Finding your way through a career in science and medicine is a daunting challenge to physician-scientists at all stages of their careers. To help guide them in their journey, the UConn Office of Physician-Scientist Career Development (OPSCD) convenes an annual career development colloquium highlighted by a keynote address from a distinguished physician-scientist. The 2015 colloquium, which took place on March 25, featured a keynote address from Dr. Christine Seidman, Thomas W. Smith Professor of Medicine and Genetics at Harvard Medical School and current president of the Association of American Physicians. Describing her own journey through medicine and science, Seidman centered her address around an important driving force in her career: deriving inspiration and direction from the care of her patients.

For Seidman, that inspiration came early in her career. Captivated by the heart (as she described it, “what other organ system sings to you?”), Seidman focused her scientific energies on a great mystery of cardiology: the then-enigma of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Long recognized but poorly understood, HCM causes sudden, unexplained death, often in athletes in the prime of their lives. The mystery of this condition, and the myriad avenues of scientific inquiry it presented, were what launched her journey of scientific discovery. Despite the many advances medical science has made, Seidman reminded the audience, many such medical mysteries remain, and physician-scientists are ideally-placed to recognize and tackle them.

Describing her entry into this unknown area, Seidman extolled her audience to take risks in their own careers by seeking out new ideas, new techniques, and new collaborators. Indeed, this was the key factor that propelled her career forward. Even as a new investigator in the field of cardiology, she looked to literature beyond cardiac pathology, discovering the work of Joseph Martin and colleagues that led to the genetic basis of the neurological disorder Huntington’s disease. Seeking out her own new ideas and collaborators, Seidman collaborated with Bill McKenna and a Canadian colleague, Peter Pare, to evaluate the genetics of a Canadian pedigree of HCM patients. This work led to the discovery of a mutation in the myosin heavy chain gene on chromosome 14 and many subsequent mutations in other genes, providing the first genetic basis for this complex disease.

Even with all these successes, Seidman stressed the importance of continuing to dream and to dream big throughout your career. For her, the big dream is to take the genetic knowledge she has uncovered and use it to change the course of disease for those affected by HCM. For Seidman, the challenges and excitement never end, a sentiment shared by Dr. Andrew Arnold, director of the Office of Physician-Scientist Career Development. “The life of a physician-scientist is challenging, but the challenges and promises are what make the career so exciting” said Arnold. “Hosting distinguished physician-scientists like Dr. Seidman is an excellent way to inspire our trainees and junior faculty to dream big and aim high in their own careers.”

In addition to her keynote address, Seidman’s visit included dinner and small group conversations about science, life, and managing a physician-scientist career with students and faculty at UConn and the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine. These conversations were particularly impactful for the young women pursuing MD/PhD degrees at UConn including Emily Anstadt, a member of the organizing committee for Seidman’s visit. “It is truly inspiring to interact with someone like Dr. Seidman who has raised a family and simultaneously built such a fantastic career,” said Anstadt. “Both family and my career are important to me, and Dr. Seidman’s example renews my faith that I can have both.”

Planning for the next career-development colloquium is already underway, so stay tuned to the OPSCD website for announcements and updates.

The Office of the Vice President for Research recognizes Sarah Pan, UConn Health MD/Ph.D. student, who has been asked to present her research at the Plenary Paper Session at the annual meeting of the American Geriatrics Society this May in Washington, D.C. The AGS Annual Scientific Meeting is the premier educational event in geriatrics, providing the latest information on clinical care, research on aging, and innovative models of care delivery. Work presented at the meeting’s Plenary Paper Session represents the field’s most highly rated scholarship.

Pan’s paper, entitled “Upregulation of Skeletal Muscle Atrophy Markers in Young and Aged Mice During Influenza Infection,” is the result of research conducted at the UConn Center on Aging in the labs of Dr. George Kuchel and Laura Haynes, Ph.D. In this study, the effects of influenza infection on body weight and expression of key muscle atrophy genes were observed in young and old mice. The virus led to significant weight loss and elevated atrophy genes in both groups, but older mice were much slower to recoup loss, and the correlation between weight loss and level of atrophy gene expression was also stronger in the aged mice. This link between weight loss and certain markers of inflammation-associated muscle loss may indicate that an infectious challenge such as the flu can disrupt the balance required to maintain muscle mass, and precipitate muscle and weight loss seen in frail older adults.

Pan’s research with the Kuchel and Haynes labs was funded by a prestigious 2015 MSTAR award from the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR). The MSTAR Program provides medical students with an enriching experience in aging-related research and geriatrics, with the mentorship of top experts in the field. Congratulations to Sarah and the Kuchel and Haynes labs!