Donald S. Coffey, Ph.D.
Professor, Dept. of Urology
Johns Hopkins Univ. School of Medicine
Baltimore, MD
Donald S. Coffey is a Professor of Urology, Oncology, Pathology and Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where he is also Director of the Research Laboratories in the Department of Urology. A prominent Urological scientist, Dr. Coffey was appointed as The Catherine Iola and J. Smith Michael Distinguished Professor of Urology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Coffey is also a member of the Principal Professional Staff at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Dr. Coffey received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1964. He is Past-President of the American Association for Cancer Research and also The Society for Basic Urologic Research. For 19 years Dr. Coffey served as a member of the National Prostatic Cancer Program of the National Cancer Institute and served as National chairperson from 1984-1988. He has received the Robert Edwards Award from The Tenovus Institute, both the Fuller Award and Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Urological Association, the Society of International Urology-Yamanouchi Research Award, and a 2001 American Cancer Society Distinguished Service Award. He is an Honorary Member of the AOA. Dr. Coffey is also the recipient of two Merit Awards from the National Institutes of Health. He has published more than 250 research publications.
Carrie W. Rinker-Schaeffer, Ph.D.
Research Associate Professor & Director of Urology
Univ. of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Carrie Rinker-Schaeffer is Director of Urologic Research and a tenured Associate Professor of Surgery/Urology, Medicine, and Obstetrics and Gynecology at The University of Chicago. Her passion for metastasis research began when she made a link between translational regulation of protein synthesis and acquisition of metastatic ability during her graduate work in biochemistry at The University of Kentucky. Upon completion of her Ph.D. in 1992, she joined the laboratory of Dr. John Isaacs at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. As a SPORE Postdoctoral Fellow, she worked on the identification of prostate cancer metastasis suppressor genes. In 1994 she joined the faculty of the University of Chicago. Dr. Rinker-Schaeffer and her colleagues subsequently identified a novel function for the JNKK1/MKK4 stress-activated kinase as a metastasis suppressor in both prostate and ovarian cancers. They also identified a novel role for metastasis suppressor proteins in the regulation of metastatic colonization. Her laboratory's work now focuses on the identification of signaling mechanisms that regulate growth control of disseminated cancer cells at secondary sites.
Known for her energy and enthusiasm, Dr. Rinker-Schaeffer has established a reputation as a strong supporter and proponent of students and junior faculty, including many women who continue to succeed in science. Her door is always open and over the past 12 years her laboratory has been home to more than 60 trainees including college, medical, and graduate students; postdoctoral fellows; residents; and visiting scholars. As an active member of the University Community, Dr. Rinker-Schaeffer serves on a number of its Committees including Faculty Awards, IACUC, and the Metastasis Working Group of The University of Chicago Cancer Center (Chair). She has served on organizing committees for local, national, and international meetings focusing on prostate cancer and/or metastasis. She has been both a permanent and ad hoc member of NIH and other study sections including the DOD Breast and Prostate Cancer Initiatives, and is a member of Editorial Boards including The Prostate and Clinical and Experimental Metastasis, and an Associate Editor for Cancer Research. Dr. Rinker-Schaeffer is a member of AACR and is past-Chairperson of the AACR Women in Cancer Research Council.