Dr. Elizabeth S.

Before obtaining a PhD, Dr. Schneider began her academic career at Erskine College, where she graduated magna cum laude with a BS in biology and chemistry and a minor in psychology. She graduated with honors in biology for her thesis on developing an opioid agonist for a non-addictive pain reliever, completed in collaboration with an MD/PhD trainee at the Medical University of South Carolina. She also served as an undergraduate research mentor at Erskine College. This early scientific training set the stage for her successful career and her passion for developing the next generation of scientists.

Dr. Schneider served as a graduate research mentor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, and her dissertation work examined cholesterol modulation. She is now advancing translational research on how metabolic disorders influence cardiovascular disease at the University of Utah Cardiovascular Research and Training Institute. Dr. Schneider has published many papers in respected journals, including Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, and the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Her research spans biochemistry, molecular biology, cellular biology, biophysics, and whole-body physiology, all of which she has incorporated into her cardiovascular research. Her academic excellence has been recognized through awards such as the Frank W. Dugan Fellowship for Studies of the Causes and Cure of Cardiovascular Disease and the Fellows Biophysical Research Conference at the National Institutes of Health (BFRC-NIH) Travel Award.

Dr. Schneider has mentored students at multiple training levels, helping them write abstracts, co-author papers, deliver poster and oral presentations, and gain admission to undergraduate, graduate, and medical programs. Students she has mentored have been accepted to a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, research, and medical programs, including the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Washington University, Johns Hopkins University, Duke University, the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of South Carolina Medical School, and Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine.

As a research mentor, Dr. Schneider’s passion for guiding the next generation of scientists stems from her own experiences. She draws on her own learning and growth to support students while recognizing that every learner is different. She invests in each student by learning about their background, interests, and goals so she can work alongside them to craft individualized research plans to reach those goals. Dr. Schneider’s background in tutoring and mentoring provides her with the knowledge and experience to help students succeed. She encourages students to pursue and conquer their dreams.