Darrin Akins, Ph.D., Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Director, Oklahoma INBRE Program, Associate Director for Education and Training, Stephenson Cancer Center, President’s Associates Presidential Professor
Dr. Akins has been Principal Investigator of the Oklahoma IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (OK-INBRE) award since 2009, which was just renewed through 2024.
OK-INBRE is funded by the IDeA Program through NIGMS and its main goals are to (i) improve statewide research infrastructure
(ii) enhance the number and diversity of students that go into biomedical research careers and health professions in Oklahoma
(iii) increase the number of independently funded research faculty and physician faculty in Oklahoma. He has served on numerous ad hoc NIH grant review panels and has been a standing member for two different NIH study sections in the last 15 years.
He is currently a standing member of the NIGMS Advisory Council and he has served on multiple editorial boards. He was the Graduate College Assistant Dean in charge of directing all summer undergraduate research and training programs on the OUHSC campus from 2007-2012.
He also served as the Associate Dean for Research in the College of Medicine from 2012 to 2018 were working at enhancing and promoting research and technology development in the College of Medicine. Currently, Dr. Akins serves as the Associate Director for Education and Training at the Stephenson Cancer Center.
He is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC).
His own infectious diseases research program was funded from 2000-2004 by a CoBRE award on the OUHSC campus that provided him the mentoring and resources needed to secure his first R01, which has now been continually funded since 2005 and the current award runs through 2022.