Description of Research: Interests: Leiomyomas, dietary effects on uterine fibroids

Biographical Information: Courtni was born and raised in Decatur, IL—about 45 minutes west of Champaign-Urbana. She is a newlywed and enjoys spending quiet time with her husband and their zoo (2 cats, a tree frog, a Chinese water dragon, and a ball python). Growing up, she always wanted to become a veterinarian, and became interested in reproductive biology her senior year of college. Upon completing her B.S. in Animal Sciences at the U of I, she decided to pursue her M.S. degree. She is currently studying the effects of dietary intervention with whole flaxseed and vitamin D on the incidence and growth of oviductal leiomyomas in chickens. Veterinary medicine still lies near and dear to her heart and in the future she hopes to pursue a DVM degree while continuing her research in reproductive biology. Fun Fact: Courtni has never seen the ocean (but she really wants to).