Karen Bernd

To understand how an organism works we need to understand its basic parts, the cells. As a cell biologist I use techniques ranging from microscopy and biochemistry to molecular biology to attack the enormous question of 'how does a cell work?' While each approach by itself is informative, a clear picture of a cellular process will only result by combining the right questions with the best techniques and taking time to listen to the data. My courses reflect this 'multi-front' approach and combine discussions of questions and journal articles, interactive lectures, investigative labs, and web assignments.

Research

I require that my students are invested in and connected to their research in how environmental pollutants affect lung cells with a specific focus on the effects that waterpipe tobacco smoking (hookah smoking) has on lung alveolar cells.

I have a long standing interest in understanding how components in the environment impact lung function at the cellular level. Sparked by an athlete's question of 'why is it bad to run at 4 p.m. on an ‘ozone red’ day?' we explored and determined that estrogen, and by extension perhaps gender, play a role in ozone-induced inflammation, redox balance, and cell death. Another student’s interest in water quality lead to investigations that showed DCA, a common water purification byproduct, activates superoxide dismutase and catalase supporting the conclusion that the exposure causes oxidative stress in alveolar cells. In 2010, another student predicted vaping's recent popularity and our research turned toward young adult trends involving e-cigarette vaping. That work showed e-cigarette vapor generated at different voltages ( 3.7V or 4.7V ) from flavored and unflavored e-liquid impacted lung viability.

As of 2016 the Bernd lab is the cell biology arm of the Hauser-Bernd Research group. Working with the analytical chemistry group led by Dr. Cindy Hauser, we investigate the physicochemical properties and cellular impact of waterpipe tobacco smoke, also known as hookah smoke. Our recent publications reported that smoke generated from different configurations of hookah pipes have different chemical properties and that the different chemical properties result in changes in alveolar cell function. Current research focuses include investigating whether/how smoke generated from different tobacco flavors and different puffing patterns impact alveolar cell’s lysosomal function, mitochondrial function and production of inflammation markers. This evidence will be reported to the NIH and FDA and then used to develop interventions, identify groups that may have increased susceptibility to harm, and inform policy. 

In addition to support from Davidson College, my students and research have been supported by external funding from the National Institutes of Health (RO1, R15); National Science Foundation (TUES, REU); NC Biotechnology Center; HHMI; the Association of Colleges of the South; Promega, Co.; ASCB; and the Merck Foundation/ AAAS.

Teaching

BIO 111 Molecules, Genes, and Cells (and lab)
BIO 208 Cell Biology (and lab)
BIO 267 Cases in Environmental Health Disparities
BIO 357 Biotoxicity of Hookah Smoke