Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Seven minutes in stroke - Marie Luby


1. What inspired you towards neuroscience?

My first position as a biomedical engineer at Yale is what inspired me towards neuroscience. I assisted in the image acquisition and planning for image-guided stereotactic neurosurgery. It was a tremendous learning experience. I also performed hippocampal volumetric measurements in epileptic patients. My love for quantitative and functional MRI began at that time. The ability to measure pathology and disease progression using imaging fascinated me.


2. Why stroke?

My next significant position was as the director of Central Nervous System at an imaging CRO, focusing on clinical trials. We were responsible for the image processing and analyses for the majority of neuroprotective agents in ischemic stroke studies. During that time I traveled to hospitals around the world and learned a great deal from both an imaging and clinical perspective. My interest in being an imaging scientist formed during this experience.  As a result I finished my doctorate in biomedical engineering with my dissertation focusing on quantitative MRI in stroke.

3. What have been the highs so far?

The highs are finishing research studies, getting papers published and presenting at international meetings. However, the biggest high by far is teaching engineering and medical students and having a positive impact on their careers.

4. What have been the lows?

The lows are getting papers rejected, especially after putting in an enormous amount of time and effort.

5. How do you balance work life with the needs of home life?

I think I have dedicated, albeit by sheer luck, each decade to one life goal. First was an emphasis on travel and gaining work experience, next was finishing my academic goals and establishing myself as an imaging scientist, which coincided with becoming a mother. Over the last several years my drive has helped me to focus on two goals, raising my daughter and advancing the science in stroke imaging.

6. Who are your most important mentors and how did you find them?

My most important mentors are: Dr. Greg McCarthy, neuropsychologist at Yale who taught me a tremendous amount; Dr. John Enderle, my advisor from my doctoral studies at UCONN, who encouraged me throughout my academic career and hired me as an adjunct professor for the BME department; and Dr. Steven Warach, my life long mentor and friend, who I met during my time at the imaging CRO. I have been fortunate enough to continue to work with Dr. Warach for almost two decades.

7. What are your most important collaborations and how have you built them?

My most important collaborations have been through my current position at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke\National Institutes of Health and becoming involved in STIR and VISTA Imaging, two worldwide collaborative groups focused on the advancement of stroke research. I have built these collaborations by helping others in their research, being meticulous in my own research, being dedicated with my feedback to others, and being open to all ideas and approaches that my colleagues put forth.


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