Elaine Choung-Hee Lee

Professor

Department of Kinesiology

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Education

• Postdoctoral Fellow, Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, Salisbury Cove, ME
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
• Ph.D., Helen Reynolds Outstanding Doctoral Student, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
• M.A., Outstanding Master’s Student Research, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
• B.S., Day of Pride Scholar (15 top scholars of ~4000 in class), University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

Research Focus

Understanding mechanisms of stress resiliency and ways to improve stress resistance, adaptation, and healthspan.

Awards and Honors

• MDIBL Outstanding Mentor of the Year, 2012
• Helen Reynolds Outstanding Doctoral Student Award, 2009
• Oustanding Master’s Student Research Award, 2005
• Day of Pride Scholar 1998-2002
• NCAA and Big East Scholar Athlete Awards, 1999-2002

Publications

Radom-Aizik S, Maresh CM, Haddad F, Cooper DM, Nugas C, Casa DJ, Apicella JM, DeMartini JK, Lee EC, Munoz CX, and Zaldivar FP. The Impact of Ironman Triathlon on Innate Immune Cell Numbers and Function. American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) 2013 Conference.

Munoz CX, Lee EC, McDermott BP, Beasley KN, Yamamoto LM, Emmanuel H, Hom LL, Casa DJ, Armstrong LE, Kraemer WJ, and Maresh CM. Circulating and intracellular HSP72 responds acutely to cumulative exercise stress, heat stress, dehydration, and rehydration, and may be mediated by collective effects of multiple stress-specific transcription factors. Experimental Biology (EB) 2013 Conference.

Hom LL, Lee EC, Apicella JM, Wallace SD, Emmanuel H, Klau JF, Poh PY, Marzano S, Armstrong LE, Casa DJ, and Maresh CM. Eleven days of moderate exercise and heat exposure induces acclimation without significant HSP70 and apoptosis responses of lymphocytes in college-aged males. Cell Stress Chaperones. 2012 Jan;17(1):29-39. doi: 10.1007/s12192-011-0283-5. Epub 2011 Jul 28.

Lee EC and Strange K. GCN-2 dependent inhibition of protein synthesis activates osmosensitive gene transcription via WNK and Ste20 kinase signaling. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2012 Dec 15;303(12):C1269-77. doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.00294.2012. Epub 2012 Oct 17.

Lee EC, Manion D, Ditano J, and Strange K. Neuronal regulation of systemic osmotic stress response mechanisms in C. elegans. Experimental Biology, April 2012.

Lee EC and Strange K. Osmosensitive gene expression in C. elegans is regulated by conserved signaling mechanisms that control protein translation initiation. Experimental Biology, April 2012. Selected as 1 of 6 finalists for Research Recognition Award, Cellular and Molecular Physiology Section (CaMPS), American Physiological Society

Lee EC. Comparative genomics of aging and stress adaptation, UConn Systems Genomics Institute initiative, Jackson Laboratory and UConn Joint Symposium, September 2012.

*Burkewitz K, *Choe K, Lee EC, Deonarine A, and Strange K. Proteostasis in C. elegans is maintained during extreme osmotic stress by reduced translation with resultant increases in molecular chaperone capacity. Experimental Biology, April 2012. * co-first authors

Burkewitz K, Choe KP, Lee EC, Deonarine A, and Strange K. Characterization of the proteostasis roles of glycerol accumulation, protein degradation and protein synthesis during osmotic stress in C. elegans. PLoS One. 2012;7(3):e34153. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034153. Epub 2012 Mar 28.