Faculty and Staff
Anna V. Blenda, Ph.D.
| Title: | Clinical Professor |
| Biomedical Sciences | |
| Prisma Health Cancer Institute | |
| School of Medicine Greenville | |
| E-mail: | ablenda@greenvillemed.sc.edu |
| Phone: | 864-766-2087 |
| Office: | HSAB 250 607 Grove Rd, Greenville SC 29605 |
Bio
| Background: | Dr. Anna V. Blenda is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville (SOMG) and holds a joint appointment with the Prisma Health Cancer Institute. Her career integrates education, leadership, and research, creating opportunities for students and trainees to engage in meaningful scholarship. Dr. Blenda is a medical educator and academic leader whose contributions have advanced curriculum development, faculty growth, and institutional effectiveness at SOMG. She has chaired and co-chaired committees focused on program evaluation and assessment, educational quality and accreditation, and is a founding member of the Academy of Educators. As a Harvard Macy Institute scholar, she completed formal training through the course A Systems Approach to Assessment in Health Professions Education. Nationally, she serves on the Board of Directors of the International Association of Medical Science Educators (2026–2029) and has held additional roles within the organization. She also contributes to national educational leadership through service on the Finance Committee of the Association of Biochemistry Educators and the Genetics Curriculum Directors Executive Committee of the Association of Professors of Human and Medical Genetics. At SOMG, she served as Director of Research Strategy and Operations (2022–2025), where she led initiatives that strengthened collaboration between basic science and clinical research, expanded student research opportunities, and oversaw strategic research budgets and resource allocation. She also aligned research activities with accreditation standards and institutional priorities. As part of a multidisciplinary faculty team, she contributed to SOMG's Curriculum Refresh and led the design of Foundations of Medicine 1, the inaugural biomedical science course in the new curriculum launched in Fall 2023, which she continues to direct. Her translational research focuses on cancer genomics, molecular biomarkers, glycobiology, and AI-driven approaches to the analysis of molecular and clinical data. Through her partnership with the Prisma Health Cancer Institute, she directs interdisciplinary research leveraging biospecimens and clinical data from a biorepository of more than 10,000 cancer patients. She collaborates across disciplines and engages medical students and trainees as integral members of her research team. She has provided faculty leadership for the Physician-Scientist Student Interest Group, supporting learners interested in careers at the intersection of research and clinical practice. Her mentees have earned national recognition, including competitive research awards, HHMI and Alpha Omega Alpha Carolyn L. Kuckein Fellowships, and selection to the NIH Medical Research Scholars Program. Dr. Blenda holds doctoral degrees in Genetics from Clemson University and Biotechnology from the Institute of Agroecology and Biotechnology in Kyiv, Ukraine, as well as a Specialist Diploma with Distinction from Bohdan Khmelnytsky Melitopol State Pedagogical University. Prior to joining SOMG, she held faculty and research appointments at Erskine College, Emory University School of Medicine, and Clemson University. She has received numerous honors recognizing excellence in education, research, and mentorship. Publications: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/anna.blenda.2/bibliography/public/ |
| Teaching Interest(s): | Genetics Curriculum Lead (2023–present) Course Director, GMED G606 Foundations of Medicine 1 (2023–present) Faculty, GMED G810 Academic Medicine - Research (2024–present) Course Co-Director, GMED G862 Cracking the Code: Genetics for Future Clinicians (launching 2027) Course Co-Director/Director, GMED G620 Molecular and Cellular Foundations of Medicine (2017–2021, 2022) Course Co-Director, GMED G695 Endocrine and Reproductive Systems (2022) |
| Research Interest(s): | 1. AI-Driven Analysis of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Data Collaborators: Homayoun Valafar (USC AI Institute and Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing), Jeffery Edenfield (Prisma Health Cancer Institute). 2. Circular RNAs as Biomarkers in Cancer and Endometriosis Collaborators: Michael Shtutman (Functional Genomics Core, USC Office of Research), Jeffery Edenfield (Prisma Health Cancer Institute), Lisa Green and Paul Miller (Prisma Health OB/GYN). 3. Cancer Genomic Variation Analysis Collaborator: Jeffery Edenfield (Prisma Health Cancer Institute). 4. Galectin and Glycomic Profiling in Cancer Collaborators: Jeffery Edenfield (Prisma Health Cancer Institute), Connie Arthur (Harvard Medical School), Nourine Kamili (Emory University School of Medicine). 5. Antimicrobial Properties of Galectin Proteins and Application of Glycan Microarrays Collaborators: Sean Stowell (Harvard Medical School), Nourine Kamili (Emory University School of Medicine). 6. Medical Education Research Focus: knowledge retention and performance on course objectives; validity and reliability of student evaluations of teaching; impact of medical student characteristics on residency match outcomes. |
| Honors & Awards: | 2025 – Certificate of Mentor Excellence in Student Research (SOARinG) 2024 – Bench to Bedside Faculty Research Award, USC School of Medicine Greenville 2024 – Certificate of Mentor Excellence in Student Research (SOARinG) 2024 – Medical Educator Fellowship, International Association of Medical Science Educators 2024 – Pipeline for Academy Leaders Fellowship, University of South Carolina 2022 – Outstanding Mentor Award, USC School of Medicine Greenville 2021 – Bench to Bedside Faculty Research Award, USC School of Medicine Greenville 2020 – Golden Peach Excellence in Education Award, USC School of Medicine Greenville 2018 – Best Overall Research Poster Award, Health Science Center Research Showcase, Greenville Health System 2015–2016 – Sabbatical Award (Emory SOM project: “Innate Immunity in Fighting Molecular Mimicry”), Erskine College 2007–2008 – inaugural Postdoctoral Academic Career Development Scholarship (NIH P20 RR-016461), South Carolina IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence 2007–2008 – Former Soviet Union Area Studies Travel Award, Clemson University 2003 – Graduate Student Government Travel Award for PAG-XI conference, Clemson University 2002–2003 – Wade Stackhouse Fellowship for Outstanding Graduate Student in Plant and Animal Genetics, Clemson University 2001–2002 – Wade Stackhouse Fellowship for Outstanding Graduate Student in Plant and Animal Genetics, Clemson University 2001 – Schilletter Fellowship for Outstanding Graduate Student, Clemson University 2000–2001 – Wade Stackhouse Fellowship for Outstanding Graduate Student in Plant and Animal Genetics, Clemson University 2000 – Schilletter Fellowship for Outstanding Graduate Student, Clemson University 1996 – Diploma of Specialist with Distinction, Ukraine |
| Professional Affiliations: | Current: Association of Professors of Human and Medical Genetics (APHMG) Other - Genetics Curriculum Directors Executive Committee (2025–present); Medical School Course Directors (2017–2019) American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Member The International Association for Health Professions Education (AMEE) Member International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) Other - Chair, Publications Committee (2022–2024); Professional Development Committee (2022–2025); IAMSE 2027 Program Committee (2026–2027); Board of Directors (June 2026–June 2029) American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) Member Association of American Medical Colleges SGEA Member Association of Biochemistry Educators (ABE) Other - Professional Development Committee (2023–2025); Finance Committee (2026–present) Past: Society for Glycobiology (SFG), 2017–2023 Member American Society for Microbiology (ASM), 2017–2019 Member American Association of University Women (AAUW), 2006–2022 Member American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2013–2015, 2017 Member American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), 2017–2018 Member |