Research Faculty

Biographical Info

I received my BS degree in Molecular Biology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. During that time I researched tamoxifen metabolism in the lab of Dr. Henry Pitot and chaperone proteins in Dr. Betty Craig’s lab.  My PhD research focused on mitochondrial redox control and was done under the mentorship of Dr. Garth Powis at the University of Arizona. I went on to research the anti-inflammatory activity of vitamin D in primary human prostate cells during my postdoctoral training at Stanford University under the guidance of Dr. Donna Peehl.

All of this training landed me in the Department of Pathology at the University of Illinois at Chicago-UIC. Here at UIC I have maintained a research focus on prostate cancer and vitamin D. The research in my lab has grown to include microRNAs, zinc homeostasis in the prostate as well as analysis of clinical trial patient specimens to validate in vitro findings.

The focus of my lab is prostate cancer research and there are several projects aimed at examining several questions:

How does microRNA regulation and the anti-inflammatory actions of Vitamin D contribute to prevention of prostate carcinogenesis?
Do these actions of Vitamin D contribute to the prostate cancer disparities?
Does the oncogenic activity of the miR-183 family cluster require zinc regulation in prostate epithelial cells?
Are there microRNAs in the serum of prostate cancer patients that provide prognostic information about the tumor?

Clinical and Research Interests:
Prostate cancer
Prognostic markers in patient blood
In vitro models of prostate cell biology

Research Programs:
Innovative Diagnostics
Prostate

Education:
BS (Molecular Biology), University of Wisconsin at Madison
PhD (Pharmacology/Cancer Biology), University of Arizona
UIC K12 IRACDA

PostGraduate Training:
Fellowship
Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University Department of Urology

Awards and Honors:
2013: Departmental Faculty of the Year, UIC College of Medicine
2013: American Urological Association, Showcase for Young Investigators
2012: Society for Basic Urologic Research Young Investigator Award. These awards are given to recognize researchers under the age of 40 who have made significant contribution to urologic research
2012: American Cancer Society Research Scholar
2011: Travel Award, Department of Defense, Innovative Minds in Prostate Cancer Today (IMPaCT) meeting
2007: Publication selected for the 2006 issue of the Annual Bibliography of Significant Advances in Dietary Supplements Research by the Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health
2007: Travel Award, Department of Defense, Innovative Minds in Prostate Cancer Today (IMPaCT) meeting
2006: Packard Award for the Best Urology Postdoctoral Publication, Stanford College of Medicine
2005-06: Chief Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Urology, Stanford College of Medicine
2004: Scholar in Training Award, American Association for Cancer Research
2004: Prostate Cancer Postdoctoral Researcher Grant, Department of Defense
2003: Endocrinology Postdoctoral NIH Training Grant, Stanford University
2003: Postdoctoral Research Scholar Award, American Foundation for Urologic Disease