This past summer I interned in the lab of Sandra Gendler, PhD at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale where Dr. Schroeder worked as a postdoc.  I recently met with her to discuss her path from UBRP to Associate Professor, and the evolution of her research interests and current scientific endeavors.

A native Arizonan, Dr. Schroeder entered the University of Arizona as an undergraduate with a passion for science.  UBRP played a critical role by providing research opportunities and divulging the career potential behind research.  "... [UBRP] introduced me to science, taught me how to approach science and the world, and what it meant to be a scientist."  She worked in Dr. Vas Aposhian's toxicology lab in collaboration with Dr. Danny Brower, molecular & cellular biology, studying the effect of arsenic on fly development.  Working in Dr. John Marchalonis's evolutionary immunology lab followed.  These labs furthered Dr. Schroeder's understanding of the scientific method and "...the interaction with other graduate students and postdocs also provided immeasurable support for deciding where to go to graduate school."

With an interest in immunology, Dr. Schroeder left the desert and headed to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.  There she worked with David Lee, PhD, in breast cancer research, concentrating specifically on the role of epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) in the progression and metasticity of tumors.  EGFRs are receptor tyrosine kinases whose upregulation can promote tumor growth and motility.  In the Gendler lab, Dr. Schroeder studied the impact of the oncogenetic mucin MUC1 as a ligand for EGFRs.  Her work is distinguished due to her emphasis on targeting the neoplastic interaction between EGFRs and MUC1.  This has the potential to eliminate or decrease therapeutic side effects.  "Currently we work with a murine model; in the future I would like to move our work towards clinical trials."

Currently on sabbatical, Dr. Schroeder says one of her greatest challenges is to find a balance between research and teaching, "I believe didactic teaching is important and devoting the necessary time between lab work and lecturing is difficult."  In the past, Dr. Schroeder has taught cell biology as well as a colloquium on cancer.  The Schroeder lab is located in the Arizona Cancer Center.

Sara Clasen, UBRPer in Dr. Carol Barnes' lab, Neural Systems Memory & Aging