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A
fter Bluefield College, alumna Amber MacDonald began
pursuing her master’s degree at the University of Tennessee.
There, she became a lab manager and a graduate teaching
assistant and soon began living her passion doing cancer research.
MacDonald came to Bluefield College from Beckley, West Virginia, in
2008. She was extremely involved as a student, serving as a senator
and secretary for the Student Government Association and a member
of the Alpha Chi National Honor Society. She also competed in
softball and cross-country and was named a National Christian College
Athletic Association Scholar-Athlete. Off campus, she was a board
member for the Windhorse Healing Arts Center.
“There were plenty of opportunities at Bluefield,” said MacDonald.
“The key was just to work hard. It was stressful, but in the end it was
worth it, and I would never trade my time at Bluefield.”
MacDonald studied exercise and sport science (ESS) at BC, serving
as a student athletic trainer for four years and earning the ESS Most
Outstanding Student Award. But, it was her participation in the Honors
Program that she credits for her success during and after Bluefield.
The Honors Program, she said, challenged her to start research that
interested her. She chose nutrition and cancer and fell in love with the
idea of using a proper diet to prevent and treat the disease.
“Bluefield College was the place where I found my passion,” said
MacDonald. “Because of the passion I developed at Bluefield, God
then led me to the University of Tennessee where I am actually getting
to put my passion into action.”
After earning her bachelor’s degree from BC in 2012, MacDonald took
her passion to UT to pursue a master’s degree in cellular molecular
nutrition. While serving as a lab manager and a graduate teaching
assistant, she conducted cancer research. Her specific lab worked
with Zyflamend, a poly-herbal supplement made from 10 herbs.
Their goal: to determine how Zyflamend activates AMPK (adenosine
monophosphate activated protein kinase).
“The activation of AMPK is a very interesting and clever way of preventing
the growth of cancer,” said MacDonald. “By activating AMPK, you can
essentially starve the tumor of making the nutrients it needs to grow.”
In fact, MacDonald and the graduate students in her lab determined
that Zyflamend activates AMPK in a model of advanced or late
stage prostate cancer. She traveled to San Diego, California, in
April to present her research at
Experimental Biology, a national
research conference. Soon after, she
graduated from UT, and now she
said she plans to pursue a Ph.D. and
continue her cancer research.
“There is no doubt I would not
be in this position today if it were
not for the outstanding faculty at
Bluefield College who encouraged
me to follow my passion and, most
importantly, what God has planned
for my life,” said MacDonald. “Not
only are the teachers experts in their
fields, but they are also Christian
leaders. I was always encouraged to
pursue the plan God had for my life,
and the ESS Department was the
beginning of developing my passion
for cancer research.”
Story by BC student marketing
associate Whitney Browning
vision
mission
Live your passion
6
Alumna Amber MacDonald presents
her research on the effects of
Zyflamend on the growth of cancer.
Alumna Amber MacDonald works with a
team of graduate students at the University
of Tennessee on cancer research.
Cancer
Research
MacDonald Lives
Her Passion for