Michele L. Coté, PhD

Phone: (317) 274-6460
550 University Blvd.
AOC 6047
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Faculty appointments
- Director, Susan G. Komen Tissue Bank, Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Professor, Department of Epidemiology, IU Fairbanks School of Public Health
- Adjunct Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, IU School of Medicine
- Dr. Carrie Ann Glasscock West Chair in Breast Carcinogenesis
- Full member
, Cancer Prevention and Control
Headlines & highlights
- Men donating tissue toward breast cancer research (June 2023)
- Sign-ups open for male breast tissue collection at the Komen Tissue Bank (June 2023)
- IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center collecting tissue from men for breast cancer research (June 2023)
- IU research center takes new step in breast cancer research - accepting samples from men (June 2023)
- Q&A with Michele Coté, PhD (Sept. 2022)
- IU cancer center names new director for the world’s only healthy breast tissue bank (Sept. 2022)
About Michele
Why do you do what you do, and/or what brought you here?
I am a cancer epidemiologist with particular interest in the intersection between tumor biology and racial health disparities. I became acquainted with the KTB in 2015 through a breast cancer advocate, and immediately understood the importance of healthy tissue. To direct a project that facilitates multidisciplinary research was very attractive at this point in my career.
Favorite KTB story/experience?
At Wayne State University, where I worked for over two decades before joining Indiana University, we hosted a successful tissue collection event. I loved showing off all the fabulous things about Detroit to my new KTB friends…and never knew that just a few years later I would be joining them in Indianapolis!
Other passions in life:
My kids, hot yoga, fitness in general, coffee, gardening, sleep and travel to just about anywhere. There are hidden gems everywhere if you look for them.
People would be surprised to know that you…
Can twirl baton. I was one of the featured twirlers at the University of Michigan as an undergrad and competed as a child. It’s a performing art that is slowly becoming obsolete.
Ice cream or pizza?
Pizza—but only Buddy’s (soon to open in Westfield, IN) and sadly, it must be gluten free.