Hi, I’m Katie.
I’m a California girl through and through having spent the first 25 years of my life in the San Diego area. I’ve always been an avid learner and book worm. As a kid, I wanted to be the next great American author, but my interests evolved through exposure to the sciences by the Better Education for Women in Science and Engineering (BE WiSE) program and some truly amazing science teachers. In 2011, I earned by Bachelors of Science in Molecular Biology at the University of California San Diego. My coursework there sparked my passion for understanding the genetic basis of cancer.
After graduation, I took on a variety of roles in the San Diego biotech community, increasing my knowledge and skill base to better prepare for graduate school applications. During this time, I was also lucky enough to volunteer with BE WiSE to pass on my passion for STEM to the next generation of young women.
In 2014, I finally began my PhD at the University of Washington in Seattle in the Molecular Medicine and Mechanisms of Disease program. This unique curriculum not only taught me how to be an effective translational scientist, but also insured close contact with physicians, fostering scientists with a focus on patient care. I joined the Rosana Risques lab and my thesis work involved the use of a highly-accurate error-corrected sequencing method, Duplex Sequencing, to understand the role of mitochondrial mutations in ulcerative-colitis associated colorectal sequencing and the early detection of TP53 mutations in high-grade serous ovarian cancer. In addition to my academic pursuits, I volunteered with the Expanding Your Horizons STEM conference for young women and founded and chaired the UW Pathology Graduate Student Association to increase student engagement in the department community. I participated in and then taught the Communicating Science to the Public Effectively course, developing and sharing strong scientific communication skills. I also became a Science Communication Fellow at the Pacific Science Center, learning to discuss my work with patrons of a range of ages and scientific understanding through the creation of a hands-on game. I completed my degree in December of 2018.
After graduation, I became a postdoctoral scholar in the Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research (CEDAR) group at Oregon Health and Science University’s Knight Cancer Institute. My main project focused on circulating tumor DNA dynamics following radiation therapy. I also worked to analyze circular DNA in patient plasma for early detection. I attended the Early Detection Summer School at Cambridge University in July 2019 to better understand the process of developing early detection assays. In addition to my lab duties, I was member of the CEDAR Social Engagement and Diversity Advisory committees, volunteered with the Knight Cancer Institute communications team, and served as a Science Communication Fellow, now at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.
Over the last two years I was an oncology medical science liaison at Natera Inc. representing all three of their diagnostic assays - Empower for hereditary cancer, Altera for therapy selection, and Signatera for molecular residual disease. I also contributed to the development of two early detection products. In addition to my field responsibilities driving test utilization and research collaboration with academic and community health care providers, I streamlined the medical affairs team’s conference coverage protocol, created slides and other materials for new data sets, mentored three new hires, and did an internal internship with the product development department.
When I’m not thinking about science, I like to take advantage of living in the Pacific Northwest by camping, hiking, and taking in its natural beauty. Additionally, I love dancing, live music, and exploring all that Seattle has to offer. You can also find me knitting or reading at home with my cats, Tofu and Tater.