What years did you participate in UROP?

2001-2004

What UROP Program(s) were you a part of?

Traditional UROP, Peer Advisor/Peer Facilitator, and

Biomedical & Life Science Summer Fellowship

What made you choose UROP?

Being able to find the questions that aren't at the end of the book

What do you think you have learned from your UROP experience?

I learned to always ask questions and push the envelope of what we know.

What is the extent to which you have kept in contact with your Research Mentor?

Dr. Laurie McCauley, who is now the Dean of the School of Dentistry, is still my mentor. We are in regular communication. I owe my career choice to her!

How did your UROP experience shape or inform the next steps you took in your academic and professional journey?

It helped me to realize that a career in research was right for me!

Where are you in your professional journey?

Assistant Professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in the Department of Oral and Craniofacial Sciences

What advice would you give to a current UROP student?

Get involved! Dive in! And ask a lot of questions!

What are some recent publications or accomplishments that you are proud of?

Papers from my work when I was in UROP:

1. Janice E Berry, Erin L Ealba, Glenda J Pettway, Nabanita S Datta, Erica C Swanson, Martha J Somerman, and Laurie K McCauley. JunB as a Downstream Mediator of PTHrP Actions in Cementoblasts. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 21(2):246-57. 2006 PMID:16418780.
2. Allan D. Padbury, Jr., Tolga F. Tozum, Mario Taba, Jr., Erin L. Ealba, Brady T. West, Richard E. Burney, Paul G. Gauger, William V. Giannobile, and Laurie K. McCauley. The Impact of Primary Hyperparathyroidism on the Oral Cavity. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 91(9):3439-45. 2006 PMID: 16822829

The paper I am most proud of:
Ealba, E. L., A. H. Jheon, J. Hall, C. Curantz, K. Butcher, and R. A. Schneider. Neural crest-mediated bone resorption is a determinant of species-specific jaw length. Developmental Biology 408:151-163. 2015 PMID: 26449912