Margaret M Briehl

Interests

Research

Redox regulation of apoptosis;Mitochondrial and metabolic alterations in cancer;Mechanisms of treatment resistance in lymphoma

Teaching

Mechanisms of disease with a focus on cell injury, oxidative stress, dysregulation of signaling pathways and aging.Cancer biology with a focus on the genetic basis of cancer, metabolic alterations and therapy resistance.Workforce development with a focus on increasing the number of AI/AN students who obtain an advanced degree in support of a career in the biomedical sciences

Courses

Scholarly Contributions

Journals/Publications

• Bishop, M. C., & Briehl, M. M. (2022). A Successful Program to Promote Equity in Cancer Care for American Indians. Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education, 37(1), 1-2.
• Gachupin, F. C., Ingram, J. C., Laurila, K. A., Lluria-Prevatt, M. C., Teufel-Shone, N. I., & Briehl, M. M. (2021). NACP: Partnership for Native American Cancer Prevention. Cancer health disparities, 5.
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  Cancer trends over a two-decade period show a greater reduction in cancer mortality rates for non-Hispanic Whites than for Native Americans. The Partnership for Native American Cancer Prevention (NACP) was established to address cancer health disparities that impact Native Americans. The partners are Northern Arizona University, the University of Arizona Cancer Center, Arizona's tribal communities and the National Cancer Institute. The activities include outreach, research and cancer education. Overall, NACP seeks to expand capacity for culturally-sensitive and community-relevant research on cancer, and to continue developing respectful collaborations that will empower sovereign Native American communities to define, implement, and achieve their goals for cancer health equity.
• Gibson, B., Bracamonte, E., Krupinski, E. A., Briehl, M. M., Barker, G. P., Weinstein, J. B., & Weinstein, R. S. (2018). A "Pathology Explanation Clinic (PEC)" for Patient-Centered Laboratory Medicine Test Results. Academic pathology, 5, 2374289518756306.
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  This concept paper addresses communication issues arising between physicians and their patients. To facilitate the communication of essential diagnostic pathology information to patients, and address their questions and concerns, we propose that "Pathology Explanation Clinics" be created. The Pathology Explanation Clinics would provide a channel for direct communications between pathologists and patients. Pathologists would receive special training as "Certified Pathologist Navigators" in preparation for this role. The goal of Pathology Explanation Clinics would be to help fill gaps in communication of information contained in laboratory reports to patients, further explain its relevance, and improve patient understanding of the meaning of such information and its impact on their health and health-care choices. Effort would be made to ensure that Certified Pathologist Navigators work within the overall coordination of care by the health-care team.
• Jim, V., LaViolette, C., Briehl, M. M., & Ingram, J. C. (2017). Spatial distribution of uranium in mice kidneys detected by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Journal of applied bioanalysis, 3(3), 43-48.
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  The aim of the study is to better understand where uranium deposits in mice kidneys. The spatial distribution of uranium was examined in the kidneys of C57BL/6 mice using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Mice were exposed to varying levels of uranyl nitrate in their drinking water. Calibration standards were developed to allow for semi-quantitative measurement of uranium in the cortical and medullary regions of mice kidney by LA-ICP-MS. Scanning electron microscopy was used to image the ablation patterns on the kidney. Uranium levels were observed to increase in kidney tissue as uranyl nitrate treatment exposure levels increased. A trend towards a higher uranium concentration in the medullary versus cortical region of the kidneys was observed. These results show the usefulness of LA-ICP-MS in toxicity studies by providing a quantitative, spatial assessment of uranium deposition in a target organ.
• Weinstein, R. S., Waer, A. L., Weinstein, J. B., Briehl, M. M., Holcomb, M. J., Erps, K. A., Holtrust, A. L., Tomkins, J. M., Barker, G. P., & Krupinski, E. A. (2017). Second Flexner Century: The Democratization of Medical Knowledge: Repurposing a General Pathology Course Into Multigrade-Level "Gateway" Courses. Academic pathology, 4, 2374289517718872.
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  Starting in 1910, the "Flexner Revolution" in medical education catalyzed the transformation of the US medical education enterprise from a proprietary medical school dominated system into a university-based medical school system. In the 21st century, what we refer to as the "Second Flexner Century" shifts focus from the education of medical students to the education of the general population in the "4 health literacies." Compared with the remarkable success of the first Flexner Revolution, retrofitting medical science education into the US general population today, starting with K-12 students, is a more daunting task. The stakes are high. The emergence of the patient-centered medical home as a health-care delivery model and the revelation that medical errors are the third leading cause of adult deaths in the United States are drivers of population education reform. In this century, patients will be expected to assume far greater responsibility for their own health care as full members of health-care teams. For us, this process began in the run-up to the "Second Flexner Century" with the creation and testing of a general pathology course, repurposed as a series of "gateway" courses on mechanisms of diseases, suitable for introduction at multiple insertion points in the US education continuum. In this article, we describe nomenclature for these gateway courses and a "top-down" strategy for creating pathology coursework for nonmedical students. Finally, we list opportunities for academic pathology departments to engage in a national "Democratization of Medical Knowledge" initiative.
• Weinstein, J. B., Briehl, M. M., Weinstein, R. S., Nelson, M. A., Krupinski, E. A., Holcomb, M. J., Erps, K. A., Erps, K. A., Holcomb, M. J., Krupinski, E. A., Nelson, M. A., Weinstein, R. S., Weinstein, J. B., & Briehl, M. M. (2016). Flexer 2.0–Longitudinal study of student participation in a campus-wide general pathology course for graduate students. Academic Pathology, 3, 1-13. doi:10.1177/2374289516680217

Others

• Briehl, M. M., Civil, M., & Chief, K. (2020, November 3). Conversation with Dr. Betsy Cantwell on Diversity and Inclusion in research/STEM. University of Arizona.