PhD, Colorado State University, Cellular and Molecular Biology (1992)
Postdoctoral Education:
Fellowship, University of Colorado Denver with Dr. Kathryn Horwitz
Research
Research Activities:
Member of the Graduate Programs: Cancer Biology, Reproductive Sciences, and Biomedical Sciences
The focus of the research in my laboratory is on the role of Steroid Hormone Receptors in Breast and Gynecological cancers
We study the mechanisms of resistance to hormone therapy and how these cancers progress to hormone independence
Recently we have determined that microRNAs are differentially expressed in well-differentiated, hormone dependent cancers versus less-differentiated, more aggressive and hormone independent tumors that have undergone epithelial to mesenchymal transition. We are studying miRNA control of the transcription factor ZEB1 and microRNAs that control epithelial cell identity (polarity and differentiation state) and expression of the estrogen receptor in Breast, Endometrial and Ovarian cancers