As a born and raised Kansan, and recently winged Jayhawk, I feel fortunate to be part of the MD/PhD program at the KU School of Medicine!
I must admit that I ended up in research largely by accident. When I started my undergraduate studies, I intended on pursuing a career in purely clinical medicine; my understanding and appreciation of research was rudimentary at best. However, as an undergraduate at the University of Kansas, I had the privilege of working for two years in the laboratory of Kristi Neufeld, Ph.D., in the Department of Molecular Biosciences. The Neufeld laboratory studies the nuclear functions of the tumor suppressor protein adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) and its role in colorectal carcinogenesis. My individual project concerned the APC protein and its interaction with and regulation of the intermediate filament protein cytokeratin 18 (CK18), which has been shown to confer resistance to chemotherapeutic agents, promote metastasis, and inhibit apoptosis when deregulated in tumor cells. Dr. Neufeld allowed me a tremendous degree of independence, yet provided the necessary guidance to allow me to develop into an able scientist. I attribute my passion for cancer biology and my decision to pursue the MD/PhD degree to the mentorship that Kristi provided me.
After graduating with a B.S. in cell biology in May 2006, I moved to Mission, KS, with my fiancé Brianna (a KU graduate in genetics), our two overly-excitable Weimaraners Dax and Kaiser, and our two lazy cats Maddi and Morris (we have a zoo). We love Kansas City more and more each day!
My primary research interests remain in tumor biology. I am now in the laboratory of Roy Jensen, M.D, in the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine. Our laboratory aims to understand the functions of the BRCA1 tumor suppresor gene, mutations in which have been identified as the causative genetic lesion in a large proportion of hereditary breast and ovarian malignancies. While the significance of BRCA1 function in hereditary cancers has been established, its role in sporadic breast and ovarian carcinogenesis is poorly characterized. Current studies in our laboratory aim to identify functions of BRCA1 that may be perturbed with regard to its role in sporadic malignancies. I am currently investigating the role of the molecular chaperones HSP90, HSP70, and HSP27 in regulating the expression and function of BRCA1.
Ultimately, I hope to become an oncologist at an academic medical center where I can combine my training in medicine and molecular biology to study the underlying causes of human cancers and translate this knowledge into novel therapies.
Should you have any questions about me or about the M.D./Ph.D. program in general, please feel free to e-mail me at sstecklein@kumc.edu.
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