Doctoral candidate
P.H.D. (2004) in Cell and Molecular Biology
Medical Student Lake Erie College of Osteopathic - Erie, PA
Kent State University School of Biomedical Sciences

Masters of Science in Biology
Youngstown State University 1997

Bachelors of Science
Grove City College

Research Interests

• Molecular biology
• Pathophysiology of autoimmune neuromuscular diseases
• Autoimmune rippling muscles and myasthenia gravis
• Cell biology

Tom was a Henry R. Viets fellow with the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America in 1999 and 2000 and has presented papers at international meetings in Boston and Seattle and the American Society of Cell Biology Meetings in San Francisco and Washington.

Recent Publications

• Watkins, T.C. Zelinka L.M., Kesic M, Ansevin C.F., and Walker G.R.
  "Identification of Skeletal Muscle Autoantigens by Expression Library Screening using Sera from Autoimmune Rippling Muscle Disease (ARMD) Patients. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry 99:79-87 (2006)
• Walker, G.R, Thomas Watkins and Carl F. Ansevin, "Identification of Autoantibodies Associated with Rippling Muscles and Myasthenia Gravis that Recognize Skeletal Muscle Proteins: Possible Relationship of Antigens and Stretch-Activated Ion Channels" Biochem. Biophy. Res. Comm. 264(2): 430-435 (1999).
• Walker, G., Watkins, T, Raab, S., Ansevin, C.: Antibodies Identified in Autoimmune Rippling Muscle Disease associated with Myasthenia Gravis. Molecular Biology of the Cell. 9 (suppl):27a December 1998.
• Ansevin, C.F., Watkins, T.C., Walker, G.: Rippling Muscles and Myasthenia Gravis: Antibodies to Mechanosensitive Channels? Neuromuscular Disorders. 8(3,4):283-284 (abs) May 1998.