Jamie Jenna Bernard, Ph.D.
Dr. Bernard joined the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at MSU as an assistant professor in 2015 after completing her PhD in Toxicology at the University of Rochester and two postdoctoral fellowships. She was a postdoc at University of California San Diego where she studied skin immunology and at Rutgers where she studied chemoprevention and received a K99/R00 to study the role of fat in tumor formation. At MSU her research focuses on mechanisms of early-stage carcinogenesis, caused by extrinsic risk factors such as diet, obesity and environmental exposures. Her laboratory discovered that dysfunctional visceral adipose tissue releases a growth factor, fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2), which stimulates the malignant transformation of non-tumorigenic, albeit, vulnerable cells. She has just been awarded an R01 from the National Institute of Environmental Health and Science to study how obesity impacts the carcinogenicity of environmental chemicals. She also has a strong interest in drug discovery and her laboratory developed the first transformation high throughput screen (HTS) to identify chemopreventive agents. She is also highly involved in service to the Society of Toxicology and is a member of the American Association for Cancer Research, and the Society of Investigative Dermatology. She currently Directs and teaches the Dermatology intercession in the College of Human Medicine and lectures on cancer biology and chemical carcinogenesis to undergraduates and biomedical graduate students.
John Diedrich, Ph.D.
John Diedrich is a Senior Research Assistant in the Bernard Lab at Michigan State University. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Michigan State University where he majored in Zoology. He continued his education at Wayne State University, obtaining his doctorate in Cancer Biology. His thesis work focused on the role of bone marrow adipocyte-supplied factors (i.e. lipids, adipokines) on signal transduction pathways in metastatic prostate cancer cells, leading to metabolic dysregulation and tumor progression within the bone. Prior to joining the Bernard Lab, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where he studied the impact of cis-regulatory elements on chemotherapeutic response and resistance in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. John’s current research goals are to expand our understanding of obesity-associated cancers by identifying adipose-derived factors and their biological significance in tumorigenesis. He enjoys traveling, camping, fishing, and cheering on MSU sports!.
Blair Bullard
Blair Bullard is a Research Technologist and the manager of the Bernard Lab at Michigan State University. He has a Bachelors of Science in Medical Technology and has over 28 years of professional experience as a scientist. In addition to his managerial duties, Blair specializes in cellular biology and methods development for the lab. In his spare time he enjoys downhill skiing, hiking, and restoring old cars.