Mercedes Rincon, Ph.D.

Multidrug resistance, which is associated with the lack of response to a variety of drugs, is believed to be the major cause of chemotherapy failure in breast cancer. To ensure more successful treatments for patients, researcher Mercedes Rincon, Ph.D., and colleagues are looking at the biology and function of methylation-controlled J protein (MCJ), which, when absent, can cause resistance to chemotherapy in breast cancer cells. Understanding more about this protein will aid clinicians in predetermining a patient's response to different types of chemotherapy and help them make better decisions about treatment courses.

Berta Geller, Ed.D.

Pioneering public health scientist Berta Geller, Ed.D., led the establishment of the first and only statewide mammography registry in the nation. Within two short years, the Vermont Mammography Registry expanded in 1995 to become the Vermont Breast Cancer Surveillance System, and is one of only five mammography registries and two affiliated sites that make up the national Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium. This National Cancer Institute-associated collaborative network links pathology and/or tumor registries and researchers who evaluate the performance of screening mammography in community practice in the United States. Geller is currently conducting an American Cancer Society-funded project aimed at helping radiologists who read mammograms improve their skills, and collaborating with scientists at the National Cancer Institute and the Vermont Cancer Center to examine the link between breast tissue density and breast cancer risk. Her most recent grant from the National Cancer Institute is the Cancer Survivor Community Study in which researchers and cancer survivors are working together.