Kerry L. Burnstein, Ph.D., received her B.A. in biology (1981) from Wesleyan University, Middletown Connecticut and a Ph.D. in genetics (1986) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She pursued post-doctoral training with Dr. John Cidlowski at UNC-CH studying the regulation of steroid hormone receptors. In 1991, Dr. Burnstein joined the faculty at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology. She received tenure and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1997 and became a full Professor in 2003. Dr. Burnstein was appointed Chair of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology in the fall of 2018. Dr. Burnstein maintains an active research program focusing on androgen receptor signaling and experimental therapeutics for castration-resistant prostate cancer. She holds one US patent and has two other patent applications all related to novel forms of prostate cancer treatment.
Dr. Burnstein is active nationally having held leadership positions in the Endocrine Society and is a former president of the Cancer Biology Training Consortium (CABTRAC). She has served as a chartered member of two National Institutes of Health grant review panels and is currently on the Mechanisms of Cancer Therapeutics-2 [MCT2] study section. Dr. Burnstein was the 2019 recipient of the Society for Women in Urology / Society for Basic Urologic Research joint award for excellence in urologic research.
Dr. Burnstein is deeply committed to training and mentoring the next generation of cancer researchers. In her lab, she has mentored 17 graduate students, most of whom are pursuing careers in oncology research and education. In 2021, she received the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami “Outstanding Mentor of the Year” award and the University of Miami Women in Academic Medicine award for “Excellence in Mentoring”. In 2015, Dr. Burnstein was appointed Associate Director of Education and Training for the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and was part of the leadership team that worked to make Sylvester the 71st NCI-designated cancer center.
