Anna Cunningham

Anna Cunningham obtained her Bachelor's degree in Biology (Microbiology) from Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Missouri. She was subsequently accepted to the Molecular Microbiology and Immunology - Veterinary Pathobiology graduate program at the University of Missouri. She obtained her PhD in 2014 under the advisement of Dr. Charles R. Brown. Her dissertation title was "Immune Mediators of Murine Lyme Arthritis." Dr. Cunningham's research focused on protein and lipid immune mediators that regulate both the development and resolution of inflammatory arthritis. After obtaining her PhD, Dr. Cunningham obtained her first teaching position at her alma mater, Missouri Southern State University, where she was appointed as an Assistant Professor. Shortly thereafter, she was offered a tenure-track position as Lead Microbiologist at Tacoma Community College in Tacoma, Washington. Dr. Cunningham obtained tenure in March 2018, after which her family relocated to Scottsdale, Arizona. Once in Arizona, Dr. Cunningham worked in the Maricopa Community College System teaching Microbiology prior to obtaining employment in the School of Math and Natural Sciences at Arizona State University-West. Currently, Dr. Cunningham is a Lecturer and the Assistant Director of Teaching and Learning in the School of Math & Natural Sciences. Dr. Cunningham is also the Course Coordinator for General Biology I (BIO 181) and as such is the primary curriculum lead for the lecture sections of this course. Since entering higher education, Dr. Cunningham's passions have turned to that of biology education, pedagogical excellence, and instructional design. As such, in 2020 she was appointed the Co-Director for the Teaching, Innovation, and Excellence Collaborative (TIE) in the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences along with Dr. Bertha Manninen. TIE is the pedagogical professional development entity in the New College, and Drs. Cunningham and Manninen focus on providing resources, workshops, and tools that can aid faculty in their pursuit of pedagogical excellence. TIE is led by faculty and informed by faculty with the goal of ensuring that the workshops, resources, and tools provided are meeting current needs of New College faculty. In 2022, Dr. Cunningham began work on her Masters degree in Education - Learning Design and Technology through Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College so that she can better meet the needs of faculty in her role in TIE - her anticipated graduation date is December 2025. In 2022, Dr. Cunningham was awarded the New College Outstanding Leadership Award, was accepted to the first New College Leadership Academy for fixed-term faculty, and was also selected from a nationwide application process to participate in the Alda Center's Women in STEM Leadership program through Stonybrook University. She completed the ADVANCE mentoring program and is currently a participant in the T4 Leadership Academy.