In 2019, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) launched its Women in Science series to highlight the exceptional contributions of its female researchers.
Dr. Katherine Rogers, a tenure-track investigator who leads the Unit on Developmental Signaling at NICHD, credits a casual comment to an undergraduate advisor for getting her foot in the door of a scientific career.
Dr. Susanna Mitro initially thought she would be a linguistics specialist and even spent a year teaching English in rural Japan. However, she soon switched her major to biology and began studying animal behavior. She currently studies uterine fibroids in NICHD’s Epidemiology Branch.
Dr. Thien Nguyen is a postdoctoral researcher with a background in biomedical engineering. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, she focused on how to apply her knowledge and expertise in ways that would help both patients and doctors affected by the virus.
Dr. Megha Rajendran’s fascination with science began with a documentary on the brain she watched while in high school. She now studies Parkinson’s disease, leveraging her expertise in new areas of research at NICHD.
Mor Alkaslasi is a graduate student working in Dr. Claire Le Pichon’s lab. She is in NIH’s Graduate Partnerships Program, which enables students to conduct their thesis research at NIH while earning their doctorate.
Dr. Tatiana Rostovtseva is an associate scientist in NICHD’s Section on Molecular Transport who has worked in labs around the globe and whose research is now incorporated into textbooks on mitochondria.
Dr. Raffaella De Pace is a postdoctoral researcher whose interest in science began at an early age. Her research may help identify therapeutic targets for nervous system diseases like hereditary spastic paraplegias.
Kyla Roland is a trainee who is part of NICHD’s Developing Talent Scholars Program. She wants to earn her Ph.D. and become a science educator to encourage diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Dr. Elodie Mailler is a molecular and cell biologist who currently studies autophagy, the intricate process that enables a cell to recycle unused or unnecessary components.