Katherine A. Brakora
Curriculum Vitae
Education
Ph.D. candidate
in Integrative Biology, Fall 2004 - present
University of California,
Berkeley, CA
Advanced to candidacy April,
2006
Major adviser: Kevin Padian, PhD
B.S. in Biological Sciences, Magna Cum Laude, May 2002
University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
Cumulative GPA: 3.60 Upper Division GPA: 3.74
Semester of Foreign Study, Fall 2000
University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle, Western Australia
Selected Honors & Awards
o Fulbright Fellow, Kenya, 2008-2009
o NSF
Graduate Research Fellowship, 2005-2008
o Graduate Student Scholarship, UC Berkeley 2004-2005
o Notre Dame Undergraduate Research Symposium 2nd place poster, 2001
o Deans List 7 semesters
o Notre Dame Scholar, 1998
o USAA scholarship, 1998-2001 ($1000/yr)
o Nicole Zimeti scholarship, 1998 ($500)
o Michael Umbarger scholarship, 1998 ($500)
o Henley
Dollars for Scholars scholarship, 1998 ($500)
Study & Research Funding
o Beim Endowed Graduate Field Summer Research Fellowship, 2008 ($2100)
o Integrative Biology Summer Research Grant, 2007 ($3000)
o NSF Berkeley Travel grant, 2008 ($750)
o UCMP Graduate Research Award, 2007 ($2504)
o Objectivist Summer Conference Scholarship, 2007
o NSF GRF International travel grant, 2007 ($1000)
o UCMP graduate student support grant, 2006 ($500)
o GRAC Research fund award, 2006 ($200)
o IB Dept. summer research block grant: $1000, 2006
o GRAC Research Fund, summer fieldwork at Petrified Forest Nat’l Park, 2005 ($300)
o UCMP graduate student support grant, 2005 ($400)
o UCMP Welles Fund grant, 2005 ($1400)
o Hotel Recovery grant for patient newsletter, 2003 ($2025)
o MGH Making a Difference Program grant, 2002 ($2930)
o Notre Dame Environmental Research Center, summer research fellow, 2000
Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
Vaidya AP, Alterovitz G, Lee H, Duan Z, Foster R, Mahoney J, Brakora K, Roche M, Grills G,
Decker J, Seiden MV. “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
Brakora KA, Padian K. 2007. "Quantification and phylogenetic correlations of sexual
morphotypes in Bovidae (Mammalia)." Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Annual Mtg. [link]
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 Mtg. 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 Research
Annual Mtg. 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 NotreDame 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.
Professional Societies
American Society of Mammalogists, 2007-present
Paleontological Society, 2007-present
Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, 2003-present
Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, 2003-2004, 2007-present
American Philosophical Association, 2007 - present
Ayn Rand Society, APA Eastern Division, 2007 - present
International Society for History Philosophy and Social Studies of Biology, 2006-present
Research, Curatorial and Field Experience
Graduate Student Researcher (visiting)
Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL (May, 2008)
Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University (April, 2008)
California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA (winter 2007-2008)
NFI/Transvaal Museum, Pretoria, South Africa (May-June 2007)
National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya (March-May, 2007)
Etosha Ecological Institute, Etosha National Park, Namibia (February 2007)
Florisbad Quaternary Research Center, Orange Free State, South Africa (Jan-Feb 2007)
American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY (June 2006)
Graduate Student Researcher (resident)
Museum of Paleontology, (2oo4- present)
Curatorial Volunteer, Mammalogy
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, spring 2008
Fieldwork, Kenya, Spring 2008
Development of tragelaphine antelopes; photography in Tsavo National Park, Saiwa Swamp
National Park, Hells Gate National Park, Lake Bogoria National Park, and Laikipia plateau.
Fieldwork, Purgatoire River, CO, August 2005
Jurassic sauropod trackways of the Purgatoire River, CO
Paleontology Intern, Petrified Forest National Park, Petrified Forest, AZ
May - August 2005
Prospecting, excavation and preparation of Late Triassic terrestrial archosaurs, contributing to
the Park's paleontological resource inventory. Also relocating and documenting historic sites
and expanding online educational resources in vertebrate paleontology.
Supervisor: William Parker, Park Paleontologist
Research Assistant, Boston College, Department of Biology, Chestnut Hill, MA
September 2003 - August 2004
Vertebrate paleontology: Sauropod dinosaur trackways and body mass distributions.
Adviser: David Krauss, PhD
Research Technician, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
June 2002 - August 2004
Basic and clinical cancer research: molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis, paclitaxel
resistance, and serological biomarkers in ovarian cancer.
Adviser: Michael Seiden, MD, PhD
Research Assistant, South Bend Center for Medical Education, South Bend, IN
January - December 2001
Comparative cardiovascular physiology: transvascular filtration rates and hemodynamics of the
rainbow trout, focusing on in vivo heart and vascular surgery.
Adviser: Kenneth Olson, PhD
Undergrad Researcher, Univ. of Notre Dame Environmental Research Ctr, Land O' Lakes, WI
January - December 2000
Aquatic biology and lake ecology: Species-specific predation by fish on Orconectes crayfishes in
varying substrates. [link]
Adviser: David Lodge, PhD
Teaching Experience
Graduate Student Instructor, University of California, Berkeley
IB131L: Human Anatomy Lab - Fall 2004, 2005, 2007, Summer 2007
IB132L: Mammalian Physiology Lab - Spring 2005
Course Coordinator, University of California, Berkeley
Shortcourse
in geometric morphometrics, Summer 2006, 2007, 2008
IB290: Technical writing for graduate students, Spring 2008
IB290: Vertebrate skeletal morphology seminar co-organizer, Fall 2007
Faculty
Chalk Talk series, Fall 2007
IB263: Seminar in
Paleontology, Fall 2006
Undergraduate Research Assistant Supervisor, University of California, Berkeley
Kim Khuc, Fall 2007 - present
Development of cranial sexual dimorphism in western springbok: A 2D geometric
morphometric study
Noah Berger, Spring 2008 - present
Paleobiological study of sauropods from a Jurassic track site in Colorado
Carly Tribull, Spring 2008 - present
Illustration of tragelaphine antelope skulls.
Science Fair Mentor, Winter 2002-03
Mass.
General Hospital/Howard Hughes Medical Institute/Timilty Middle School partnership
Tutor, University of Notre Dame
Art Tradiations II, Spring 2002
Calculus I, Academic year 1999-2000
Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, University of Notre Dame
General Biology I, Fall 1999
Other Academic Activities
· California Academy of Science Committee on History and Philosophy of Science, 2005-present
· Objectivist Club of Berkeley, co-founder and officer, 2005-present
· Lawrence Hall of Science 3rd-4th grade book development project, consultant, Fall 2006
· Graduate Assembly Departmental Delegate, Academic year 2005-2006