Katherine A. Brakora

Curriculum Vitae

5091 Valley Life Sciences Bldg. Office Phone: (510) 643-2109

Berkeley, CA94708 Email:

Education

Ph.D. candidate in Integrative Biology, starting Fall 2004

University of California, Berkeley, CA
Advanced to candidacy April, 2006

Major advisor: Kevin Padian, PhD

B.S. in Biological Sciences, Magna Cum Laude, May 2002

University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN

Cumulative GPA: 3.60Upper Division GPA: 3.74

Semester of Foreign Study, Fall 2000

University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle, Western Australia

Professional Societies

Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, 2003-present

Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, 2003-2004

International Society for History Philosophy and Social Studies of Biology, 2006-present

Selected Honors & Awards

  • NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, 2005-2008
  • Graduate Student Scholarship, UC Berkeley 2004-2005
  • UND Undergraduate Research Symposium 2nd place poster, 2001
  • Deans List 7 semesters
  • Notre Dame Scholar, 1998
  • USAA scholarship, 1998-2001 ($1000/yr)
  • Nicole Zimeti scholarship, 1998 ($500)
  • Michael Umbarger scholarship, 1998 ($500)
  • Henley Dollars for Scholars scholarship, 1998 ($500)

Research Funding

  • UCMP graduate student support grant, 2006 ($500)
  • GRAC Research fund award, 2006 ($200)
  • IB Dept. summer research block grant: $1000, 2006
  • GRAC Research Fund, summer fieldwork at Petrified Forest Nat’l Park, 2005 ($300)
  • UCMP graduate student support grant, 2005 ($400)
  • Welles Fund award for Colorado trackway fieldwork, 2005
  • Hotel Recovery grant for newsletter, 2003 ($2025)
  • MGH Making a Difference Program grant, 2002 ($2930)
  • Summer research fellowship in aquatic biology, Univ. of Notre Dame, 2000

Research and Field Experience

Student Research Affiliate, March 2006-2007

National Museums of Kenya, Department of Osteology

Evolution of sexual dimorphism in the cranial bones of African bovids

Fieldwork, August 2005

Jurassic archosaur trackways of the Purgatoire River, Colorado.

Paleontology Intern, May-August 2005

Petrified ForestNational Park, Petrified Forest, AZ

Prospecting, excavation and preparation of Late Triassic terrestrial archosaurs as part of the park’s paleontological resource inventory, including relocating and documenting historic sites and expanding online educational resources in vertebrate paleontology.

Advisor:William Parker, Park Paleontologist

Research Assistant,September 2003 – August 2004

BostonCollege, Department of Biology, Chestnut Hill, MA

Vertebrate paleontology research on sauropod trackways and body mass distributions.

Research Advisor:David Krauss, PhD

Research Technician,June 2002 – August 2004

Massachusetts GeneralHospital and HarvardMedicalSchool, Boston, MA

Basic and clinical research on the molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis, paclitaxel

resistance, and serological biomarkers in ovarian cancer.

Research Advisor: Michael Seiden, MD, PhD

Research Assistant,January – December 2001

University of Notre Dame and the South Bend Center for Medical Education, IN

Comparative cardiovascular physiology of the rainbow trout, researching transvascular

filtration rates, hemodynamics, and surgical techniques, focusing on in vivo heart and vascular surgery.

Research Advisor: Kenneth Olson, PhD

Undergraduate Researcher, January – December 2000

University of Notre Dame Environmental ResearchCenter, Land O’Lakes, WI

Species-specific predation by fish on Orconectes crayfishes in varying substrates.

Research Advisor: David Lodge, PhD

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Articles

VaidyaAP, AlterovitzG, Lee H, Duan Z, FosterR, MahoneyJ, BrakoraK, RocheM, GrillsG, DeckerJ, SeidenMV. “Serum-based proteomic analysis of chemokines and cytokines in ovarian cancer.” In preparation.

Duan Z, Foster R,Brakora KA, Yusuf RZ, Seiden MV. 2006. “GBP-1 overexpression is associated with a paclitaxel resistant phenotype.” Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 57(1):25-33. Epub 2005 Nov 5.[link]

Duan Z, Brakora KA, Seiden MV. 2004. “MM-TRAG (MGC4175), a novel intracellular mitochondrial protein, is associated with the taxol- and doxorubicin-resistant phenotype in human cancer cell lines.” Gene (Amsterdam). 340(1):53-59.[link]

Duan Z, Brakora KA, Seiden MV. 2004. “Inhibition of ABCB1 (MDR1) and ABCB4 (MDR3) expression by small interfering RNA and reversal of paclitaxel resistance in human ovarian cancer cells.” Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. 3(7):833-838.[link]

Brakora KA, Lee H, Yusuf R, Sullivan L, Harris A, Colella T, Seiden MV. 2004. “Utility of osteopontin as a biomarker in recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer.” Gynecologic Oncology. 93(2):361-365.[link]

Lin N, Brakora KA, Seiden MV. 2003. “BMS-247550 Bristol-Myers Squibb/GBF.” Current Opinions in Investigational Drugs. 4(6):746-756.[link]

Conference Presentations and Posters

Duan Z, Brakora KA, Foster R, Seiden MV. 2004. “Characterization of MM-TRAG, a mitochondrial protein associated with MDR1 expression and the multidrug resistant phenotype in vitro.” American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting. Abs. 596.

Duan Z, Brakora KA, Foster R, Seiden MV. 2004. “Characterization of the GBP1 gene associated with the multidrug resistant phenotype in vitro.” American Association for Cancer ResearchAnnual Meeting. Abs. 597.

Duan Z, Duan Y, Brakora KA, Lamendola DE, Yusuf RZ, Seiden MV. 2003. "cDNA array technology identifies MGC 4175 and GBP-2 as candidate Taxol® resistance associated genes (TRAGs)." Proceedings American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting. Abs. 1150.

Brakora KA, Lee H, Yusuf R, Sullivan L, Harris A, Colella T, Seiden MV. 2003. "Utility of osteopontin as a biomarker in recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer.” American Society for Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting. Abs. 1862.

Duan Z, Brakora KA, Yusuf RZ, Seiden MV. 2003. “Inhibition of ABCB1 (MDR1) expression by small interfering RNA and reversal of paclitaxel resistance in human ovarian cancer cells.” RNAi Boston Meeting.

Duan Z, Duan Y, Brakora KA, Lamendola DE, Yusuf RZ, Seiden MV. 2003. "cDNA

array technology identifies MGC 4175 and GBP-2 as paclitaxel resistance

associated genes (TRAGs)." MGH Clinical Research Day.

Hoagland TM, Brakora KA, Olson KR. 2002. “Environmental salinity manipulation affects fluid volume compartments and key indices of cardiovascular hemodynamics in the rainbow trout.”FASEB Journal. 16(5). A884.

Brakora KA, Hoagland TM, Hambleton DC, Olson KR. 2001. “Blood

pressure and volume measurements in fresh and salt water-adapted rainbow trout.” University of Notre Dame Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Abstracts

Vaidya AP, Brakora KA, Mahoney JC, Krasner C, Roche M, Lee H, Seiden MV. 2004. “An unbiased systematic exploration of cytokines and chemokines identifies IL-6 as a potential biomarker in ovarian cancer.” New England Association of Gynecologic Oncologists Annual Meeting.

Olson KR, Kinney DM, Brakora KA, Kingsley RE. 2002. “Transvascular fluid transport in the rainbow trout.” FASEB Journal. 16(5). A884.

Teaching Experience

Graduate Student Instructor, Universityof California, Berkeley

IB132L: Mammalian Physiology Lab Spring 2005

IB131L: Human Anatomy LabFall 2004, 2005

Science Fair Mentor, Winter 2002-03

Mass. General Hospital/Howard Hughes Medical Institute/TimiltyMiddle School

Tutor, Art Tradiations II, Spring 2002

University of Notre Dame

Tutor, Calculus I, 1999-2000 Academic year

University of Notre Dame

Teaching Assistant, General Biology I, Fall 1999

University of Notre Dame

Other Academic Activities

  • California Academy of Science Committee on History and Philosophy of Science, member 2005-present
  • Seminar on Paleontology coordinator, Fall 2006
  • Lawrence Hall of Science 3rd-4th grade book development project, consultant, Fall 2006
  • Graduate Assembly Departmental Delegate, Academic year 2005-2006