Julie Hens

Julie R. Hens, Ph.D., is presently a research associate scientist at Yale University and is an internationally recognized developmental biologist and cancer researcher. Previously, she was a Senior Scientist at the Orentreich Foundation for the Advancement of Science (OFAS) where she specialized in studying methionine restriction and cancer. She was an Assistant Professor of Biology at St. Bonaventure University where she developed courses in Genetics, Developmental biology, Cell and Molecular Biology, and Aging. She established laboratories, and organizing students to present their independent research at a University-wide Symposium. She has over 15 years of experience in the field of mammary gland physiology and development, and cancer biology Dr. Hens has contributed to the understanding of molecular mechanisms involved in embryonic mammary gland and bone development. More recently, she has expanded our understanding of how dietary methionine restriction can affect epigenetic mechanisms involved in cancer progression, bone development, and fatty liver disease. At Yale, she is examining the role of PTHrP, CASR, GABABR1 and GABABR2 in mammary gland function and during cancer.