معرفی
Kathryn J. Leyva, Ph.D., is the Chair of the Microbiology & Immunology Department at Midwestern University, holding concurrent professorships across multiple colleges including the Arizona College of Podiatric Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, and College of Pharmacy. She has held academic positions since 1999, progressing from Assistant Professor (1999–2004) to Associate Professor (2004–2011), then Professor (2011–present), and finally Department Chair since 2018. Dr. Leyva’s research focuses on three core areas: miRNA in cancer progression, epigenetic regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and progranulin-lysosomal dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases. Her work integrates molecular, cellular, and clinical approaches, with notable contributions to understanding HDAC inhibitors, cancer metastasis, and zebrafish models of wound healing. She leads a grant-funded project exploring progranulin and lysosomal pH in neurodegenerative diseases (2022–2023). Dr. Leyva teaches courses in immunology and microbiology at Midwestern University, emphasizing translational research and medical education.
Education: Ph.D. in Microbiology (Northern Arizona University, 1996), M.S. (University of Oregon, 1992), and B.S. (University of Oregon, 1990). Non-academic experience includes an ecology internship at The Nature Conservancy (1991).
Research highlights include establishing a clinic-based biorepository, examining miRNA roles in EMT-driven oncogenesis, and investigating progranulin’s role in cellular subtypes. Her publications span biomolecules, molecular oncology, and cell biology, with a focus on translational cancer and neurodegenerative disease mechanisms.
Teaching responsibilities span immunology and microbiology across podiatric, veterinary, and pharmacy programs. She mentors students through research electives and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams on grant-funded projects.
Labs/Teams: Her research lab focuses on epigenetic regulation and cellular subtypes, leveraging zebrafish models and patient-derived tissues. Collaborations include multi-institutional studies on cancer biology and immunology.