Bio
Kara Bernstein received her Ph.D. in 2006 from Yale University studying cell cycle regulation of ribosome biogenesis with Dr. Susan Baserga. She subsequently did her post-doctorate research in National Academy of Science member Dr. Rodney Rothstein's laboratory at Columbia University where she studied DNA double-strand break repair. She currently uses the yeast S. cerevisiae and human cell lines to understand the molecular mechanism of DNA double-strand break repair and tumorigenesis.
Education and Employment: |
Year |
B.A. Bryn Mawr College, Magna Cum Laude |
1996 - 2000 |
Ph.D. Yale University (with Dr. Susan Baserga) |
2000 - 2006 |
Post-doctorate Research Scientist (with Dr. Rodney Rothstein) Columbia University Department of Genetics and Development |
2006 - 2009 |
Associate Research Scientist Columbia University Department of Genetics and Development |
2009 - 2011 |
Assistant Professor University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics |
2011-2017 |
Associate Professor (with tenure) University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics |
2017 - 2020 |
Associate Professor (secondary appointment) University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health Department of Environment and Occupational Health |
2019 - 2022 |
Associate Professor (primary appointment) University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology |
2020 - 2022 |
Associate Professor (secondary appointment) University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics |
2020 - 2022 |
Professor University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics |
2022 - current |
Present Funding |
Year |
R01-ES030335 Replication fork dynamics and repair by Rad51 paralogues after DNA alkylation Role: PI Direct costs: $1,125,000 |
9/1/19 - 5/31/24 |
R01-ES031796 RAD51 paralog function in cancer predisposition and genome integrity Role: PI Direct costs: $1,425,380 |
4/1/21 - 3/31/26 |
BC201356 Molecular targeting of homologous recombination-deficient breast cancer Role: PI Direct costs: $1,000,000 |
7/1/21 - 6/30/24 |
Past Funding |
Year |
F31 GM67564 Pre-doctoral fellowship from the National Institutes of Health Cell cycle regulation of the SSU processome Role: PI Direct costs: $136,304 |
9/16/02 - 5/31/06 |
F32 GM078840 Post-doctoral fellowship from the National Institutes of Health Role of Sgs1, yeast Werner/Bloom homolog, in DNA repair Role: PI Direct costs: $89,972 |
12/1/06 - 7/30/09 |
K99/R00 GM088413 Pathway to Independence Award from the National Institutes of Health Mechanistic insights into the Shu complex and Sgs1 in DNA repair and replication Role: PI Direct costs: K99 $166,666 and R00 $527,063 |
8/1/09 - 6/30/15 |
The Ellison Foundation New Scholar in Aging Award Using live cell imaging to uncover how misrepair of double-strand breaks contributes to aging Role: PI Direct costs: $368,000 |
7/1/12 - 6/30/16 |
V Scholar Award Uncovering how mutations in the RAD51 paralogues contribute to cancer predisposition and response to therapy Role: PI Direct costs: $200,000 |
10/1/14 - 9/30/16 |
Stand Up to Cancer Innovation Grant Uncovering how RAD51 paralog mutations contribute to cancer predisposition Role: PI Direct costs: $681,818 |
10/1/16 - 3/30/20 |
American Cancer Society Research Scholar Award Role of the Shu complex mediated protein interactions in genome maintenance Role: PI Direct costs: $660,000 |
7/1/16 - 6/30/20 |
R01-CA218112 Mechanisms of genome instability induced by APOBEC cytidine deaminases and their impact during cancer development Role: co-I (Roberts) Direct costs: $80,000 |
9/30/18-9/29/20 |
R01-ES030335-02S1 Replication fork dynamics and repair by Rad51 paralogues after DNA alkylation Role: PI Direct costs: $150,849 |
3/8/21 - 4/1/22 |
Awards/Honors |
Year |
K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award from NIGMS |
2009 |
PNC, UPCI Director Distinguished Scholar Award for New Investigators |
2011 |
New Scholar in Aging Award from the Ellison Foundation |
2012 |
Paper Honor: Bernstein, K.A. (2013) Genetics, 195(4):1241-1352. Issue highlight |
2013 |
Paper Honor: Karpenshif, Y., and Bernstein, K.A. (2012) DNA Repair 11(10):781-788. Top 5 most downloaded DNA Repair articles |
2013 |
V Foundation Award from The V Foundation for Cancer Research |
2014 |
Outstanding New Environmental Scientist Award from NIEHS |
2015 |
Paper Honor: Godin et al (2015) Genetics, 199(4): 1023-1033. *Featured on the Saccharomyces Genome Database (SGD) website as their top news story *Issue highlight |
2015 |
UPCI Junior Scholar Award |
2015 |
Paper Honor: Gaines*, Godin* et al (2015) Nature Communications, 28(6): 7834. *Interviewed for Pittsburgh's National Public Radio Affiliate WESA *Featured on Futurity *GEN News Highlights |
2015 |
Co-Chair of DNA Damage and Repair: Atom to Animal Session of the Environmental Mutagenesis Society Annual Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana |
2015 |
American Cancer Society Research Scholar Award |
2016 |
Stand Up to Cancer Innovative Research Grant Award |
2016 |
Panelist for American Association for Cancer Research-sponsored Congressional Briefing, Washington, DC |
2016 |
Paper Honor: McClendon, T.B., Sullivan, M.R., Bernstein, K.A.* and Yanowitz, J.L.* (2016) Genetics, 203(1): 133-145. *Co-corresponding *Featured as a Genetics Primer [Turcotte et al CRISPR Technology Reveals RAD(51)- ical Mechanisms of Repair in Roundworms (2016) Genetics 204: 883-891] |
2016 |
Chancellors Distinguished Research Honors Award |
2017 |
Paper Honor: Kondrashova, O., et al (2017) Cancer Discovery 7(9): 984-998, *Featured on Cover |
2017 |
Faculty/Staff Spotlight Award from Chancellor Gallagher |
2017 |
Featured in a story on "Meet Three Women Breaking New Ground in Research" in the Media Planet supplement to USA TODAY on Education and Career News |
2017 |
Emerging Female Scientist Award from the Carnegie Science Center *Featured on NPC WPXI "Our Region's Business" |
2018 |
"Trailblazer" Honoree at the Ladies Hospital Aid Society Annual Gala |
2018 |
Hillman Career Acceleration Fellow for Innovative Cancer Research |
2021 |
Talks |
Year |
Ribosome Synthesis Meeting, Arlington, VA |
2006 |
Rockefeller University Yeast Club, NY, NY |
2008 |
New York Academy of Sciences Genome Integrity Meeting, NY, NY |
2009 |
Panelist for NIH Career Development Workshop, Columbia University, NY, NY |
2010 |
University of Pittsburgh, Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA |
2010 |
Cleveland Clinic, Cancer Biology, Cleveland, OH |
2010 |
Yale University, Therapeutic Radiology, New Haven, CT |
2010 |
International Yeast Meeting, Vancouver, Canada |
2010 |
Brooklyn College, Department of Biology, Brooklyn, NY |
2010 |
Responses to DNA damage: from molecular mechanisms to human disease conference, Egmond aan Zee, The Netherlands |
2011 |
Senior Vice Chancellor's Research Series "12@12" University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine |
2012 |
University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada |
2012 |
University of South Florida, Tampa, FL |
2013 |
DNA repair research interest group, NIEHS |
2013 |
Yale University, Molecular Biochemistry and Biophysics, New Haven, CT |
2014 |
Panelist for Teaching and Academic Research Panel, Yale University, New Haven, CT |
2014 |
National Institute for Medical Research, London, England |
2014 |
DNA Replication as a Source of DNA Damage Conference, El Jadida, Morroco |
2014 |
University of Texas at Austin, Molecular Biosciences, Austin, TX |
2015 |
Northwestern School of Medicine, Pathology, Chicago, IL |
2015 |
FASEB Genetic Recombination & Genome Rearrangements Conference, Steamboat, CO |
2015 |
Zing Genomic Integrity Conference, Cairns, Australia |
2015 |
Columbia University 30th Genetics Department Retreat, NY, NY |
2015 |
Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomic Society Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA |
2015 |
Wright State University, Dayton, OH |
2015 |
Dynamic DNA and RNA Structures in Damage Responses and Cancer Conference, Cancun, Mexico |
2016 |
Panelist for American Association for Cancer Research-sponsored Congressional Briefing at the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative, Washington, DC |
2016 |
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Meeting, San Diego, CA |
2016 |
Mechanisms of Recombination Meeting, Alicante, Spain |
2016 |
Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zurich, Switzerland |
2016 |
European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands |
2016 |
The Allied Genetics Conference (TCGA), Orlando FL |
2016 |
Keystone Symposia on DNA Replication and Recombination, Santa Fe NM |
2017 |
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelpha, PA |
2017 |
Fusion 2nd DNA Replication as a Source of DNA Damage Conference, Rome, Italy |
2017 |
IFOM- Fondazione Istituto FIRC di Oncologia Molecolare, Milan, Italy |
2017 |
University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI |
2017 |
Panelist for Mock Study Section at the American Society for Cell Biology Annual Meeting, Philadelpha, PA |
2017 |
Penn State University School of Medicine, Hershey, PA |
2018 |
Gordon Research Conference on DNA Damage, Mutation and Cancer, Ventura, CA |
2018 |
Stevenson University, Pikesville, MD |
2018 |
Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO |
2018 |
Outstanding New Environmental Scientist Awardee Symposium, Research Triangle Park, NC |
2018 |
University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada |
2018 |
Biennial Ovarian Cancer Research Symposium, Seattle WA |
2018 |
Gordon Research Conference on Mammalian DNA Repair, Ventura, CA |
2019 |
Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel |
2019 |
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA |
2019 |
Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY |
2019 |
EMBO Conference on the DNA Damage Response in Physiology and Disease, Sounio, Greece |
2019 |
Fusion 4th DNA Repair/Replication Structures and Cancer Conference, Nassau, Bahamas |
2020 |
Columbia University, New York, NY |
2020 |
Abcam Mechanisms of Recombination Meeting, Cambridge, England |
2020 |
EMBO EMBL HHMI Gender Roles and Their Impact in Academia Conference, Virtual |
2020 |
Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society Annual Meeting |
2021 |
Cold Spring Harbor-Asia Conference on DNA Metabolism, Genomic Stability and Human Disease |
2021 |
Gordon Research Conference, DNA Damage, Mutation and Cancer |
2022 |
University of Michigan Human Genetics Post-Doctorate Symposium (Keynote) |
2022 |
Basser Center Annual Symposium |
2022 |
FASEB Genetic Recombination and Genome Rearrangements Conference |
2022 |