Dr. Chakia McClendon
Assistant Professor of Biology
Biography
Dr. Chakia McClendon has recently joined the Columbia College family as Assistant Professor of Biology. She received both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Animal Health Sciences. After working in the biotechnology industry for a few years, she returned to North Carolina A&T State University to obtain a PhD in Energy and Environmental Systems (with emphasis on environmental toxicology). Dr. McClendon was subsequently selected as an NIH-funded IRACDA-NYCAPS Postdoctoral Scholar at Stony Brook University in New York, where she studied the role of tyrosine kinases in mammalian cells. In the IRACDA program, she also received training in pedagogical techniques to ensure long-term student academic success, and served as a co-instructor in undergraduate biology courses. Dr. McClendon has published in the fields of animal sciences, molecular biology, and respiratory health. Her research interest at Columbia College will investigate the role of tyrosine kinase signaling pathways in compromised airway epithelial cells.
Publications
- McClendon, Chakia J., and W. Todd Miller. "Structure, Function, and Regulation of the SRMS Tyrosine Kinase." International journal of molecular sciences 21.12 (2020): 4233.
- Waterman, Jenora T., et al. "Profiling of cell stress proteins reveals decreased expression of enzymatic antioxidants in tracheal epithelial tissue of pigs raised indoors." American Journal of Translational Research 11.9 (2019): 5716.
- Gerald, Carresse L., et al. "Sorrel Extract Reduces Oxidant Production in Airway Epithelial Cells Exposed to Swine Barn Dust Extract In Vitro." Mediators of Inflammation 2019 (2019).
- McClendon, Chakia J., Carresse L. Gerald, and Jenora T. Waterman. "Farm animal models of organic dust exposure and toxicity: Insights and implications for respiratory health." Current opinion in allergy and clinical immunology 15.2 (2015): 137.
- McClendon, Chakia J, et al. "Airway metrics, anatomy and growth performance of pigs reared indoors and outdoors." American Journal of Animal and Veterinary Sciences 8.4 (2013): 165-176.
- KINASE, JUN N-TERMINAL. "Moringa tea blocks acute lung inflammation induced by swine confinement dust through a mechanism involving TNF-α expression, c-Jun N-terminal kinase activation and neutrophil regulation." American Journal of Immunology 10.2 (2014)