Faculty/Staff Directory

Kristen Weiss Sanders, M.S.
Assistant Professor of Biology
- School of Arts & Sciences, Department of Life Science
Room 227
650 College Dr. Dalton, GA 30720
Office Hours
Spring 2022: Student hours willl be either virtual via Microsoft Teams or in-person depending on the day. Both can be scheduled via calendly.com/ksandersdsc.
Student hours will be extended in the two weeks leading up to the withdrawal deadline for Spring 2022 and pre-registration for Fall 2022.
Monday/Wednesday: 12:15 AM -1:00 PM (PH 227)
Tuesday: 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM; 1:30 PM - 2:30PM (Microsoft Teams)
Thursday: 10:45 AM -11:45 AM (PH 227)
Friday: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM (Microsoft Teams)
ksanders@daltonstate.edu
706.272.4464
Degrees
B.S., Integrated Neuroscience, Binghamton University (2010)
M.S., Biological and Biomedical Sciences- Neuroscience, Emory University (2016)
Biography
I am a behavioral and systems neuroscientist with a broad range of interests including neurorehabilation, developmental neuroscience, and psychopharmacology. I have worked with a diverse range of species in a laboratory setting including mice, rats, prairie voles, rhesus macaques, chimpanzees, and human infants. I am thrilled to be co-founding the Biopsychology Lab at Dalton State College with Dr. Elizabeth Dunaway and strive to offer undergrauate research experience to as many students as possible. Given my array of research interests, I am excited to help students discover the world of behavioral research and am currently accepting new research students.
I teach primarily Anatomy & Physiology, my interest in which is partially driven by my diagnosis with Crohn's disease at the age of 16. From 2018-2020, I served as the Director of Development on the Board of Directors of Girls With Guts, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and empowering women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and/or ostomies. I continue to work informally as a patient advocate and encourage my students in pre-health courses to consider larger issues surrounding the patient experience and their inherent role as patient advocates once they become healthcare professionals.
In Fall 2021, I co-taught our first Animal Behavior course at Dalton State College with Dr. James Adams. I am currently continuing to teach my/our second cohort of honors Anatomy & Physiology students. As I continue my work at Dalton State College, I hope to increase my involvement in upper-level biology courses and expand the capabilities of the Biopsychology Lab to include more physiological work alongside the behavioral.
Academic Advisor
I advise an array of pre-health students, including those pursing admission to MD, DO, PA, DPT, PharmD, DDS, and PhD programs.
Achievements
Chair, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Dalton State College
Co-Founder, Biopsychology Lab, Dalton State College