Kim Ellison

Biography

Faculty Service Officer (Teaching Professional), Dept. of Medical Microbiology & Immunology

Research Interest

I have a broad research background that encompasses biochemistry, toxicology, virology, microbiology and molecular biology. After obtaining my B.Sc. in biochemistry, my graduate work entailed studying how chemical carcinogens modify DNA and cause mutations in mammalian cells. My postdoctoral work and subsequent career as a research associate was conducted in several laboratories, largely in the field of virology, but with a common theme of how “insults” to mammalian cells such as viral infection or DNA damage can compromise or usurp various pathways of nucleic acid metabolism. In my current position I teach a number of MMI courses to third and fourth year undergraduates, primarily laboratory courses in molecular biology (MMI 391), bacteriology (MMI 352) and parasitology (MMI 426). I have two main goals as a teaching professional. First, I aim to be a link between the research labs and the teaching program of our department. I work with the principal investigators to design and update the experiments in our laboratory courses to reflect new scientific developments, so that our undergraduate students are exposed to current interests and innovations that are prevalent in research labs today. Secondly, I strive to bring modern and effective teaching methods to the classroom. I am a strong proponent of student engagement and participation, and I emphasize conceptual understanding which I believe is the key to long-term retention and provides the tools for independent learning.