A Successful Flexner Discovery Lecture with Dr. Elizabeth Engle
On October 6, the MSTP had the pleasure of hosting Elizabeth Engle, M.D. for the Flexner Discovery Lecture. Dr. Engle is a pediatric neurologist and serves as a professor of Neurology and Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. She is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and received numerous awards including the Sidney Carter Award in Child Neurology from the American Academy of Neurology. Dr. Engle spoke about cranial nerve development within the context of neuromuscular diseases such as Duanne Syndrome. From the onset, Dr. Engle spoke about the benefits and challenges of being a scientist in a niche field. Her work marries a variety of multidisciplinary approaches, most notably genetics and 3-D immunofluorescence. Throughout the talk, not only did Dr. Engle showcase the basic science progress from her lab, but she also clearly linked the clinical impact her work would have on patient with these rare and debilitating disorders. The MSTP was fortunate to have dinner with Dr. Engle at Bound’ry that same evening. Dr. Engle shared strategies for pursuing a career as a physician-scientist. Her thoughts were candid, practical, and genuine. She emphasized the importance of selecting a mentor who engaged the trainee in activities such as grant writing, grant review, and designing studies to effectively prepare the student for the next step of their training. It was a true privilege for the MSTP to have Dr. Engle visit with the MSTP. Thank you to the Physician Scientist Speaker Series planning committee composed of Nick Harris (G3), Rachana Haliyur (G3), Katherine Konvinse (G2), and Melissa Krasnove for organizing Dr. Garraway's visit.