Mabel Pang’s scientific curiosity was in medicine because her father died of liver cancer when she was 8 years old. She was already thinking of what factors caused his early demise and she sought out ways of changing her diet. Additionally, his passing influenced the direction that her career has taken. Ms. Pang learned later in her teens that her mother also had medical problems that she wished to solve. Ms. Pang attended USC for 2 years and transferred in her last two years to Southern Connecticut State College where she earned a B.S. in Biology. It was there that she took upper division courses that helped her move forward in Microbiology, Microtechnique, Tissue Culture, and Histology. While on the East Coast, she was hired at Yale-New Haven Hospital and received her certification as a Histology Technologist.
With her degree and certification, Ms. Pang moved back to Los Angeles and was hired as a Research Assistant at the Huntington Research Institute. It was there that she sectioned tissue from animal models that had undergone induced paralysis that simulated paralyzed human patients; however, Ms. Pang was motivated to find a different position at UCLA in the Department of Pathology. She was hired as a Research Associate 1 and quickly advanced to Research Associate 3 (Laboratory Manager) under Linda Baum, MD, PhD and Elizabeth Wagar, MD. While supporting Dr. Baum’s lab as a Laboratory Manager, she worked on projects that investigated the role of cell surface carbohydrates and endogenous lectins in the maturation and function of mammalian cells, and while supporting Dr. Wagar, she studied Chlamydia Trachomatis and Bacterial Vaginosis. During this time, Ms. Pang acquired a variety of skills and techniques such as methods to obtain viable primary human cells, protein isolation (Galectin-1), DNA & RNA isolation and analysis using molecular biology tools, Immunohistology staining and flow cytometry staining, and mouse colony maintenance. Her curiosity has not wavered, and she has continued to learn new skills to understand other types of diseases and techniques that she has not mastered.
With over 35 peer-reviewed scientific publications during her time at UCLA, Ms. Pang was able to develop her experience in laboratory education. In over 30 years as a Lab Manager, she has trained many graduate students, visiting scholars, and post doctorates who have gone on to become doctors, researchers, and lawyers. She has utilized her extensive knowledge and experience to support faculty in the development of undergraduate laboratory exercises while at Whittier College. She is motivated and eager to be using her skills and experiences to support and encourage SMC Biotechnology Program students as they work to achieve their educational and career goals.
Ms. Pang is committed to teaching students’ proper techniques in a laboratory environment by helping them learn specific skills such as laboratory safety, documentation, and laboratory calculations that will help them succeed. She does this by being patient, attentive, and encouraging as she helps the next generation of scientists.