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Colette Worcester

Professional Background

 I grew up along the front range of Colorado and studied Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University. My undergraduate research included identifying components of the yeast endocytic protein machinery with Dr. Santiago Di Pietro and evaluating probiotic bacteria metabolism of rice bran to inhibit Salmonella with Dr. Elizabeth Ryan. Passionate about sharing science with others, I served in AmeriCorps to lead 4-H afterschool STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs for a year.

Broadening my horizons, I moved to Germany to study Molecular Bioengineering as a DAAD (German Academic Exchange Program) study scholar at Technische Universität Dresden. In my master’s thesis, I worked with Dr. Franziska Knopf to investigate the interaction between macrophage immune cells and triple-negative breast cancer cells in bone using zebrafish larvae as a model. Macrophages have paradoxical roles in enhancing and suppressing cancer, and the immune system can be a powerful target in therapies.

Returning to the US, I have seen that advancing scientific medicine requires collaboration with interdisciplinary and international efforts, and I am excited to contribute to these endeavors at KUMC. Here, I am privileged to be a part of Dr. Shane Stecklein’s lab, where I am pursuing my PhD in the Cancer Biology department to study the DNA damage immune response in triple-negative breast cancer. My goals are to manipulate molecular immune mechanisms to achieve therapeutic results.

Mentor: Shane Stecklein, M.D., Ph.D.; Cancer Biology


KU School of Medicine

University of Kansas Medical Center
M.D.-Ph.D. Physician Scientist Program
Mail Stop 3062
1123 Delp Pavilion

3901 Rainbow Boulevard
Kansas City, Kansas 66103