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STEM Ambassadors

The STEM Ambassador Program began in 2016 as a training program for a small cohort of University of Utah scientists. Since then, we have grown to work with over 170 graduate students, post-docs, faculty, staff, and undergraduate students. Scroll down to learn about the scientists who have participated. Contact us if you would like to reach out to a STEM Ambassador.

Note that many Ambassador bios were uploaded when the Ambassador joined the program and may not be current.

Gabrielle Kardon

Photo of Gabrielle Kardon

Gabrielle Kardon works at the University of Utah where she studies studies how muscle develops, regenerates, ages, and evolves. Her lab focuses on muscle stem cells because they are the source of all muscle. They also focus on the muscle connective tissue because it provides the niche for muscle stem cells and is critical for muscle form and function.

They study how interactions between muscle stem cells and the connective tissue orchestrate development of limb muscles and the diaphragm, how they regulate muscle regeneration and aging, how they can lead to birth defects and fibrosis, and how they shape the evolution of the musculoskeletal system.

This work has lead Gabrielle and her lab to interact extensively with patients with the common birth defect, Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernias, as well as their families.

​For more about her lab, see http://www.kardonlab.org/.