Ep 13: Estrogen Heals Both Sexes - The Work

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In this episode, Shekerah and Fatu jump back into academia to speak with Dr. Kelli Duncan, a neuroscientist and professor of biology at Vassar College. Kelli studies the neuro-protective properties of estrogen during traumatic brain injury (TBI). Interestingly, Kelli has discovered that there is a difference between the sexes with regards to brain injury and estrogen production pathways. This discovery leads to even more questions about what happens with neural injuries as estrogren levels change such as during pregnancy, menopause, and peri-menopause. At Vassar, Kelli enjoys the balance between working in the lab and teaching in the classroom. Most of her work is funded through internal grants provided by the university, but she also has the option of applying for larger NIH grants when needed. She enjoys not having the pressures of running a lab at a more research-intensive institution, like constantly writing grants. There are also challenges with this environment, however, since her lab is mostly powered by undergraduates; balancing her own schedule with that of students in the lab who have a full course load, extracurriculars, and other obligations can be challenging in a different way. As a black faculty member, the hardest lesson for Kelli to learn was to overcome her own doubts in her abilities–she is good at what she does and was hired for that reason, period! However, as a black faculty member at a predominately white institution, it can be easy to become overburdened and do too much. As Kelli has advanced in her career, she has learned to balance being a mentor for students of color in STEM alongside her own personal career goals, and other obligations for the university. Kelli explains,“[This] works for me,” and with the variety of opportunities within academia, there is something for everyone interested in combining research and teaching–it’s just about finding the right fit.
Reach out to Kelli:
[e-mail]
Read some of Kelli’s papers:

Estrogen Formation and Inactivation Following TBI: What we Know and Where we Could go

Atypical gene expression of neuroinflammatory and steroid related genes following injury in the photoperiodic Japanese quail

Reach out to Fatu:
www.linkedin.com/in/fatubm
Twitter: @thee_fatu_b
and [e-mail]

Reach out to Shekerah:
www.linkedin.com/in/shekerah-primus
and [e-mail]

Music from Pixabay: Future Artificial Intelligence Technology 130 by TimMoor
Music from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes: Hotshot by ScottHolmesMusic