Stephanie S. Watowich

Biography

Dr. Stephanie Watowich is a Professor in the Department of Immunology and the Co-Director of the Center for Inflammation and Cancer at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Through work in her lab she seeks to understand how innate immune cells are generated and their role in regulating the immune response to cancer or extracellular pathogens. She received her PhD from Northwestern University and postdoctoral training in the lab of Harvey Lodish at the Whitehead Institute, giving her a broad scientific background in cellular and molecular biology as well as expertise in blood and immune cell development. She has conducted studies on transcriptional regulation, cytokine receptor structure/function, cytokine signaling and hematopoiesis for over two decades. Her lab has defined roles for STATs in erythropoiesis, granulopoiesis, and dendritic cell (DC) generation, including in-depth studies of STAT function in vivo and identification of STAT target genes that regulate blood cell growth and differentiation. The lab is currently focused on determining the potential role of STATs in the regulation of hematopoietic stem cells and myeloid/DC lineage differentiation. Dr. Watowich has received numerous awards for her efforts in mentoring and teaching including the John P. McGovern Outstanding Teacher Award and the William Randolph Hearst Foundation Faculty Achievement Award in Education. She has directed numerous cross-disciplinary research teams funded by grants and by the pharmaceutical companies and has an extensive publication record spanning three decades.

Research Interest

Hematopoiesis, dendritic cells, innate immunity, STAT transcription factors. Our long term interest centers on the molecular regulation of innate immunity by cytokines and transcription factors, with a specific focus on the activity of cytokine-responsive STAT transcriptional regulators. Using genetically engineered mouse models and molecular approaches, my lab has delineated roles for STATs in erythropoiesis, emergency granulopoiesis and dendritic cell development. Our current efforts are directed at understanding the mechanisms by which STATs regulate myeloid and dendritic cell function in cancer and infectious disease. We are also investigating the impact of STATs on hematopoietic regulation during inflammation.