Dr. Manju Bhat serves as Dean of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education at Winston-Salem State University, providing academic and strategic leadership across a broad portfolio of programs — including both Psychology and Interdisciplinary Studies. He also holds the distinction of Hanes Distinguished Professor of the Humanities and serves as Associate Professor of Physiology in the Department of Biological Sciences.
A native of India, Dr. Bhat earned his undergraduate degree in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, a master’s degree in pharmacology from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute and the University of Alberta, and his Ph.D. in Physiology from Case Western Reserve University in 1997. His doctoral research focused on the structure-function relationship of calcium release channels and skeletal muscle physiology. Prior to joining WSSU in 2008, he was a research faculty member at the Cleveland Clinic, where he investigated the pathophysiology of pain mechanisms.
Dr. Bhat’s primary research examines the role of calcium and calcium channels in sensory physiology and anesthetic-mediated regulation of pain signaling pathways. Alongside this scientific work, he is deeply engaged in teaching and learning innovation, STEM education, and the use of data analytics tools to improve student retention and success. He teaches undergraduate courses in Anatomy and Physiology and previously served as Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences.