Mentorship is a skill I have deliberately developed during my time as a graduate student and postdoc. It's important to me that my mentees in the lab not only feel comfortable asking any and all questions about the work, but that they are encouraged to come up with their own ways to optimize protocols and answer experimental questions that they themselves come up with. Common phrases one might hear me say in lab are "no need to apologize, there are no dumb questions," "why do you think x might be, based on what you've learned in other classes?", and "how do you think we can optimize this method?" I have succeeded as a mentor when my mentees begin to think like experimenters, and I achieve this by ensuring students know not only every step of a protocol, but every reason behind every step. This inherently enhances my own scientific development because I myself have to think through every step and be able to defend it. Investing time and effort in training mentees has led me to become a better and more efficient scientist, and I look forward to continuing to hone these skills in a future position.
Students trained:
Caroline Tybout (Graduation with Distinction 2015: "Microglial Activation as a Mechanism for Choline as a Neuroprotective Agent Against Prenatal Diesel Exposure in the Maternal Brain") - Currently an anesthesiologist at the Ohio State University
Naveen Nath (Duke University class of 2016) - Currently an engagement manager at IQVIA MedTech
Bhavya Varma (Duke University class of 2016) - Currently a cardiology fellow at NYU
Teresa Ju (Graduation with Distinction 2018: "Resolving Postoperative Cognitive Decline Through Choline Diet Prior to Surgery") - Currently a dermatology resident at The University of Miami
Caitlin Grant (Graduation with Distinction 2019: "Exercise as a Neuroprotection in a Female Mouse Model of Menopause and Alzheimer's Disease") - Currently a resident at the University of Michigan Medical School
Shayal Vashisth (Graduation with Distinction 2019: "Gradual Ovarian Decline as a Risk Factor in Alzheimer's Disease") - Currently working towards a Ph.D. in Neuroscience at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Ellie Marlor (Graduation with Distinction 2021) - Currently a medical student at University of California, Irvine
Adaora Nwosu (Graduation with Distinction 2021) - Currently a medical student at Duke University
Jessica L. Inman (University of Iowa class of 2022) - Currently a nursing unit clerk at University of Iowa Healthcare
Mia Dukle (University of Iowa class of 2025)
Rhett Ellerbroek (University of Iowa class of 2025)