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Eleanor Rogan, Ph.D. |
NOTE: This profile is part of a series highlighting the 26 researchers who were named UNMC Distinguished Scientists or New Investigators for 2007. Each of these researchers will be profiled in UNMC Today leading up to a March 20 ceremony to recognize their achievements.
- Name: Eleanor Rogan, Ph.D.
- Title: professor in the Eppley Institute; chairwoman in the department of environmental, agricultural and occupational health.
- Joined UNMC: 1973
- Hometown: Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Briefly describe your research in laymen terms, please.
We investigate how estrogens initiate cancer by damaging DNA, identifying people at high risk for cancer and studying how to prevent cancer from starting.
What led you to pursue this area of research?
I wanted to contribute to cancer research and I have followed our discoveries down this successful path.
How do you see your research contributing to science?
I think we will develop clinically useful bioassays to identify people at risk for cancer and identify natural compounds that prevent cancer. We also may identify a new mechanism of disease initiation.
Why did you become a scientist?
I thought the biomedical sciences were interesting and intellectually challenging and I hoped to make people’s lives better by reducing the number of people who suffer from cancer.
What is your hope for the next generation of scientists?
My hope is that they are able to pursue their scientific ideas and dreams and not be enslaved by the peer-review system of funding.
Beyond grant funding, how do you measure success?
Success for me is carrying out research studies that give clear-cut results and lead me to the next breakthrough in understanding how cancer begins.
What would you tell a student interested in a research career?
I would tell the student that a research career provides many joys and satisfactions, and it requires a passion for discovery and lots of courage and fortitude.
Do you have a hero/role model? If so, what do you admire most about them?
My role model is Anna Jane Harrison, Ph.D., who chaired the department of chemistry when I was a student at Mt. Holyoke College and became the first woman president of the American Chemical Society. She set very high standards and showed that women could be successful in science.
Tell us about your family and hobbies outside of the lab.
My daughter, Liz Rogan, is a nursing instructor at Nebraska Methodist College, and my granddaughter, Sylvia Rogan, is an eighth grader, who has won national championships riding Arabian horses. I swim weekday mornings at UNO before coming to work and I groom horses for Sylvia. For relaxation, I listen to classical music and read a lot.
List three things few people know about you.
- I have swum with UNO Maverick Masters weekday mornings since 1987;
- I own Arabian horses; and
- I like to bake pies.