Professional Background

My lab studies the role of hormones in breast cancer. In particular, we are interested in how the ovarian steroid hormone, progesterone, works together with its receptor, the progesterone receptor (PR), to influence breast cancer biology. Mounting clinical data continues to implicate progesterone and PR in breast cancer progression. Upon diagnosis, nearly 70% of breast cancers express PR and the estrogen receptor (ER). In contrast, only 7-10% of normal luminal epithelial cells express ER and PR. ER action in breast cancer has been well studied and as a result, ER has proven to be an excellent target for current endocrine-based therapies. However, despite convincing clinical trial data implicating progesterone in the development of invasive breast cancer, the role of progesterone/PR in breast cancer has been largely understudied. Despite maintaining receptor (ER/PR) expression, many breast cancer patients eventually progress to hormone-independence, failing current (largely ER/estrogen based) endocrine therapies. Therefore, ER-independent functions of PR are of great clinical interest.

• BA, Biochemistry, Colorado College
• PhD, Cancer Biology, University of Chicago
• Post Doctoral Fellowship, Cancer Biology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
• Post Doctoral Fellowship, Cancer Biology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN