PhD Candidate – Started 2016
Hometown: Madison, WI
Advisor/Lab: Kristen Malecki
Research Interests:Role of aryl hydrocarbon receptor and associated signaling pathways in human disease and biomarkers of these disease states.
Undergraduate
University of Wisconsin-Madison (2012-2015)
Bachelors of Science in Genetics (2015)
Interests/Hobbies
My major interest is tennis, I play year round on different club and league teams in the area in addition to teaching youth tennis and stringing rackets. I also enjoy running, reading, and drawing.
Why I Joined METC
As an undergraduate at UW-Madison I was exposed to METC through coursework and undergraduate research in an affiliated lab. My research throughout undergrad was focused on the role of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) in colorectal tumorigenesis. I became very interested in the role of the AHR in human disease in general, which led me to pursue a PhD in this program. As part of my thesis work, I hope to understand how the AHR and its associated signaling pathways may lead to the discovery of novel disease biomarkers.
Honors
2014 WALSAA Outstanding Sophomore Award
2015 Hilldale Undergraduate Research Fellowship
Presentations
- Dysregulation of AHR in Colon Cancer: Does it Contribute to Chemosensitivity? (American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons 2015, ePoster)
- Mouse Notch1 is a Novel Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Driven Gene in Hepatotoxicity (Academic Surgical Congress 2016, Oral Presentation)
- Does AHR medicated Notch signaling contribute to colorectal carcinogenesis? (American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons 2016, Podium Presentation)
Publications
- Megna BW, Carney PR, Nukaya M, Geiger P, Kennedy GD. Indole-3-carbinol induces tumor cell death: function follows form. J Surg Res. 2016 Jul;204(1):47-54.
- Díaz-Díaz CJ, Ronnekleiv-Kelly SM, Nukaya M, Geiger PG, Balbo S, Dator R, Megna BW, Carney PR, Bradfield CA, Kennedy GD. The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor is a Repressor of Inflammation-associated Colorectal Tumorigenesis in Mouse. Ann Surg 2016 Sep;264(3):429-36.
- Megna BW, Carney PR, Kennedy GD. Intestinal inflammation and the diet: Is food friend or foe? World J Gastrointest Surg. 2016 Feb 27;8(2):115-23.
- Ronnekleiv-Kelly SM, Nukaya M, Díaz-Díaz CJ, Megna BW, Carney PR, Geiger PG, Kennedy GD. Aryl hydrocarbon receptor-dependent apoptotic cell death induced by the flavonoid chrysin in human colorectal cancer cells. Cancer Lett. 2016 Jan 1;370(1):91-9.