What department are you in?
The Department of Surgery, Vascular Division.  I help oversee the day-to-day operations of  Dr. Melina Kibbe's lab, and work on research projects with Drs. Pearce, Kibbe, Eskandari, and Morasch.

How long have you been with FSM?
I started in the Dental School at Northwestern in 1985, and have been working in the Medical School with the Division of Vascular Surgery since 1987. 

What’s your education background?
I have a BS in Biology from Purdue University, and an MS in Biology and Chemistry Education, also from Purdue. 

What do you like or dislike about your job?
I enjoy the people I work with, and the many friends I've made at NU over the years.  I like the variety in my work.  I do bench work, as well as write papers and grants, make presentations, and mentor students.  I dislike the commute.  

What do you like do to in your free time? 
I like to read, and I have a lot of favorites, but when pressed, I'd have to say Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" is my all-time favorite book.  I like to spend time with my family; husband Tom, two daughters, Dorothy and Zoe, and our 2 golden retrievers. My hobbies are yoga, photography, travel and cooking.  

How do you balance life and work?
I had the opportunity, thanks to Dr. Pearce, to work part-time when my daughters were young, and that really helped me balance family life and work back then.        

Can you tell us something interesting about you?
It seems Genghis Khan may be one of my ancestors.  My grandparents were from a part of Russia where some mixing of the Mongolian and Russian populations occurred.  After participating in a tissue typing research study through the Transplant Division many years ago, I learned that my leukocytes express a somewhat rare Asian antigen.