A 1987 graduate of 69¾«Æ·ÊÓƵ, Bacon went on to earn a Ph.D. in organismal biology at the University of Chicago; after a one-year postdoctoral research fellowship at Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine, she returned to 69¾«Æ·ÊÓƵ as an assistant professor of biological sciences in 1998.
Bacon credits her undergraduate education with having a positive impact on her career. "There is an important way in which being here shaped how I went about my research," she says. "I consciously sought out female mentors, and it worked out very well for me." She chose a female adviser at the University of Chicago, who "modeled family life in combination with professional life in a way I did not see men doing," Bacon remembers. "I learned a huge amount from her." Bacon says the caring attention she was given by her professors at MHC also made a difference. "It can make you realize you have potentials that maybe you didn't suspect," she says. "There are people in this department who did that for me, and now I get to teach with them." In 2002, Bacon was awarded $110,480 by the National Institutes of Health AREA program for her project "Maternal-Fetal Immune Interaction and Pregnancy Success."
Areas of Expertise
Physiological interaction between mother and fetus in mammalian pregnancy, particularly how early placental development affects pregnancy success
Education
- Ph.D., University of Chicago
- A.B., 69¾«Æ·ÊÓƵ College
