Theodore Chauvin, PhD

Washington State University, Pullman, Washington

• Ph.D. Genetics and Cell Biology

 Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois

• M.S. Biological Sciences, Cell Biology

• B.S. Biological Sciences

TEACHING

Dr. Chauvin has been involved in medical education since 2010. He is the MD program’s Thread Director for Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and the Director of Scholarship and Inquiry, where he has developed and overseen the Foundations of Scholarship and Discovery courses. These courses help students cultivate research skills and intellectual curiosity, instill lifelong learning habits, and engage with scholarly work that extends beyond medical school. 

Beyond the MD program, he created TMP 550, “Biochemistry for Health Sciences,” which he taught until 2023. He also created TMP 350, “Introduction to Medical Biochemistry,” for the Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical and Medical Sciences Program.

He has mentored undergraduate students at Gonzaga University, Whitworth University, and Whitman College. Additionally, he has mentored medical students in the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine program and the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Successful fertilization of the egg requires sperm capable of motility and possessing the ability to undergo an acrosome-reaction upon contact with the egg; defects in these sperm functions contribute significantly to male infertility. Sperm gain the ability to swim and to fertilize an oocyte during their transit through the epididymis. Epididymal sperm maturation is characterized by changes in both protein and lipid composition of the sperm. The research in my laboratory investigates the molecular function of sperm maturation with specific focus on how lipid synthesis and maintenance occur. The laboratory employs various molecular biology and biochemical techniques to investigate the maturation process with hopes of understanding male infertility and possibly finding a contraceptive target.

• 2024 WSU-Spokane Chancellor’s Excellence Award in Service
• 2021 Excellence in Teaching – Elson S Floyd College of Medicine
• 2019 Merit Award – Department of Biomedical Sciences
• 2013 WSU Spokane research seed grant: Lipid Function in Epididymal Sperm

• Brown TA, Alterio M, Stiles EC, Vu M, Washington BB, Chauvin TR, Kumar AS. Surgical journal clubs: Navigating the post-pandemic landscape. Am J Surg. 2024 Nov;237:115706. doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2024.03.002. Epub 2024 Mar 11. PMID: 38519404.
• Minj J, Riordan J, Teets C, Fernholz-Hartman H, Tanggono A, Lee Y, Chauvin T, Carbonero F, Solverson P. Diet-Induced Rodent Obesity Is Prevented, and the Fecal Microbiome Is Improved with Elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis) Juice Powder. J Agric Food Chem. 2024 Jun 5;72(22):12555-12565. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c01211. Epub 2024 May 22. PMID: 38776153.
• Roberts, K.P. and Chauvin, T.R. Molecular mechanisms of testosterone action in the testis. Current Opinions in Endocrine and Metabolic Research. Current Opinion in Endocrine and Metabolic Research. 2019; 6, 29-33.
• Roberts K.P., Chauvin T.R. Gene Regulation in the Epididymis. Book Chapter in The Encyclopedia of Reproduction 2nd Ed. (2018)
• Chauvin T.R, Xie F., Liu, T., Nicora C.D., Yang F., Camp II, D.G., Smith, R.D., and Roberts, K. A Systematic Analysis of a Deep Mouse Epididymal Sperm Proteome. Biology of Reproduction 2012; 87:141, 1-8
• Chauvin, T.R., Herndon, M.K. and Nilson, J.H. Cold-Shock-Domain Protein A (CSDA) Contributes Post-Transcriptionally to Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone-Regulated Expression of Egr1 and Indirectly to Lhb. Biology of Reproduction 2011; 86:53, 1-10
• Chauvin, T.R. and Griswold, M.D. Identification of Regulated Genes in the Murine Epididymis Using Oligonucleotide Microarrays. Biology of Reproduction 2004; 71:560-569.
• Chauvin, T.R. and Griswold, M.D. Characterization of the Expression and Regulation of Genes Necessary for myo-Inositol Biosynthesis and Transport in the Seminiferous Epithelium. Biology of Reproduction 2004; 70:744-751.