Lab Members

Keri Schadler, Ph.D.
klschadl@mdanderson.org
Assistant Professor

B.S.        Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 2004
Ph.D.     Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences & The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2010
Fellow   University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 2010-2015

Schadler is originally from Austin, Texas. She completed her B.S. in Molecular & Cell Biology at Texas A&M University, where she had her first job in a scientific setting making fly food for a drosophila genetics lab. Schadler then completed her Ph.D. in Cancer Biology at The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and MD Anderson Cancer Center. Her thesis work demonstrated the critical role of DLL4-Notch signaling for bone marrow-derived cell participation in vasculogenesis in Ewing’s sarcoma. For this work, Schadler was awarded the Alfred Knudson Award for Excellence in Graduate Research by MD Anderson Cancer Center. During graduate school, Schadler completed over 100 hours of observation in the pediatric non-neural solid tumors clinic in the Children’s Cancer Hospital at MD Anderson, and earned a certification in Clinical and Translational Research. After graduate school, Schadler completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute. During this fellowship, Schadler’s love for tumor vascular development was combined with a scientific interest in the role of exercise in cancer treatment, and she launched the basis of her current focus on the effects of exercise on tumor response to therapy. Schadler returned to MD Anderson Cancer Center as faculty in 2015. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling and running or cycling the bayou trails of Houston.

Claudia Alvarez-Florez, M.S.
cmalvarez@mdanderson.org
Research Assistant II

B.S.        Biology with emphasis on Bacteriology, University of Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia, 2000
M.Sc.     Biomedical Sciences, University of Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia, 2006

Alvarez-Florez was raised in Medellin, Colombia, where she completed her B.S. in Biology at the University of Antioquia. She went on to obtain a master's degree in Biomedical Science. Her thesis work focused on hepatitis viral infection and liver cancer. Alvarez-Florez moved to Houston in 2014 and has been working in the Schadler lab since 2015. In her free time, she enjoys being with her husband and 13 year old son, cooking, spending time with friends and listening to music.

Miriam Morrell, D.O.
MMorrell@mdanderson.org
Pediatric Oncology Fellow

D.O.                     The University of North Texas Health Science Center, 2012
Residency           The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 2015
Fellow                   MD Anderson Cancer Center, present

Morrell hails from Groves, a small town in Southeast Texas.  She received her undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude.  She was awarded her medical degree from The University of North Texas Health Science Center.  During her medical training she was elected to Sigma Sigma Phi. She completed her internship and residency training in pediatrics at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. She is board certified in pediatrics. She is completing her fellowship training in pediatric hematology/oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Her academic interests include childhood cancer survivorship and the late effects of chemotherapy. Her research focuses on the impact of exercise and nutrition on pediatric patients receiving chemotherapy and childhood cancer survivors. Morrell delights in her family and is an active member of her church and community. She enjoys volunteering in C.A.M.P Houston, the Caring Aggies Mentoring Program. 

Hannah Savage
HSavage@mdanderson.org
Graduate Research Assistant

B.S     Biology from Northern Illinois University

Savage was born and raised in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She received her B.S. in Biology from Northern Illinois University where she ran track and cross country for the university all four years. Her passion for cancer research prompted her to apply to the MD Anderson University of Texas Health Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences to begin her PH.D. in 2016. Specifically, her interests lie in cancer metabolism. In her free time she enjoys running, relaxing with friends and classmates, and reading.

Aiqian Zhang
Azhang6@mdanderson.org
Graduate Research Assistant

B.S.    Clinical Medicine, Weifang Medical University, 2012

M.S.    Clinical Medicine, Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, 2015

Zhang received her bachelor's degree in Clinical Medicine at Weifang Medical University (Weifang City, Shandong Province, China). She studied at the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University and received her master's degree in Clinical Medicine. She is  and is now studying to complete her doctoral degree. She has been awarded a scholarship under the State Scholarship Fund of China to pursue studies as a joint Ph.D. student in the Schadler lab in the Pediatrics department at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. In her free time, Zhang enjoys cooking traditional Chinese food. 

Enrica Marmonti
EFMarmonti@mdanderson.org
Postdoctoral Fellow

B.S.    Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy

M.S.    Medical Biotechnology applied to reparative and regenerative medicine, University of Parma, Parma, Italy

Ph.D.   Graduate School of Biomedicine, University of Barcelona, Spain

Marmonti is an Italian researcher. At the age of 18, she left her small village in the province of Milan to begin studying bioscience at the University of Pavia (Italy), where she completed her B.S. in Medical Biotechnology. She then began her master’s degree in Medical Biotechnology at the University of Parma (Italy). The strong desire to travel and discover new cultures encouraged her to participate to the LLP-ERASMUS project doing a 12 month laboratory training at the University of Barcelona (Spain) and 3 month training at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland), in which she collaborated with research groups specializing in the study of cancer cachexia. She developed a great passion for this topic which motivated her to focus on the study of muscle atrophy. Marmonti completed her Ph.D. in Biomedicine at the University of Barcelona (Spain) in October 2016. She was interested in studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying muscle wasting that result from reduced physical activity or a pathological state, and testing whether combined therapies (nutritional supplements and exercise) are able to counteract muscle disuse and disease-induced atrophy. She likes to spend her free time with family and friends. She loves salsa dancing, cooking Italian delicacies and watching movies.