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Student
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E. Kream
Meet Dr. Barbara E. Kream...
 Department
of Medicine
Director of M.D./Ph.D. Program
I was born in New York, New York, and attended
public school in Glen Cove, which is just outside the city. I
entered Mount Holyoke College suspecting that I might major in
science. This was solidified when I took a freshman chemistry
course – it was so well taught and exciting that I decided to
major in chemistry.
During my undergraduate years, I felt certain I
wanted to obtain a Ph.D. and become a chemistry professor at a
small college. But my goals changed along the way. I did
research and laboratory work during my summers and completed an
honors research thesis during my senior year on the effects of
neutral chloride salts on the intermolecular spacing of
collagen.
After leaving Mount Holyoke, I entered graduate
school at Yale University and received a Ph.D. in molecular
biophysics and biochemistry. My Ph.D. thesis was an examination
of the subcellular localization and biochemistry of
steroidogenic enzymes in the rat adrenal. Because of my interest
in biochemistry and molecular endocrinology, I became a
postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin in Madison
where I discovered intracellular receptors for vitamin D in
bone.
“I enjoy teaching and working
with students – they are bright, motivated and
energetic.”
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I continued my postdoctoral work with Dr.
Lawrence Raisz in the Department of Medicine at the UConn Health
Center and began studying the regulation of collagen expression
in bone. I obtained a faculty appointment and rose through the
ranks to become Professor of Medicine and Genetics and
Development Biology. My major research focus continues to be the
hormonal regulation of bone formation and I have developed
transgenic mouse models for in vivo studies of bone
biology. I am also fortunate to work with a wonderful group of
colleagues affectionately known as the “bone group.”
A major facet of my career has involved student
training and mentoring. I have been a long-standing member of
the Biomedical Science and Dental Science Graduate Faculty. I
have taught in the medical, dental and graduate school curricula
and I have been an advisor and research mentor to many graduate
students, medical students and postdoctoral fellows. I enjoy
teaching and working with students – they are bright, motivated
and energetic. It is a pleasure to see them achieve their goals.
My hobbies are cooking and running and I have
completed both the Boston and New York City marathons. |
