I’m an East Tennessee local and first-generation college student. I attended King College (now King University) in Bristol Tennessee where I earned a B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology. I actually changed my major two weeks before my intended graduation date, as that was when someone finally explained to me the difference between graduate degrees. I started college wanting to do cancer research in a clinical setting, but l preferred being at the lab bench over all my other studies. I switched from a pre-med path to a forensic science major so I could be in the lab more. I was set to be their first student to graduate with a forensic science major! Then I learned about Ph.D.-level bench science and did an internship in a lab that studied the effects of vitamin E isoforms on prostate cancer cell apoptosis. I was hooked. One of my mentors pointed out that it was hard to get into graduate school with a major that didn’t have any reputation, so I switched! I worked as a research technician at QCOM for a year before entering ETSU’s Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program and completing my dissertation with Dr. Rob Schoborg.

My research focus has ranged from vitamin E’s role in cancer therapy to antibiotic effects on chlamydial infections to how the gut microbiome might influence the success of heart failure treatments. Pretty much anything that weaves together how a person’s environment influences their health will catch my interest. Above all, my research has centered on the use of molecular biology techniques to test my hypotheses. Following this central focus, I serve as the Assistant Director of the Molecular Biology Core Facility, a shared resources facility that makes sophisticated molecular instrumentation and expert consultation on its use available to all investigators performing research both at ETSU and within the local community.

I began teaching in 2016 and have taught in the Medical Neuroscience, Medical Human Gross Anatomy and Embryology, and Medical Microbiology courses for the MD program and the Intro to Biomedical Sciences and Ethics courses for the Biomedical Sciences graduate program. I have also taught Human Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology, General Biology, and Bio for Non-Majors at nearby Emory & Henry College. My teaching goals are to present the necessary material in a way that is efficiently organized and helps students both remember the requisite information and connect dots between all the material they are learning. I particularly like working with students from rural areas and who may be the first in their family to attend college as it’s very rewarding to show them what opportunities are truly available to them. I will be teaching and serving as course co-director in the Brain, Body, and Behavior course in the new TRAILS curriculum.