Patti Keely, the Jan and Kathryn Ver Hagan Professor of Translational Research and chair of the department of cell and regenerative biology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, died late last month. She was 54 years old and had battled pancreatic cancer.
Dr. Keely’s research focused on certain signaling events in cell differentiation and transformation; understanding molecular mechanisms underlying breast cancer risk due to breast density; and molecular signaling events related to cell interactions with the extracellular matrix.
Robert Golden, dean of the School of Medicine and Public Health, stated that Dr. Keely “leaves behind a remarkable legacy as an outstanding scientist, dedicated mentor, strong academic leader, and caring and committed person.”
Professor Keely was a graduate of the University of Minnesota, St. Paul. She earned a Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and conducted postdoctoral research at Washington University in St. Louis and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.