The final month of 2018 is upon us! Congratulations on achieving all of your New Year’s resolutions. Wait, you didn’t?!  Don’t sweat it, another new year is right around the corner.

For many of us, the month of December means finishing off big projects, tying up loose ends, spending time with family, and giving (which includes making A LOT of pumpkin bread in my case). Giving was one important focus of our 18th Annual Retreat for Cancer Research. The Cancer Biology Student Association (CBSA) silent auction raised over $1,800 benefiting Gilda’s Club (see article below)! Thank you to everyone who supported this event.

We are all so very busy this time of year and I hope that you take a step back and look at all that you have accomplished in 2018. Here’s to a joyful, fulfilling, and successful 2019!

Kim Dahlman

Getting to Know You…

Faculty Spotlight

Vivian Weiss, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology

Dr. Weiss attended Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore to obtain her M.D. and Ph.D. in immunology. During her Ph.D. training, Vivian received the American Association for Cancer Research Pre-doctoral Fellowship Award for her work in tumor immunology under the mentorship of Dr. Elizabeth Jaffee. After completing this training, she began the Vanderbilt University Pathology Residency Training Program for anatomic and clinical pathology, followed by a fellowship in cytopathology at VUMC. She is board certified in Anatomic Pathology, Clinical Pathology, and Cytopathology. Her clinical practice focuses on diagnosis of fine needle aspirations, particularly of the thyroid gland. She was the 2017 recipient of the American Society of Cytopathology Young Investigator Award for her work on the molecular and immunologic mechanisms of thyroid cancer using next generation sequencing and computational immunogenomics. Vivian’s translational research laboratory studies the role of Wnt signaling in aggressive thyroid cancer subtypes in order to improve the current diagnostic algorithms and therapy for this disease.

Trainee Spotlight

Zachary M. Sandusky
Graduate Student
(Lannigan Lab)

Prior to joining the Cancer Biology Program in 2014, Zach received his B.S. in Pharmacology from the University of Toledo. Zach’s current research is focused on signaling pathways involved in normal mammary gland development and breast cancer, with the overall goal of identifying novel targets for breast cancer treatment. His research utilizes a combination of in vitro techniques, mouse models, and clinical samples. Since 2014, Zach has co-authored four published manuscripts, was a major data contributor for a successful R01 and R21 awarded to Dr. Lannigan, and was an invited speaker at the Gordon Research Seminar and Marine Biological Labs Frontiers in Reproduction. Zach has served four years on the CBSA and has mentored rotation and undergraduate students in the Lannigan Lab. In his free time, Zach is a self-taught programmer and enjoys trail running around Nashville.

Staff Spotlight

Alyssa Merkel, MLI
Lab Coordinator
(Sterling Lab)
Division of Clinical Pharmacology

Alyssa is originally from Dora, Alabama (outside of Birmingham), and came to Nashville as an Undergraduate at Belmont University, where she completed a degree in biochemistry and molecular biology in 2009.  She began working in the Center for Bone Biology in the laboratory of Julie Rhoades (Sterling) as a part-time student intern prior to graduation and joined full time in May 2009. She immediately became an integral part of the laboratory, where her quick learning and abilities (and quick wit!) made her an instant fit in the lab.  Her intelligence and clear drive made her a perfect fit for the Masters of Laboratory Investigation program at Vanderbilt, where she completed her masters while working full-time in 2016.  Over the past 10 years Alyssa has become an expert in many techniques in bone and cancer biology.  Alyssa is collaborative and an excellent teacher helping train many students and staff in the Center for Bone Biology, while leading her own projects. Outside of the laboratory Alyssa enjoys photography, college football (Roll Tide!), and spending time with family and friends.

18th Annual Retreat for Cancer Research

On November 16th, the 18th Annual Retreat for Cancer Research (hosted by the Host Tumor Interactions Program and the CBSA) was held at the Student Life Center. The featured keynote speaker was Mina J. Bissell, Ph.D., a Distinguished Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Dr. Bissell, who has been highly recognized for her contributions to breast cancer research and the role of the extracellular matrix in the regulation of gene expression in normal and malignant tissues. We also heard from Patient Advocate Betsy Williams who shared her personal experiences with oropharyngeal cancer.

Highlights of the event included talks by postdoctoral fellows, faculty, and graduate students, a poster session, and a silent auction to benefit Gilda’s Club.

Dr. Bissell spoke in honor of and highlighted the life and dedication of Pam Martin, a former Research Assistant/lab manager in the Program of Cancer Biology here at Vanderbilt.  Pam bravely fought breast cancer and was a longtime patient advocate. She was the 2007 recipient of the Vanderbilt Commodore Award and 2014 recipient of the Nancy Saturn Award of Inspiration from the Gilda’s club in Nashville.

Auction to benefit Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee, one of more than 55 nonprofit Cancer Support Community affiliates worldwide. Gilda’s Club, located right in Midtown, offers support groups, lectures, workshops, and social events for all ages. All of these services are offered completely free of charge for cancer patients and their families. Businesses from all over Tennessee, as well as faculty and students in the Program in Cancer Biology, helped make the silent auction a success by donating and bidding on items. $1,850 was raised to support cancer patients and their families, and donated it on Giving Tuesday as a matched donation.

Send Us Your News

Have a suggestion for a Cancer Biology newsletter item? Do you have an announcement or an upcoming event you want to share with the Cancer Biology community? E-mail: kerry.w.vazquez@vanderbilt.edu

Newsletter header photo credit to Dr. Anna Vilgelm, “DNA Comets”.
“Hello December” image courtesy of WeHeartIt.com
Employee photo credit to Vanderbilt University.
“Its the most wonderful time of the year- December” photo credit to Bing