Adjunct Faculty

Meet Our Faculty Researchers

Sanford Research relies on a team of more than 200 researchers. Every day, we’re in the lab, the clinic, the classroom and the community.

We’re studying ways to prevent cancer, cure diabetes, use genetics in primary health care, make sports safer, and close health care gaps for minorities – just to name a few.

Learn more about our adjunct faculty researchers and their work below.

Lee A. Baugh, PhD

Dr. Baugh is the Donald S. Mackay Distinguished Professor of Research and an Associate Professor at Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota.  His research interests include examining the cognitive and neuropsychological foundations of skilled movement, and deficits in such movement that can arise from both health aging and neurological damage.

Jonathan Bleeker, M.D.

Dr. Jonathan Bleeker is a practicing medical oncologist with Sanford Health and board certified in medical oncology and hematology. He is primarily interested in clinical research on gastrointestinal oncology and hematology, including retrospective research, cancer clinical trials and helping to coordinate the clinical aspects of translational cancer research projects.

Dr. Bleeker is currently working on multiple open clinical trials for gastrointestinal malignancies. He is also validating a 3D cell culture model across multiple solid tumor types.

Dr. Bleeker is the primary investigator for both the Sanford NCORP grant and the MNCCTN collaboration.

He received his B.A. in biology from Dordt College in 2001. In 2005 he received his M.D. from the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine.

Anu Gaba, M.D.

Dr. Anu Gaba is a practicing physician in Fargo, North Dakota, for Sanford Health and is board certified in oncology and hematology. Her research focus is in conducting oncology clinical trials, and serving as a primary investigator on several investigator-initiated trials in breast cancer.


Nicola Herting, PhD, LP

Dr. Nicola Herting is the mental health director at Red River Children's Advocacy Center in Fargo, ND.

Leah Irish, Ph.D.

Dr. Irish is an assistant professor in the department of psychology at North Dakota State University. Dr. Irish's program of research examines the complex interplay between sleep and waking health behaviors and the promotion of sleep health in vulnerable populations.

Jeff Johnson, PhD

Dr. Johnson is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at North Dakota State University. His research focuses on studying the cognitive and neural bases of attention and working memory, and the pathophysiological basis of attention and memory disruptions in psychiatric illness.

Kristine Steffen, PharmD, PhD

Dr. Steffen is a Professor of Pharmaceutical Science at North Dakota State University. Her research focus is on characterization of the pharmacokinetic changes of medications and alcohol following bariatric surgery. She is also interested in obesity pharmacotherapy and problematic alcohol use following bariatric surgery.


Paul Rokke, PhD

Paul Rokke is a Clinical Psychologist. Paul conducts basic research on the interaction between emotion and cognition, especially as it relates to understanding vulnerability to psychopathology.

They also conduct applied research on the treatment of depression.

Sanford Health News

Classes & Events

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    Teen Science Café

    Tue 01/13/26 5:30 PM - Tue 01/13/26 7:00 PM
    Sanford Research Center

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    Teen Science Café

    Tue 02/03/26 5:30 PM - Tue 02/03/26 7:00 PM