Burdock Group welcomed Wendan Wang, PhD, who joined our office last month, November 2015, as Associate Scientist. Dr. Wang joins the Burdock Group with over six years of research experience in the food, nutrition and toxicology science areas, with a specific focus on the relationship between diet and breast cancer metastasis in pre-clinical models. Dr. Wang received her bachelor’s degree in Food Quality and Safety from China Agricultural University (CAU). She then attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) for her doctorate in Human Nutrition, with training received as an Interdisciplinary Toxicology Scholar in a toxicology program funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health (NIEHS) for three years.
During her doctorate studies, Dr. Wang worked as a research and teaching assistant in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, and conducted three independent studies to evaluate the effects of an aromatase inhibitor, a low calcium diet or a high fat diet on breast cancer progression and metastasis in murine models. She completed a summer internship with PepsiCo Research & Development, working on prebiotics and regulatorily-acceptable claims on digestion for the Chinese market. She has worked on the comparison of the US, European and China regulations for a digestive claim. As a consultant for the largest student consulting organization on campus, Illinois Business Consulting, Dr. Wang consulted with a leader in the food service industry (a Fortune 150 company) to collect market data, analyze direct and indirect competitors, and strategies for improved targeted customer marketing. As an undergraduate research assistant in CAU, she led a project involving formation of edible films with whey protein and monosaccharides to coat walnuts and prevent rancidity; this project was fully funded by the Ministry of Education in China. Additionally, Dr. Wang was involved in a research project to study the antioxidant capabilities of bilberry anthocyanins.
Dr. Wang has presented her research in the Midwest Chapter of Society of Toxicology annual meeting and toxicology open house events. As an active member of Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), she also volunteered for the Chicago Section IFT during IFT annual meetings.
Dr. Wang had experiences as an oral Mandarin/ English interpreter for Chinese businessmen during a grain industry tour led by Illinois Department of Agriculture. She is proficient in Standard Chinese and knows Cantonese. She has worked as a freelance translator and a volunteer for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games Committee during the Beijing Olympics.
Burdock Group is very pleased to introduce Dr. Wang to our team as an Associate Scientist. You can reach out and welcome Dr. Wang to the team at wwang@burdockgroup.com
*Pronounced as if it were spelled “Wong”.