Christopher Sistrunk PhD, MS, BS

Christopher Sistrunk’s presentation on “Skp2 deficiency induces hair follicular apoptosis through p53 stabilization mediated by CBP/p300” won first place in the Agriculture and Life Sciences category at the Graduate Research Symposium this spring. Originally from Charlotte, he attended three universities in North Carolina, receiving his B.S. from Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) in Biology with a concentration in Microbiology. He then came to North Carolina Central University (NCCU) for his Master’s degree with a concentration in Environmental Carcinogenesis. Currently, he is working on his Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Toxicology at NC State
Sistrunk had originally been heading towards a medical track, but he changed his focus when an advisor at WSSU asked him what he really wanted to do. The advisor had him teach his first course, which laid the foundation for him to become an adjunct faculty member at NCCU for two years. Sistrunk says that he knew this was the right direction for him because “everything else was like work.”
When Sistrunk started working on his current project, the research group had not gotten many results on his particular topic. He started getting results that caused him to become more interested in the topic. He enjoys his work in the lab because “we do everything, don’t send it off” or “depend solely on others to extrapolate the data.” It is also a well-rounded laboratory with a blend of cell cultures and animal work. At his lab, the research is both in vitro and in vivo. The problem with working with animal models is the long lead-time that often results.