Dr. Kathleen Schmeler ‘91, Professor of Gynecologic Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, was named to the Clarkson University Board of Trustees on May 10. As a trustee, Dr. Schmeler will also serve on the Academic Mission Committee.
In her role, Dr. Schmeler provides care to patients with gynecologic cancers, including surgery and chemotherapy, as well as preventive services at both MD Anderson and the Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) safety net Hospital.
Dr. Schmeler is also the Associate Vice President of Global Oncology for the MD Anderson Cancer Network. In this role, she works with ministries of health, UN agencies, international organizations and other academic centers to improve cancer prevention and treatment services in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Dr. Schmeler received her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY. She worked as Process Engineer for Procter & Gamble prior to pursuing her medical degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania/Hahnemann University School of Medicine. She completed her residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology at Brown University’s Women & Infants’ Hospital of Rhode Island, followed by a fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center. She has been on the faculty at MD Anderson since 2007.
Dr. Schmeler’s research interests are in cervical cancer prevention and treatment, particularly for resource-constrained countries and medically underserved communities in the US. She has co-led several clinical trials and other studies in Latin America, Africa and the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas-Mexico border.
Dr. Schmeler is originally from Albany, NY and she and her husband, Stephen Brown, currently live in Houston, Texas. They have two children, Alex (a senior at Clarkson) and Julia (a sophomore at St. Andrews University in Scotland). Her father Frank Schmeler ’64, sister Nancy Schmeler ’93 and brother-in-law Deane Nelson ’91 are also Clarkson graduates.