated with Compromised Recovery in the Diabetic db/db Mouse Following a Stroke' (2011). Her work has garnered 726 citations on ResearchGate, influencing neuroscience education, student training at HBCUs, and research equity.