Cancer Researcher/Associate Professor
Spouse: Louise
3 Children
1 Grandchild
2 Grandcats
Information update: 06/01/2016

Since high school, I acquired many years of training in science related to medicine and cancer. I got a PhD from the University of Minnesota and then did post-doctoral work at Roswell Park Memorial Institute where I became a Senior Cancer Research Scientist. Then I joined the faculty at the University of Illinois Chicago, where I received an NIH Research Career Development Award. I spent my time in Chicago doing research and teaching and have written many articles, book chapters, given numerous talks and even made a few videos. A research project I have been working on during the past few years might someday help many people and perhaps even some of our classmates.

Women who inherit a defective BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene ("breast cancer genes") have risks for breast and ovarian cancer that are so high and seem so selective that many women choose to have their breasts and ovaries surgically removed. I was so moved by how overwhelming this decision must be that I spent the last few years trying to understand how you can inherit a cancer that only occurs in specific organs. It turned out that the cancer target has receptors for the cancer pathogen or it becomes selectively exposed to a chronic inflammatory process or to a carcinogen. An inherited cancer gene then impairs a normal response to these environmental threats and exacerbates cancer susceptibility in exposed organs. Hopefully because of this work there should be new options for people who inherit cancer genes.