New Public Lecture Series Highlights TSRI Women in Biomedical Research

By Madeline McCurry-Schmidt

The Female Faculty Group at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) is hosting a new public lecture series, titled ResearcHERS, to give the institute’s friends and donors a behind-the-scenes look at biomedical research and the work of women in the field.

The series kicked off October 21, 2015 with a presentation by TSRI Professor and Trustee Linda Sherman, whose research focuses on the body’s immune system.

“I love finding out how things work in the immune system,” said Sherman. “By asking these basic questions about how the body works, you can learn things that will benefit many different diseases.”

In particular, Sherman explained how some of her lab’s insights into the immune system’s overreaction in type 1 diabetes might be harnessed to boost the body’s defenses against cancer.

Chris Lee, Scripps California director of philanthropy who introduced the lecture series, emphasized the importance of female scientists and supporters at TSRI. “Since Ellen Browning Scripps’ founding vision to create Scripps many decades ago, women’s leadership in science has been at the core of our organization,” he said.

The event included a Q&A session and an hors d'oeuvres reception, which provided opportunities for guests to interact with the TSRI faculty, including those working in chemistry, stem cell therapy and Alzheimer’s disease research.

“When I mingled with our guests at the cocktail reception after my presentation, I found great appreciation and interest in my research and our ResearcHERS program,” Sherman noted. “I think we succeeded in conveying, in an accessible format, how and why we do the research we do and how it affects people’s lives. I was also very pleased that the guests, and other researchers from TSRI, all felt they learned something significant about the immune system, type 1 diabetes and cancer immunotherapy. What a success!”

The next ResearcHERS lecture will feature Professor Donna Blackmond on March 9, 2016, from 4:00 to 6:00 PM in the Auditorium at TSRI. For reservations, contact Chelsea Luedeke at cluedeke@scripps.edu or 858-784-7083.

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