Dr. Robert C. Sizemore is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Alcorn State University. Dr. Sizemore, who received a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Louisville School of Medicine, has been the recipient of grant support from the National Institutes of Health bringing his total research funding at Alcorn to over $1.2 million. His research centers on the interactions between the immune system and the neuroendocrine system. In continuation of AIDS research he did at Tulane University School of Medicine, Dr. Sizemore has demonstrated that certain peptides derived from enkephalins (natural pain killers produced in the body in response to stress or trauma) are capable of modulating immune responses. He has several scientific articles to his credit (including two recent manuscripts in the journal “Neuroimmunomodulation”) and has also published two poems and a short story. Dr. Sizemore, who is a member of the American Association of Immunologists and the Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society, has been profiled in several publications including Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, Who’s Who in America, and Who’s Who in the World. He enjoys playing music (performing with the ASU jazz ensemble and several NLT productions) and acting (he appeared as Mr. McGee in the PBS special entitled “Slavery and the Making of America” and will be in the upcoming film "Lost River"). He has two children, Kate and Carlen, and assists his wife Kathy with “Caroling in the Park” in Memorial Park each year.