Erika Abel, Ph.D.

Education

Ph.D., Toxicology, University of Washington

B.S., Biomedical Science, Texas A&M University

Biography

Erika Abel, Ph.D., is clinical professor of biology in the Honors Program. She earned a Ph.D. from the School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Department of Environmental Health’s program in Toxicology at the University of Washington in 2003.  Subsequently, she was an NIH-supported postdoctoral fellow and then a research professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she studied genetic and environmental factors that contribute to skin and pancreatic cancer risk.

After joining Baylor in 2011, Dr. Abel continued to conduct research on a variety of topics with Baylor undergraduates. She has taught courses in molecular cell biology, biochemistry, genetics, and biological research design, and she has served on multiple task forces and committees, including the Prehealth Advisory Committee for the College of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Abel has received multiple awards for her work with and on behalf of undergraduates, including acknowledgment as a Baylor Fellow, an Elizabeth Vardaman Excellence in Undergraduate Mentoring award recipient in 2022, the Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Achievement Research Mentor of the Year for 2016, and a National Academies Education Fellow in the Life Sciences. She has collaborated with researchers at Baylor University and beyond to create meaningful health sciences research opportunities for undergraduates.

Research Interests

Best practices in biology/health science education, including recognition of rhetorical tools used in health communication and considered use of evidence gained through AI use in clinical problem solving

Psychosocial and religious determinants of access to clean food, water, and medications, including a focus on HPV vaccination rates

Socioeconomic factors that influence cancer-related health outcomes, including access to healthcare and nutritious foods