Research Biographies

William Ergen

William Ergen Class of 2012
Preceptor: Dr. Mitchell Goldman
UT Medical Center Knoxville Vascular Research

I was attracted to work at UT Medical Center in Knoxville because it
allowed to work with a great mentor, Dr. Mitchell Goldman. I worked in
the Vascular Research Lab, under Dr. Oscar Grandas, Dr. Deidre
Mountain, and Stacey Kirkpatrick. As a student who had had very little
bench research experience, this job allowed me to see the inner
workings of a true lab environment.

My daily routine entailed histochemically staining carotid artery
sections with a primary antibody mixture designed to attach to
proliferating cell nuclear antigens (PCNAs). The goal was to identify
if the cells treated with estrogen and/or estrogen/progesterone were
in a "high proliferating state" post-injury. This high proliferating
state indicates hyperplasia, a pathological state that compromises the
integrity of vascular surgical procedures carried out on
post-menopausal women who receive hormone replacement therapy. It was quite exciting to get some significant experience working with a
microscope and learn basic lab techniques. I had a great time working with the wonderful team at UT-Medical Center in Knoxville.