Faculty
Robin "Rob" William Rockhold, PhD, FAPE
Professor
Professor of Health Sciences
Deputy Chief Academic Officer
Office: U126
(601) 984-2811
Research interests
- Biomedical education enhancement
- Circulatory regulation by the central nervous system
- Drugs of abuse
- Toxicological actions of red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) venom
Current activities
Dr. Rockhold serves UMMC as the Deputy Chief Academic Officer. In that role, he has primary responsibility for simulation education and training for UMMC students and employees, faculty development and student outreach activities. He currently maintains over $1.6 million in external awards for education-related projects, including a five-year R25 award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. He developed and led a Leadership Development Program for Medical Center faculty and continues to direct the post-baccalaureate Professional Portal Program that provides alternative pathways to medical and dental school admissions for qualified disadvantaged students. This latter program offers a one-year Master of Biomedical Science degree that can confer matriculation of graduates into the School of Medicine or Dentistry. Designed to improve health care in Mississippi, the program enhances the academic competitiveness of students who are most likely to return and deliver medical and dental care to underserved communities or populations.
He oversees an active pre-college science education program called Base Pair, which prepares high school students for laboratory studies at UMMC under the mentorship of active research faculty. The program has trained over 200 students who have achieved a high rate of entry into post-baccalaureate terminal degree programs in health care and biomedical research. Base Pair also provides teacher professional development and has enhanced secondary school science education across Mississippi for thousands of students since 1992.
Dr. Rockhold is an active lecturer in the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry and Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences, with areas of concentration in cardiovascular agents, opioid analgesics, and drugs of abuse. An award-winning educator, Dr. Rockhold is a member of the Academy of Pharmacology Educators, American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.