Associate Professor
Department: Microbiology & Immunology
University System: Montana State University - Bozeman
Website(s): http://www.montana.edu/mbi/directory/1582574/deborah-keil
Professional Summary:
Currently, I serve as an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Montana State University. Prior to this, I served in the Department of Pathology in the School of Medicine at the University of Utah, Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences at UNLV, Research Toxicologist at NIOSH, Morgantown West Virginia, and Assistant Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC. Over the past 20 years, I have had the good fortune to acquire competitively-funded research in the disciplines of clinical laboratory science, immunotoxicology, developmental toxicology, and human health risk assessment.
Educational achievements include a B.S. in Clinical Laboratory Science from Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC and a Ph.D. from Mississippi State University (1996). I am also a licensed Medical Laboratory Director in the state of Nevada (2007-current), Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology (2006) and served on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Toxicology (2012-2016).
Research projects include immunotoxicology studies with environmental contaminant exposures such as: perchlorate, JP-8 jet fuel (Gulf War Illness), trichloroethylene (TCE), perfluorinated compounds (fabric and carpet stain resistance applications) and brominated compounds (flame retardants used in homes), metals in drinking water sources, geogenic metal dust exposure in desert environments (Nellis Dunes, Las Vegas, NV). Additionally, my laboratory has worked in areas of autoimmune models (TCE), developmental effects following in utero or lifetime exposures (PFOS; TCE), developmental effects of home and/or environmental chemicals in children, and also the role of inorganic mercury and their contribution to the development of autism in children. I am well-acquainted in quality processes integral to medical laboratory testing, hospital accreditation, and issues associated with standardizing testing methods. Collectively, this experience has provided many opportunities to investigate human health consequences from exposure to a range of agents in a clinical setting to environmental contaminants. More recent projects include surveying global sources of tea for contaminants and collaborating with Dr. Jean Pfau on mechanisms of asbestos immunotoxicity.