Dr. Christman to step down as department chair

Judith Christman, Ph.D.

After 15 years as professor and chairwoman of the UNMC Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Judith Christman, Ph.D., will step down to devote more time to her research and mentoring graduate students.

Surinder Batra, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, has been named the new department chairman. His appointment is effective Sept. 1.

Dr. Christman’s career timeline 1974-1987 — Served on the biochemistry faculty at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, City University of New York, and reached status of professor. 1988 — Named director of the molecular biology program at the Michigan Cancer Foundation and professor in the cancer biology graduate program at Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit. 1994 — Named professor and chairwoman of the UNMC biochemistry and molecular biology department.

Dr. Christman, who holds the Stokes-Shackleford Professorship, is the only female basic science department chair in the history of the College of Medicine. She was hired in 1994 by UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., when he was dean of the College of Medicine.

“Judith has done a tremendous job of building the department,” said John Gollan, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the College of Medicine. “Her accomplishments speak for themselves. I can’t thank her enough for her devotion and hard work. The department has truly made impressive strides under her leadership.”

Under the direction of Dr. Christman, the department realized a number of significant gains. These included:

• Increasing the number of faculty members from eight to 20;
  
• Increasing annual research funding from less than $14,000 per year in 1993 to more than $3.5 million per year today; and
  
• Graduating 67 Ph.D.s in biochemistry during the past 15 years with most of the graduates going into careers in research and/or education.

An active researcher, she was a pioneer in studying the effects of DNA methylation on the differentiation of cancer cells.

She currently investigates the role of changes in DNA methylation of specific genes in the development of breast cancer and lymphoma with the goal of developing better prognostic markers for these diseases.

Dr. Christman’s studies are currently supported by more than $2.3 million in extramural research funding.

Since coming to Omaha in 1994, she has brought in more than $4.4 million in research grants. Her funding sources have included:

• The National Institutes of Health (NIH);
  
• U.S. Army Breast Cancer Program;
  
• National Science Foundation EPSCoR RII;
  
• Lymphoma Research Foundation;
  
• American Cancer Society;
  
• American Institute for Cancer Research; and
  
• The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

One of Dr. Christman’s priorities has been to build a solid infrastructure for research for the department, she said. Within her first two years at UNMC, she established a highly successful core facility for confocal microscopy.

More about Dr. Christman Graduated summa cum laude from New York University for her bachelor’s degree; Is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the honor society for undergraduate students; Earned her Ph.D. in biochemistry from Columbia University; Has two patents as a result of her research; Served as a senior investigator for the New York Heart Association; Co-founded two research organizations — Women in Cancer Research and the DNA Methylation Society; Serves as chairperson for a grant review committee as well as a member of the program committee for the American Institute for Cancer Research; Frequently serves as an ad hoc reviewer for NIH; Holds a position on the board of directors for the Association of Medical and Graduate Departments of Biochemistry; Trained 20 graduate students and 13 postdoctoral fellows; and Published in more than 100 scientific journals and been an invited speaker at more than 60 symposia.

This confocal microscopy core facility is now available to all researchers and is partially supported by NRI funding. In 2006, she obtained an NIH grant for $400,000 to purchase a new confocal microscope. She recently sent in an application to the NIH for another grant that would provide $500,000 to help purchase an even more advanced confocal microscope that is sorely needed to help support the work of the many UNMC scientists whose NIH funded research relies on the instrument.

“While I have greatly enjoyed my tenure as chair, I find I have less and less time to achieve my research goals,” Dr. Christman said. “I have three new graduate students who should have more access to mentoring than I can give them now.

Dr. Christman also wants to establish an epigenomics core facility at UNMC. Epigenomics is the study of modifications of bases in DNA itself or in the histones that package DNA into chromatin.

These changes do not alter the DNA sequence but nevertheless affect gene expression in a tissue specific manner. These changes play an important role in normal development, while alterations in these established patterns can lead to development of cancer and other diseases.

“I believe that development of a core facility for epigenomic studies is critical for research success at UNMC,” she said. “I want to invest a reasonable part of my time and effort in assuring that this critical core facility becomes as successful as the Confocal Microscopy Core.”