Tulane Cancer Center

Biographical Narrative:
Dr. Beckman received her B.S. from Tulane University in 1968.  She completed her doctorate in pharmacology from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1978.  Her postdoctoral fellowship was completed under the direction of Dr. James Fisher in the area of erythropoietin signal transduction mechanisms.  In 1980 Dr. Beckman became a faculty member in the Department of Pharmacology, initially as a Research Assistant Professor, ultimately rising to the rank of tenured Professor in 1994.  Dr. Beckman has served as Co-Director and Director of the Molecular and Cellular Biology Interdisciplinary Graduate Program and has served as reviewer for the American Heart Association, NIH AIDS and related Research Study Section, Endocrinology Study Section and USAMRMC Breast Cancer Research Program.   She is currently Adjunct Professor in Otolaryngology as well as Physiology.  Dr. Beckman is a member of the American Association for Cancer Research as well as the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.  She has served as a member and Chair of the ASPET Graduate Recruitment and Education Committee. She was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2005. Dr. Beckman’s primary research interests focus on understanding molecular and biochemical mechanisms of chemoresistance in breast cancer as well as hypoxia-regulated gene expression related to erythropoietin and to angiogenesis.

Selected Publications:

• Scandurro AB, Beckman BS. Common proteins bind mRNAs encoding erythropoietin, tyrosine hydroxylase and vascular endothelial growth factor. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 246: 436- 440 (1998)
• Burow ME, Weldon CB, Tang Y, Navar GL, Krajewski S, Reed JC, Hammond TG,/a>, Clejan S, Beckman BS. Differences in susceptibility to tumor necrosis factor-induced apoptosis among MCF-7 breast cancer cell variants. Cancer Res 58: 4940-4946 (1998)
• Burow ME, Weldon CB, Chiang T-C, Tang Y, Collins-Burow BM, Rolfe K, Li S, McLachlan JA, Beckman BS. Differences in protein kinase C and estrogen receptor alpha, beta expression and signaling correlate with apoptotic sensitivity of MCF-7 breast cancer cell variants. Int J Oncol 16: 1179-1187 (2000)
• Burow ME, Weldon CB, Melnik LI, Duong BN, Collins-Burow BM, Beckman BS, McLachlan JA. PI3/K/AKT regulation of NF-6B signaling events in suppression of TNF-induced apoptosis. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 271: 342-345 (2000)
• Burow ME, Weldon CB, Collins-Burow BM, Ramsey N, McKee A, Klippel A, McLachlan JA, Clejan S, Beckman BS. Cross-talk between phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and sphingomyelinase pathways as a mechanism for cell survival/death decisions. J Biol Chem 275: 9628-9635 (2000)
• Williams CC, Allison JG, Vidal GA, Burow ME, Beckman BS, Marrero L, Jones FE. The ERBB4/HER4 receptor tyrosine kinase regulates gene expression by functioning as a STAT5A nuclear chaperone. J Cell Biol.167:469-478, 2004.
• Struckhoff AP, Bittman R, Burow ME, Clejan S, Elliott S, Hammond T, Tang Y, Beckman BS. Novel ceramide analogs as potential chemotherapeutic agents in breast cancer.J Pharmacol Exp Ther 309:523-532, 2004
• Weldon CB, McKee A, Collins-Burow BM, Melnik LI, Scandurro AB, McLachlan JA, Burow ME, Beckman BS.  PKC—mediated survival signaling in breast carcinoma cells: a role for MEK1-AP1 Signaling. Int J Oncol 26:763-768, 2005.