Esther L. Calderon-Gierszal, PhD

Dr. Esther Calderon-Gierszal received her PhD in Physiology and Biophysics from the University of Illinois at Chicago. During her PhD studies, she generated two novel human prostate developmental models that she used to study the effects of early life exposure to environmentally relevant doses of Bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor and toxicant. As a postdoctoral fellow at the same institution she investigated the anticancer effects and mode of action of novel natural drugs, such as verticillins, in ovarian cancer. 

Before joining Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science/Chicago Medical School, Dr. Calderon-Gierszal served as an Assistant Professor at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, WI. She currently teaches in and co-directs the Endocrinology and Reproductive course at the medical school, and also gives lectures in graduate courses at the University. She is passionate about providing the best educational experience to students through a combination of lectures and active learning, keeping the students' best interest in the forefront.

Publications

• Salvi A, Amrine CSM, Austin JR, Kilpatrick K, Russo A, Lantvit D, Calderon-Gierszal EL, Mattes Z, Pearce CJ, Grinstaff MW, Colby AH, Oberlies NH, Burdette JE: Verticillin A Causes Apoptosis and Reduces Tumor Burden in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer by Inducing DNA Damage. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics 19 (1): 89-100, 2020
• Calderon-Gierszal EL and Prins GS. Prostate organoids: Directed Differentiation from Embryonic Stem Cells. In: Organoids and Mini-Organs. Editors: Davies JA and Lawrence ML, pages 89 - 116, March 2018
• Prins GS, Ye S, Birch Lynn, Zang X, Cheong Ana, Lin Han, Calderon-Gierszal EL, Groen J, Hu W, Ho S, van Breemen RB: Prostate Cancer Risk and DNA Methylation Signatures in Aging Rats following Developmental BPA Exposure: A dose-response analysis. Environmental health perspectives 125 (7): 077007, 2017
• Kastrati I, Siklos MA, Calderon-Gierszal EL, El-Shennawy L, Georgieva G, Thayer EN, Thatcher GR, Frasor J: Dimethyl Fumarate Inhibits the Nuclear Factor kappaB Pathway in Breast Cancer Cells by Covalent Modification of p65. J Biol Chem 291 (7): 3639-3647, 2016
• Calderon-Gierszal EL, Prins GS: Directed Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells into Prostate Organoids In Vitro and its Perturbation by Low-dose Bisphenol A Exposure. PLoS ONE 10 (7): e0133238, 2015   
• Prins GS, Calderon-Gierszal EL, Hu WY: Stem Cells as Hormone Targets that Lead to Increased Cancer Susceptibility. Endocrinology 156 (10): 3451-3457, 2015
• Calderon EL and Prins GS:  Environmental contaminants and cancers of the reproductive tract. In: Environmental Impacts on Reproductive Health and Fertility, Editors: Woodruff TJ, Janssen S, Guilette L, Guidice LC, pages 194 - 213, February 2010.