This month we had the pleasure of chatting with Dr. Lauren Pedersen, a postdoc in the Bergom lab in the Department of Radiation Oncology. After completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology and Sports Medicine from the University of Virginia, and a Master of Science in Health and Movement Sciences (2016), she pursued a PhD in Rehabilitation and Movement Sciences (2021) at Virginia Commonwealth University focussing on the peripheral vascular inflammatory responses to exercise, physical activity, and diet. The overarching goal of Lauren’s work in the Bergom laboratory is to investigate cardiac radiobiology and, more specifically, the cardiac immune response to radiation. Her hope is to translate these findings to improve cardiovascular care in survivors of thoracic cancers and in patients with heart failure. You can find more about Lauren’s work on Twitter @DrLPedersen .
1. When did you first become interested in science, and in radiation oncology in particular? How did you reach your current position?
I did an athletic training and sports medicine undergrad in University of Virginia, Charlottesville, as I thought I wanted to be a practicing clinician in physical therapy. I worked in a physical therapy clinic for two years in Richmond, Virginia after graduating, and through this experience, I learned that a career in physical therapy may not be a good fit for my interests. I knew that I enjoyed physical activity and exercise science, so I entered the Health and Movement Sciences graduate program at Virginia Commonwealth University where I did both my masters and PhD. My graduate program had two tracks: there was one that focused on the physical therapy and orthopedics route and then there was another tract (which I chose) studying exercise physiology, which focused on physiological responses to exercise and diet, body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, vascular function, peripheral vascular function etc. Initially, I thought I wanted to be a clinical exercise physiologist, but in the second year of my Masters my academic mentor suggested that I work in an exercise physiology lab. I was thrilled to know that I could research the science of exercise. I knew I enjoyed this topic, so I started working in his laboratory looking at how the peripheral immune cells respond to exercise and diet and physical activity, and then I just stayed in this lab through my PhD. During my PhD, I did mostly clinical work and as a side-project I did one clinical trial in breast cancer survivors who had formerly been treated with different cancer therapies. It was a small trial, and we were hoping to improve their cardiometabolic outcomes with a home-based strength training program and physical activity. This study really got me interested in the cardio metabolic health of cancer survivors and so for my post doc I knew I wanted to dive into that more. I also wanted translational experience because my graduate work was very applied. I wanted to expand my bench top skills and improve my knowledge of preclinical models, and so I was specifically seeking out those two things as well as staying in the cancer survivor cardiometabolic health realm. I found Dr. Carmen Bergom and that’s essentially the goal of her lab. She is a breast cancer radiation oncologist using preclinical models to investigate cardiometabolic health and cardiac toxicity in breast cancer survivors previously treated with radiation. She primarily focuses on the effects of radiation on the heart in breast cancer survivors but also other thoracic cancers, such as lung or esophagus cancer survivors treated with radiation. I knew working as a postdoc in Dr. Bergom’s lab was a perfect opportunity for me.
2. What excites you most about your current project?
Experience in my graduate work helped me gain expertise in peripheral immune cells and specifically innate immunity. When I started postdoc, my immediate interest was how the cardiac immune landscape responds to radiation. The kinetics of this process are not that well characterized; we don’t really know when cells are infiltrating into the heart and what that differentiation looks like. Particularly, there is an established body of work that macrophages are important in cardiac injury and repair in other models, but no one has really looked at their role in radiation induced cardiac injury. So, Carmen and I agreed that this would be a great area to start investigating at the outset of my postdoc. I started with that project, and it’s expanded further; our lab has started investigating not only toxicity from radiation but also how radiation can potentially be used therapeutically in the heart. There are cardiologists here at WashU and at other institutions that have been using radiation to reduce ventricular tachycardic burden. We have used that data as a springboard to think about how radiation can potentially be used in other cardiac settings, such as heart failure. We’re very excited about this project; it is very novel. We are aiming to test the hypothesis that specific doses of radiation can impact certain cell types in the heart that are mediating the damage during heart failure while potentially preserving other parts of the heart that are still healthy, which would be really cool!
3. What challenges have you faced since you became a researcher, and how have you overcome them?
Like every researcher, I think about challenges during the COVID times. I did my dissertation during COVID -I was bringing participants into the laboratory for study visits in full PPE, so that was very challenging. But apart from that, I intentionally made a big leap in the scientific field from my PhD to my postdoc, and that’s been challenging. Learning new technical benchtop skills has been challenging as well as learning the rhythm of preclinical science -even maintaining animal models, animal handling, and surgery – has been challenging but ultimately really rewarding. This has given me a much better knowledge of the scope, breadth, and progression of science. Even though it has been challenging, I’m glad I did it.
4. What advice would you give to a new postdoc starting their journey, specially while changing the field, expanding their expertise??
Do it! It’s worth it! It gives you completely different perspectives and an appreciation for the breadth of what’s out there. Going outside your box is challenging, but it’s exciting and I think it has made me a better researcher. When you enter a new field, don’t be afraid to ask other people for help, especially when you’re learning new things, especially in places like WashU where people are so generous. Even though it might be scary, it has always benefited me, people are always willing to help.
5. What are the special opportunities you received as a postdoc at WashU?
I have been so enamored by WashU. My PhD institute was smaller and so obviously coming here, I feel there is just an abundance of opportunity: equipment wise, mentorship wise, experience wise, funding for trainees etc. I noticed how generous the research community is here. I have never met more people that are willing to share their ideas, their equipment, their time, and everyone just wants science to progress. Even more senior researchers want to help and that has just been an amazing experience. At WashU, you can think about experiments that are beyond your expertise and get help from other labs to do them. For example, I’m working on doing a flow experiment right now that looks at different immune cell populations in the heart, which requires a multicolor cytometer different from what we have. A collaborator has generously allowed us to use their flow cytometer and it’s just fantastic. I’m thankful that now I can do a much more robust experiment.
6. Is there anything you do that people would be surprised to find out about you?
I really enjoy creative writing! If I had a little bit more time, I would love to write a fiction book. I thought when I was a kid that I’d grow up to be a creative writer. I really enjoy scientific writing as well. I love grant writing, and I think most scientists are surprised when I say that I enjoy scientific writing.
7. Is there any myth about exercise that you would like to burst based on your knowledge?
A: The belief that ‘any form of movement may be harmful when a person is undergoing medical treatments such as cancer therapy or, as another example, for women during pregnancy’. In certain contexts, and when guided or monitored by clinicians, physical movement can be beneficial before, during, and after the process of cancer treatment.
8. Do you have interests in sports and exercise that propelled you towards this field? How do they fit into your future endeavors?
I enjoyed sports recreationally growing up, but I’m not as interested in performance- or competition-based sports. I’m more interested in how exercise and physical activity can keep someone healthy over the duration of their life. I try to stay active and a big passion of mine has been doing things every day to improve overall health. It’s not the focus of my current work, but it was a huge part of my PhD and eventually I’d really like to merge those two fields and investigate how exercise and dietary changes can complement pharmacological means to improve cardiovascular health in cancer survivors. I’m passionate about movement or exercise as a means of keeping yourself healthy through all stages of life. Currently, I take my dogs for a walk and go to the gym to keep myself active.
Interviewed and Edited by Outreach Committee 2023-2024.