Bio

Professor and Chair, Biomedical Sciences at Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine

Ph.D. Microbiology, University of Texas at Austin

B.S. Biology (Molecular option), University of Texas at Austin

Dr. Bramblett is Professor and founding Chair of Biomedical Sciences at Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine, in Las Cruces New Mexico, where she teaches microbiology during the two pre-clinical years.  As a founding faculty member at Burrell, she helped establish the curricular framework, faculty governance, and admissions process before matriculation of the first class at Burrell in 2016.

Dr. Bramblett came to Burrell from Texas Tech Paul L. Foster School of Medicine (PLFSOM) in El Paso, where she served as one of the founding faculty in the Department of Medical Education.  She honed her skills as an educator serving as an assistant professor at the University of Saint Thomas (UST) in Houston, Texas and developed a strong interest in curriculum design. Dr. Bramblett received her postdoctoral training in the Department of Cell Biology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, where she studied pancreatic and neurological development. While at Baylor, she cloned and characterized the transcriptional regulator Bhlhb4 and discovered its role in the developing mouse retina and the anterior pretectal nucleus (AtPN) of the mouse brain.  Dr. Bramblett earned her PhD in microbiology at the University of Texas in Austin, where she studied the transcriptional regulation and replication cycle of the retrovirus Mouse Mammary Tumor virus (MMTV).

Dr. Bramblett has published over 19 articles in journals such as Journal of Virology, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Genomics, Neuron, Journal of Physiology, Ophthalmology & Visual Science, Frontiers in Oncology, Proceedings of National Academy of Science (PNAS) and published book chapter on pancreatic islet development in Advances in Pharmacology.

Dr. Bramblett’s current research at Burrell involves the development of point of care (POC) molecular detection methods for viral and bacterial pathogens. These methods include a loop mediated isothermal amplification assay (LAMP) and a platform termed specific high-sensitivity enzymatic reporter unlocking (SHERLOCK) that is based on CRISPR-CAS13a activity.  

Dr. Bramblett’s experience at undergraduate and medical institutes of higher learning that value diversity has fostered her commitment to improving healthcare by workforce diversification though research, service, and teaching in the biomedical sciences.