Susan S Padalecki, Ph.D.

Dr. Padalecki completed her postdoctoral fellowship for Cancer and Bone Metastases at UT Health Science Center-Department  of Medicine-Division of Endocrinology in San Antonio, Tx and attained her BA in Biology (Cum Laude) 1993 from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Tx and her Ph.D in Cellular & Structural Biology in 2000 from UT Health Science Center-San Antonio.

As a research assistant professor, Dr. Susan Padalecki managed her own laboratory but also became very involved in the program project grant of Dr. Gregory Mundy.  She discovered that she was adept at managing large group projects as well as the people associated with them. When Dr. Mundy was appointed interim cancer center director, she was asked to serve as special assistant to the director and split the administrative duties of the cancer center with an administrator.

The administrator would oversee the day to day operations and Dr. Padalecki would work with the cancer center programs and shared resources to facilitate the research of the center. When Dr. Mundy left the university, Dr. Padalecki was offered a tenure-track faculty position in the Departments of Urology and Cellular & Structural Biology, now Cell Systems & Anatomy.

She then split her time between her own laboratory and teaching gross anatomy. Her department chair in Urology, Dr. Ian Thompson, was appointed Mays Cancer Center Director in March 2010 and asked if she would again serve as Special Assistant to the Director to help them with their first progress report due to the NCI and with some areas that had been identified as challenges.

She initially worked at Mays Cancer Center as a troubleshooter of sorts, helping sort through some of the challenges that existed following the merger between Mays Cancer Center and the University.

In November 2011, she was appointed Associate Director for Research Administration at Mays Cancer Center and began to focus more on cancer therapy and research.