Kiralyn Brakel is a 2015 graduate. Courtesy | Austin Thomason

Kiralyn Brakel ’15 has joined the biology department as an assistant professor of Biology and will direct the cadaver labs in Anatomy and Physiology classes this fall.

Brakel has worked at Hillsdale for the past four years as a lab technician.

“My husband and I decided to move closer to our family,” Brakel said. “I was looking for jobs as a lab manager, for somebody who could do a lot of work with the technical side of the lab. During that time I was looking, a position as a lab manager at Hillsdale opened up.” 

Brakel graduated with a degree in biology from Hillsdale in 2015 and earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience from Texas A&M University in 2020. 

“For my first two and a half years, I didn’t know what I wanted to do and I was afraid of the future,” Brakel said. “And then I figured out that what I loved about my Ph.D. program was a lot of the technical troubleshooting that I had to do, especially with microscopes.” 

Chair of Biology David Houghton said Brakel’s previous work at the college made her a good candidate for the role.  

“Dr. Brakel has been in the biology department for several years working as our core lab manager, so we already know that she’s a hard worker, a team player, and a very good mentor to our students,” he said. 

At Hillsdale, Brakel will teach anatomy and physiology, which involves the courses Anatomy and Physiology I and II and overseeing the cadaver lab.

Houghton said Brakel will provide students with an excellent resource in these fields. 

“She has specific expertise in neuroscience and histology, the latter of which is a rare and unique subdiscipline of anatomy that isn’t found at most institutions,” he said. “So our students have the opportunity to learn valuable skills from Brakel that aren’t even available at most other schools.” 

Among these skills is Brakel’s experience in cadaver dissections. 

“It’s been cool being able to have that opportunity and help the students develop both their anatomy skills and this perspective about what it means to work with a human being who has donated their body has been a really valuable experience for everybody,” Brakel said.

Senior Kayari Suganuma, one of Brakel’s students, said she has worked with Brakel since her freshman year. 

“When I first joined her lab, I had no background in biology, but she patiently taught me everything from the ground up,” Suganuma said.

Suganuma said outside of the classroom, Brakel has been an influential and supportive figure in her college career. 

“When I was hospitalized, she even came to Jackson to visit me,” she said. “She always makes time for me when I need to talk and never dismisses my questions. Instead, she helps me seek out answers.”

Houghton said it is lucky that Brakel will join the biology department, as it is hard to find qualified individuals at schools as small as Hillsdale.

“Most people who are qualified to teach cadaver-based Anatomy and Physiology are probably already teaching at a medical school somewhere,” Houghton said. “We are very fortunate to have found someone who not only has the technical skills and training to teach Anatomy and Physiology, but who also understands liberal arts education and the mission of the college.”