Todd Camenisch
Interim Dept Head of Medical Sciences, Health and Management
Todd Camenisch
Interim Dept Head of Medical Sciences, Health and Management
Bio
Dr. Todd Camenisch grew up embracing his curiosity by kicking over rocks to discover what was underneath and participating in science fairs, including the creation of a pharmaceutical extract from willow trees as a ten-year-old. He served as a U.S. Navy Corpsman and field-combat medic with the U.S. Marine Corps prior to completing his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Arizona.
Dr. Camenisch earned a PhD. in microbiology and immunology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was a post-doctoral fellow at The Mayo Clinic prior to becoming a faculty member at the University of Arizona in 2002. He earned tenure and promotion to associate professor in the college of pharmacy at the University of Arizona for over sixteen years including director of economic development and partnerships. He was responsible for the spin out of biotech companies and assisted faculty with advancing their intellectual property. He also served as deputy director of the federally funded Superfund Research Program, directing its training core. Dr. Todd Camenisch became chair of the department of pharmaceutical sciences at St. John Fisher College in 2018. In 2024, Dr. Camenisch became the director of the biomedical sciences program at the College of Health Sciences and Technology. The following year he was appointed chair of the department of medical sciences and health management at RIT.
An accomplished scientist and educator with over sixty peer-reviewed publications as well as professional service on the American Heart Association, Children’s Heart Association, NSERC of Canada, and National Institute of Health committees and study groups. His research is funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and American Heart Association. He has secured over $27M in research funds in two decades. Dr. Camenisch also served on the Southern Arizona Leadership Council to develop the second generation of the Biosciences Roadmap for Arizona. He also served on the site council for Ventana Canyon School and four years of elected school board membership for the Catalina Foothills School District including two years as vice president of the board. In addition to serving on the board of the Rochester Museum and Science Center, he also serves on the community advisory board for the Environmental Health Sciences Center at the University of Rochester where he is also an adjunct professor in the department of environmental medicine. Dr. Camenisch also volunteered with the Monroe County Medical Reserve Corps and Serve-New York which was mobilized in 2020-2021 to respond to the pandemic. He is a member of the New York Academy of Sciences and belongs to numerous professional and scientific organizations. He is a passionate advocate for access to high quality education and for the advancement of science to improve the human condition.