Alyssa Merkel, MS

Alyssa came to Nashville as an Undergraduate at Belmont University, where she completed a degree in biochemistry and molecular biology in 2009. She began working in the Center for Bone Biology in the laboratory of Julie Rhoades (Sterling) as a part-time student intern prior to graduation and joined full time in May 2009. Alyssa earned her M.S. in 2016 from Vanderbilt’s Masters of Laboratory Investigation program. Over the past 10 years she has become an expert in many techniques in bone and cancer biology including animal models, 3D culture, imaging, and molecular biology assays. Alyssa is collaborative and an excellent teacher helping train many students and staff in the Center for Bone Biology, while leading her own projects involved in understanding the molecular pathways regulating tumor-induced bone disease.