Biology professor works to bring science and strength together

Brad+Creamer+gained+an+interest+in+chemistry+during+college.+From+there%2C+he+has+expanded+the+interest+to+a+study+of+breast+cancer.

http://www.mssu.edu/academics/arts-sciences/biology/biology-faculty.php

Brad Creamer gained an interest in chemistry during college. From there, he has expanded the interest to a study of breast cancer.

Brad Creamer is living proof that science and strength can go together. 

As an Assistant Professor of Biology and Environmental Health at Missouri Southern, and an Ironman marathon runner, he holds a variety of talents. 

Originally from Seattle, he was on the swim team throughout high school. 

In college at Washington State, he picked up his interest in science and made the team for College Rowing. 

“I never took any science above what was minimal in high school,” Creamer said. “I got into college and I really liked it.”

“I took that basic chemistry course and decided ‘this is really cool’ and I’ve been with it since,” Creamer added. 

His interest started with animal scienceand progressed into human health degree from the Nebraska Medical Center. 

For his PhD dissertation, he studied Triple Negative breast cancer. 

He identified a segment within a known gene of cancer and shed light on how cancer continues to live past its genetic life expectancy. 

His research findings furthered new avenues for treatment that are currently being explored. 

“You never know all the answers, there’s always more learning to do,” Creamer said. “When you answer a question, it opens up twenty more.” 

After graduating, he went to the Vanderbilt Ingraham Cancer Center to continue his research as an associate. 

During his time there, he worked to profile types of tumors especially on Triple Negative. 

“We would try and profile them genetically to see how people’s tumors are different or the same,” Creamer said. 

“The type of cancer we’re looking at is very, very, very invasive and most of the breast cancer deaths are attributed to that [Tripe Negative] type of cancer,” Creamer added.

He eventually arrived at Southern because his wife had family in Fayetteville and the job opening made it easy to get settled. 

Most of his time is spent working with research projects with students and trying to grow their body of work. 

He is also involved with faculty senate and is in and out of meetings. Last November, he competed in his first full Ironman nearly six years after his first triathlon. 

Creamer competes in shorter triathlons five or six times a year. 

“It takes that long to train properly to get your body in the right mode for something like that,” Creamer said. 

“You have to keep active or you get out of shape,” Creamer added.