Michael Rhodes

Michael Rhodes, PhD is an Associate Professor of Biological Science at Saint Vincent College, located within The Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Computing. His scholarship centers on neuroendocrinology and neuropharmacology, with particular emphasis on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, nicotine addiction, and sex differences in stress physiology.

Education

• PhD – Duquesne University
• MS – Duquesne University
• BS – Saint Vincent College

Research Focus

Dr Rhodes’s laboratory employs both in vitro perfusion systems and rodent models to dissect how cholinergic signaling, environmental enrichment, and gonadal steroids modulate neuroendocrine stress responses. A recurring theme is the phenomenon of sexual diergism—functional sex differences in HPA reactivity to nicotine, ACTH, and cholinergic agonists. His work has advanced understanding of nicotine withdrawal mechanisms and the buffering effects of enriched environments on stress-responsive hormonal cascades.

Publication Landscape

Between 2003 and 2014, Dr Rhodes authored or co-authored more than 25 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. The publications cluster into three domains: (1) methodological innovations in in vitro HPA axis perfusion, (2) characterization of sex-specific endocrine responses to nicotine and cholinergic drugs, and (3) educational scholarship on pharmacology teaching and stereotype threat. This corpus demonstrates a trajectory from mechanistic bench studies to translational insights and pedagogical applications.

Professional Memberships

• American Association for the Advancement of Science (1996–present)
• American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (1998–present)
• Society for Neuroscience (2003–present)

Teaching & Mentoring

Dr Rhodes teaches a broad pharmacological and anatomical curriculum including Advanced Pharmacology I & II, General Biology, Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, Histology, Research Thesis, and the seminar series All About Drugs. He routinely mentors undergraduate research projects and has sponsored numerous student presentations at regional and national neuroscience meetings.

Laboratory & Facilities

His research group operates within the Dupré Science Pavilion (Room N110), utilizing dedicated neuroendocrine perfusion suites and rodent housing equipped for environmental enrichment paradigms.