Erick Spears

Biography

I was born and raised in Colorado and earned a BA in Biology from the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO. After working for serval years, I returned to the University of Colorado at Denver and completed work for an MA in Biology. Finally, I received a PhD in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS. In 2011, I brought my family to Nashville for a postdoctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology working with the late Dr. Steve Hann. It was in the Hann lab that I encountered a novel pathway that would become the subject of my research at Belmont. After my postdoc, I transitioned into a Staff Scientist position in the Vanderbilt Diabetes Center. During my postdoc, I worked as an adjunct instructor at Belmont teaching the non-majors biology course. While I had taught throughout my career, Belmont is where I found my true passion for teaching. After taking time away from teaching, I was hired as an Assistant Professor of Biology at Belmont in the fall of 2022. I have truly enjoyed teaching and interacting with Belmont students as a member of the faculty at Belmont and look forward to continuing to grow alongside those students.

My research focuses on a novel pathway that was first identified in the Hann lab. The oncogene MYC was originally discovered in early studies of viral oncogenes that led to the understanding of the genetic basis of cancer. The Hann lab discovered a novel pathway in which MYC activates a gene, EGR1, that functions in a manner opposite that of the well described oncogenic function normally associated with MYC activity. This MYC-EGR1 pathway was demonstrated to stimulate apoptosis under certain cellular conditions, and we made observations that indicate a role for this pathway in early embryonic development. Overall, the goal of my research program is to instruct undergraduate students in molecular techniques used to understand the mechanisms by which the MYC-EGR1 pathway may be involved in human development and disease. Undergraduates participating in this research program will learn about human development and disease in a practical way by performing experiments, interacting with experts, both at Belmont and at other institutions, collaborating with other student researchers, and presenting their at Belmont and at regional conferences. The main purpose of my research is to have students learn through the process of “doing biology”.