During his tenure at USA, Scammell has proven himself as a productive investigator, consistently garnering extramural funds for his research from competitive sources such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the American Heart Association.

His current research, supported by the National Center for Research Resources - a component of the National Institutes of Health, examines various molecular mechanisms involved in endocrine system regulation. Scammell is seeking to better understand steroid hormone resistance, particularly the influence of an immunophilin protein, called FKBP51. Previous research from his laboratory and others demonstrates that this protein regulates the normal ability of the body to respond to hormones such as cortisol and progesterone and may influence response to steroid treatment in diseases such as asthma.

Scammell serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and has served on numerous review committees for NIH, the National Science Foundation, and the American Heart Association.

At USA, Scammell has served as president of the College of Medicine Faculty Assembly, and chaired a variety of medical school committees including the Medical School Admissions Committee, the Curriculum Committee, and the Faculty Committee on Appointments, Promotions, and Evaluations. In addition, he is a two-time member of the USA Faculty Senate and sits on the board of directors for the South Alabama Medical Sciences Foundation.

Scammell earned his doctorate in physiology from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla., after receiving his biology degree from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Scammell completed his post doctoral fellowship in pharmacology at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn.