Rate My Professor Phoibe Renema

Dr. Phoibe Renema serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions, University of South Alabama. She earned her Ph.D. in Basic Medical Sciences from the University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, and her B.S. in Biology Education from Pensacola Christian College, Pensacola, Florida. Prior to her faculty appointment, Renema completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Center for Lung Biology within the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology at the University of South Alabama's Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine. She has been recognized as a New Faculty Scholar and participates in programs supporting early-career academics.

Renema's research examines the pathogenesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections, focusing on exoenzyme activities such as ExoY and ExoU in lung endothelial cell damage, caspase-7 and caspase-1 activation, cAMP signaling, and transmissible cytotoxicity. Her publications include "Exoenzyme Y induces extracellular active caspase-7 accumulation independent from apoptosis: modulation of transmissible cytotoxicity" (American Journal of Physiology - Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, 2020), "cAMP signaling primes lung endothelial cells to activate caspase-1 during Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection" (Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2020), "Pneumonia initiates a tauopathy" (The FASEB Journal, 2021), and "Pseudomonas aeruginosa Exoenzyme Y Activity Inhibits..." (American Journal of Physiology - Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, 2025). She has authored 14 research works accumulating over 100 citations. Committed to undergraduate training, Renema developed the Biomedical Sciences Lab Skills Bootcamp, an intensive program introducing novices to laboratory skills, data interpretation, and collaboration. As faculty advisor for the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology student chapter, her leadership earned the group the Outstanding Chapter of the Year award in 2024. She received the Covey College of Allied Health Professions Collaborative Research Support Program Award in 2022 with Dr. Padma Thulasiraman. Renema mentors students securing national honors, including the ASBMB Undergraduate Research Award in 2025, and shares insights on academic careers through faculty panels.