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Vasiliki Gkretsi, PhD

Program: Cellular and Molecular Pathology
Graduated: 10/2006
Mentor: Dr.Chuanyue (Cary) Wu
Thesis:
The Role of Integrin-Proximal Complexes In Cancer Cell Behavior and Normal Liver Function

Previous Institutions Attended:
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, BS in Biology

I am currently a post-doctoral research fellow at the Alexander Fleming Biomedical Sciences Research Center.

Publications while a graduate student at Pitt:

Gkretsi V, Zhang Y, Tu Y, Chen K, Stolz DB, Yang Y, Watkins SC, Wu C.Physical and functional association of migfilin with cell-cell adhesions.
J Cell Sci. 2005 Feb 15;118(Pt 4):697-710

Sepulveda JL, Gkretsi V, Wu C.Assembly and signaling of adhesion complexes. Curr Top Dev Biol. 2005;68:183-225. Review.

Zhang Y, Tu Y, Gkretsi V, Wu C.Migfilin interacts with vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) and regulates VASP localization to cell-matrix adhesions and migration. J Biol Chem. 2006 May 5;281(18):12397-407.

Gkretsi V., Mars WM., Bowen WC., Barua L., Yu Y., Guo L., St.-Arnaud R., Dedhar S., Wu C., Michalopoulos G. Elimination of Integrin-Linked Kinase from mouse hepatocytes in vitro and in vivo leads to increased apoptosis and hepatitis. Hepatology (accepted).

What did you enjoy most about your research experiences and graduate studies here at Pitt?
It is hard to summarize all the things I liked about research and graduate studies at Pitt but I can briefly say that I especially liked:
1) the research environment
2) the fruitful and enjoyable collaborations between different labs
3) all the excellent opportunities offered for training (i.e. seminars, journal clubs, grant writing opportunities, department seminars, research presentations by students and faculty..)

What were some of the most positive and surprising things about living in Pittsburgh? What did you expect of the city how was it different from your expectations?
Pittsburgh was a pleasant surprise in many ways. It is a beautiful quiet city with many different neighborhoods and a lot of diversity. I honestly think that it is a good choice and most likely suitable for everyone. I personally found the University campus impressive, pleasant and a really nice place to live and study, the city in general has many attractions, parks and things to do and the people are very friendly and nice wherever you go. Living in Pittsburgh was one of the best experiences of my life. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

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