Carrie Blanchette
Hi,
I’m Carrie Blanchette and I joined the UPG in 1998. A native Minnesotan, I attended the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus and received a B.S. in Genetics and Cell Biology in 1994. After graduation, I knew that I wanted to further my education someday, but I didn’t know when or in what capacity. So, I got a job. I worked for Dr. Jim Weber at the Center for Medical Genetics, in Marshfield, Wisconsin. This lab does high-throughput genotyping of human DNA samples received from researchers all over the country and I was fortunate to be there during a time of tremendous growth and innovation. I really enjoyed working with engineers and computer scientists, as well as biologists like myself. However, there was a downside, in that I was never able to see the fruits of our labor because our lab only did genotyping and not the data analysis that follows. So, I decided it was time to go to grad school.
I interviewed at four schools and decided on Duke for many reasons. I liked the flexibility of the program in terms of both choosing a lab and choosing a degree track, the strength of the biomedical research performed at Duke in general, and the close affiliation with the Medical Center. (The 70-degree weather during the February weekend that I interviewed, after flying down from frigid Wisconsin, didn’t hurt either!) I am now in the lab of Dr. Jeffrey Marks, in the Department of Surgery, doing breast cancer research. Specifically, I am interested in a mitotic serine-threonine kinase that is associated with the centrosome and has been implicated in the centrosome defects often seen in breast tumors.
Duke also offers opportunities beyond the lab bench, whether you prefer the craziness of Cameron Indoor Stadium or the serene tranquility of Duke Gardens. The Triangle offers great restaurants, shopping, and affordable housing. And, if you don’t mind a short commute, you can build a house in the country with a huge yard, like my husband Chad and I did. We share the house with two cats, one golden lab, and our energetic three-year-old daughter, who is modeling my sunglasses on a recent trip to Disney World in the picture above.
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