AMANDA REDIG, MSTP STUDENT

Where is your hometown?
Home is where I live at the time, a perspective that is undoubtedly shaped by my experience as a military kid. I was born in Michigan and subsequently lived in Virginia, Wisconsin, Connecticut, New York and Arizona before moving to Chicago in 2003.

Where did you obtain your undergraduate degree?
The University of Arizona, where I was a biochemistry major and creative writing minor. I don’t plan to write science fiction, but I do see elements of both biological research and writing in my future.

What are your research interests?
I have always been interested in cancer biology, but most of the signaling transduction work I have done has involved intracellular signaling cascades that start with ligand binding at the cell surface and proceed from there. Maybe it’s the thought of something different — the grass is always greener syndrome — but lately I have found myself becoming more and more interested in the role of non‐cell autonomous signaling and the extracellular matrix in driving cellular behavior. Specifically, the intersections between tumor biology, tumor immunology, and extracellular matrix/stroma signaling is an area that I am gravitating toward.

However, beyond my scientific interests, I am also very interested in research endeavors that look at questions posed by the intersection of medicine or science and society. To that end, I also hope to continue working on research related to issues like cancer survivorship, bioethical issues involving scientific research, and the shaping of science policy.

What exciting projects are you working on?
The most exciting thing I’m working on right now is finishing medical school! I graduate in May 2010, and I can’t wait. I came to Northwestern to join MSTP, and dual training in both medicine and biomedical research is very important to me. I defended my thesis in April 2008, and my project (in the Platanias lab) was based on an evaluation of the protein kinase C (PKC) family in the regulation of hematopoiesis. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was the disease model I worked with, and I plan to pursue a career that allows me to work within the fields of clinical oncology and the basic/translational science world of cancer biology.

How would you describe the faculty at Feinberg?
The faculty at Feinberg are superb. From medical education to histology tutoring to scientific journal clubs and research, every minute has flown by, and I know I have learned so many things that will help me in whatever direction my career takes from here.

What do you like to do for fun?
I am an avid runner and enjoy using the lakefront path as often as I can, even in the winter. I love to cook and bake and enjoy hosting dinner parties. I am a bit of a classical music snob, so I enjoy opportunities to attend CSO and Lyric Opera performances. And, I also love to write and am always working on something.

What are your plans for after graduation?
I’ll be starting a medical residency in internal medicine somewhere (I find out March 18th) and plan to short‐track into an oncology fellowship where I expect to get back in the laboratory. Beyond that, I have no idea what surprises the future may hold, but I’m looking forward to finding out!