I am a post-doc in the Sawyers lab, working to understand the molecular pathways leading to hormone-refractory prostate cancer. My background is in organic synthesis and chemical biology, and as a graduate student in Tom Scanlan's lab at UCSF, I synthesized selective estrogen receptor ligands as tools to selectively target transcriptional signaling pathways. Now, I get to work on the androgen receptor at the interface of chemistry and biology, with the goal of translating the research from the bench into the clinic. The road to MSKCC has been an adventure of many twists and turns, including stops at the University of Houston (BA in Chemistry, 1998; BS in Biophysical & Biochemical Sciences, 1998), University of California San Francisco (MS in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, 2001; PhD in Chemistry & Chemical Biology, 2004), and UCLA (where I began my postdoc with Charles in 2005). I was lucky to spend time learning the tools of the trade in the labs of David Cane (Brown U), Vern Schramm (Albert Einstein) and Harold Kohn (UNC, formerly U of Houston) during my undergrad years. I love the outdoors, especially the beach and the mountains, and while I enjoy visiting my friends and family all over the world, my hometown of Cape Town is still my favorite place. I'm excited to see what New York and MSKCC have to offer!
