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Jill Schappa

Jill is a DVM candidate and Summer Scholar who joined the lab in June of 2008. She is a native Minnesotan who grew up in Hastings, a scenic town about 30 minutes south of the Twin Cities. After graduating with a B.S. in zoology from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 2007, she returned to Minnesota to attend veterinary school, Class of 2011. Her decision to pursue this research experience was inspired by a pathology class where she saw the huge impact cancer had on so many animals. She is especially interested in hemangiosarcoma, which led her to the Modiano lab, where she has worked to discover more about this type of cancer, including projects studying tumor growth mediated by vascular endothelial growth factor and the development of targeted toxins for cancer therapy using comparative approaches. These projects inspired her to apply for the Howard Hughes/Burroughs Wellcome Fellowship. This award is allowing her to defer her final year of clinical training as a veterinary student, in order to devote a year to full time research. After becoming a DVM she plans to complete a residency and/or earn a PhD.
Jill currently lives in St. Paul with her dog and cat. When she isn’t spending time with her animals she enjoys yoga, rollerblading, and volleyball. She is also an avid hunter jumper horseback rider and hopes to add a horse to her family soon.

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