Columbia International University will open a new 2,700-square-foot Health Science Lab this week as part of the continued expansion of its healthcare program.

Starting at 11:00 am on Friday, the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the lab will take place. The lab is located near the Jones Center at the Monticello Road entrance to CIU.

CIU’s focus on health sciences includes a new major in biomedical sciences and a new residential nursing program offering a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

The lab offers space for over a dozen courses including biochemistry, genetics, cell biology, anatomy, physiology, and more. It is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment such as Leica microscopes for observing cells and tissues at high magnification, spectrophotometers for chemical analysis and measurement of chemical and enzymatic reactions, and gel electrophoresis for DNA and protein analysis.

David DeWitt, Dean of the Science Program at the CIU, is a neuroscientist who came to the school from Liberty University and has 25 years of experience teaching higher education and 9 years as Dean of Biology and Chemistry. I have. He said the new biomedical major will be a rigorous program to prepare graduates not only for medical school, but also for dentistry, pharmacy, and other related professional programs.

“I am very excited to contribute to CIU’s mission to educate students from a biblical worldview with an emphasis on health and science,” said DeWitt. “These new, well-equipped labs will help CIU serve his STEM and healthcare workforce in South Carolina and around the world.”