2012 K-INBRE Symposium Speaker Biographies

Below are the biographies of the 2012 Symposium Speakers.

Stephen A. Krawetz, Ph.D.

Charlotte B. Failing Professor of Fetal Therapy and Diagnosis, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI
Title: The Many Faces of Sperm: A Genomics and Informatics Journey

Dr. Stephen A. Krawetz is the Charlotte B. Failing Professor of Fetal Therapy and Diagnosis, serving as Associate Director of the C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine. Dr. Krawetz has served as the Director of the WSU-Michigan Life Sciences Corridor Bioinformatics Node, and was the Founding Director of the Center of Excellence: Paternal Impact of Toxicological Exposure. He received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Toronto in 1983 and then trained with Gordon Dixon at The University of Calgary as an AHFMR postdoctoral fellow. His primary research focus is directed towards understanding the long range genetic mechanisms that dictate cell fate, which also led to the discovery of the delivery of RNA at fertilization. He has published over 192 articles reviews, books, and chapters describing the regulation of gene expression by chromatin structure and the analysis and organization of the human sperm genome and its application to personalized medicine.

 

Andrew K. Godwin, Ph.D.

Chancellors Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Sciences Endowed Professor, University of Kansas Medical Center
Title: Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GISTs): From Molecular Pathogenesis to Personalized Therapy

Andrew K. Godwin is the Chancellors Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Sciences Endowed Professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center. A native of Lawrence, Kansas, Godwin graduated with highest distinction from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in Cellular Biology. He obtained his PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania while carrying out his thesis research at Fox Chase Cancer Center (FCCC) in Philadelphia. Godwin is internationally recognized for his molecular biology/genetic studies of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), breast and ovarian cancer, and his efforts to help bridge the gap between basic and clinical science in order to improve patient care. His research focuses on the concept of obtaining a molecular definition of a tumor to define its treatment-sensitive elements, complementing his long-standing interest in the fields of cancer genetics, molecular targeted therapeutics, predictive biomarkers, early detection, and biobanking. He is a NCI funded investigator and a highly published and cited scientist with more than 270 manuscripts and scholarly review articles.

 

Susan J. (Sue) Brown, Ph.D.

K-INBRE Satellite Bioinformatics Coordinator, Professor of Biology, Kansas State University
Title: Heads or Tails in Embryonic Patterning

Susan J. (Sue) Brown is a professor of Biology at Kansas State University. She received a B.A. in biology from Smith College in 1978, and a Ph.D. in genetics from the University of Missouri–Columbia in 1984. She is director of the Arthropod Genomic Center, and the director of the KINBRE sponsored K-State Bioinformatics Center. Brown pioneered the first concurrent BS/MS degree at K-State, where she teaches classes in genetics, genomics and bioinformatics. She is known internationally for her efforts to establish Tribolium castaneum, the red flour beetle, as a model organism for genetic studies of development. Brown’s current studies focus on the role of Wnt signaling in A-P axis patterning and regulation of the pair-rule gene circuit.

 

 

George R. Bousfield, Ph.D.

Dr. Lawrence M. Jones Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences, Wichita State University
Title: Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Glycoforms and Reproductive Aging

George R. Bousfield is the Dr. Lawrence M. Jones Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences and Protein Core Lab Director at Wichita State University. Bousfield was born in Strasbourg, Saskatchewan in 1951. He earned his B.S. in Chemistry & Biology at Saginaw Valley College 1974, M.A. and Ph.D. in Zoology from Indiana University in 1976 and 1981. His research interest lies in structure-function relationships of glycoprotein hormones, especially the gonadotropins. For 23 years, beginning in 1978, he largely focused on horse gonadotropins. For the last 13 years, his focus has been on human follicle-stimulating hormone glycosylation variants.

 

 

Melissa Bailey, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, Emporia State University
Title: Exposure to Green Tea Extract Alters the Incidence of Specific Cyclophosphamide-Induced Malformations

Melissa Bailey is an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Emporia State University. She earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry from Florida State University, a master's degree in criminalistics from John Jay College of Criminal Justice/CUNY, and her Ph.D. in toxicology from The University of Alabama. Her research focuses on how exposure to chemicals or drugs can cause or prevent birth defects. She has been at Emporia State, and part of the K-INBRE program, since 2008.

 

 

 

Joe Lutkenhaus, Ph.D.

Distinguished Professor of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics and Immunology, University of Kansas Medical Center
Title: Spatial Regulation of Bacterial Cytokinesis: Min Oscillation

Joe Lutkenhaus is a University Distinguished Professor in the department of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics and Immunology at the University of Kansas Medical Center. He earned his B.Sc. in Chemistry from Iowa State University in 1969, and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from University of California-Los Angeles in 1974. He is the director of the COBRE program at KUMC. His team’s work with the bacterium E. coli has led to the discovery of a cytoskeletel element—the Z ring—that directs septation in all prokaryotic organisms. Current interest lies in the characterization of FtsZ assembly in vitro, mechanisms involved in positioning the Z ring at the division site, and determination of assembly pathways for other cell division proteins that are localized to the division site.

 

Mizuki Azuma, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas-Lawrence
Title: The Role of Ewing Sarcoma Proteins EWS/FLI1 and EWS in Mitosis

Mizuki Azuma is an assistant professor in Molecular Biosciences at the University of Kansas. She earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Osaka University in Japan in 1999. She is a recipient of the K-INBRE Major Starter Grant. Her research interest lies in the EWS/FLI1-EWS interaction in Ewing sarcoma and mitotic defects leading to malignant transformation. She is currently working on directly addressing the molecular basis for this interaction, and assessing the activity of the EWS/FLI1 fusion in vivo in the zebra fish.

 

 

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