Debra Mackenzie

Biography

MacKenzie received her BS in biology from New Mexico State University in 1983 and her PhD in immunology and virology from the University of New Mexico in 1990. 

Research Interest

MacKenzie’s research interests center around understanding mechanisms of immune regulation and suppression. She is also an experienced molecular biologist and has studied the actions of the androgen receptor in prostate cancer as a target for prostate carcinogenesis and therapy for advanced disease. She is a researcher on a recent patent describing novel approaches for chemotherapy of cancer. MacKenzie is an investigator on the Navajo Birth Cohort Study on the effects of mixed metal exposure, including arsenic and uranium, on birth outcomes and child development on the Navajo Nation. And she is co-PI on a research project supporting the Center for Native American Environmental Health Equity, investigating the associations of metals exposure with immune dysregulation and development of biomarkers of autoimmunity within the Navajo, Crow and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes.