current | former
- Max Boeck, Ph.D.
- Shirley Crenshaw, Ph.D.
- Thomas Freeman, Ph.D.
- Claire Gordy, Ph.D.
- Steven Harris, Ph.D.
- Shannon Jones, Ph.D.
- Michelle Kovarik, Ph. D.
- Krystle McLaughlin, Ph.D.
- Emily Moorefield, Ph.D.
- Vicki Newton, Ph.D.
- Linsey Phillips, Ph.D.
- Conner Sandefur, Ph.D.
- Justin Shaffer, Ph.D.
- Eric Stoffregen, Ph.D.
- Christina Swanson, Ph.D.
Emily Moorefield, Ph.D.
- Cell and Molecular Physiology
Education
- Wake Forest University - Molecular Medicine & Translational Science
Mentors
-
P. Kay Lund, Ph.D.
Biography
My interest in scientific research and education began as an undergraduate at UNC where I majored in Biology. During my time as an undergraduate, I conducted research in the lab of Dr. Mark Peifer on cell adhesion during morphogenesis in Drosophila. After graduation, I continued performing research in a cancer immunology lab at Johns Hopkins University where I also earned a Master’s degree in Biotechnology.
My graduate studies in the Molecular Medicine and Translational Science program at Wake Forest University focused on the use of stem cell-based regenerative medicine to advance therapeutics for diabetes patients. Under the guidance of Dr. Colin Bishop and Dr. Mark Furth at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, I worked to differentiate amniotic fluid stem cells and patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells toward insulin-producing cells. As a graduate student, I also had the rewarding experience of sharing my research interests through mentoring and guest lecturing at area universities.
I am happy to be back at UNC working with Dr. Kay Lund and Dr. Scott Magness where I will examine the effects of aging on intestinal stem cells. I look forward to continuing my training in research, mentoring and classroom teaching and am excited by the balance of these activities emphasized by SPIRE.
