Experience Summary
I received my PhD. in the Biological Sciences from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee in 1997. I then went to Wayne State University (Detroit, MI) for my postdoctoral fellowship where I worked with developing transgenic mice. In 1999 I took another postdoctoral position at Rush Medical Center in Chicago at the Dept. of Ob/GYN where I did studies with the human papilloma virus (HPV) as well as ovarian cancer and programmed cell death. After my postoctoral experience, I accepted a position at Abbott laboratories where I worked with the immunobead assays for HTLV and chagas disease. I joined the Army Reserve medical service corps at the time, and in this way heard about a possible position for a microbiologist opening at the Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH). In 2003, after a 6-month stint with the CDC BioWatch program, I took the IDPH job. I currently work at the IDPH developing and validating new diagnostic tests for infectious diseases. I enjoy my job, but I don't get a chance to teach as often as I would like.
Other Comments
I've been working as a laboratory research scientist for the Illinois Dept. of Public Health for over 8 years. I enjoy my job as a microbiologist/molecular biologist. I also enjoy sharing my knowledge and take every opportunity I get to mentor students from UIC School of Public Health. If I had more time, I would find a teaching job, but my current job, and Army Reserve duty as an environmental science officer, do not afford me this luxury. I would therefore like to tutor students of either college or high school age and share some of my knowledge and excitement of biology, while at the same time help them to look at biology as a fun subject.