This spring, our featured MSTP alumni is Dr. Catherine Salussolia, MD, PhD, a Pediatric Epilepsy Fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Salussolia received her PhD in the Neuroscience Department in the lab of Dr. Lonnie Wollmuth where she studied the biogenesis of glutamate receptors and glutamatergic signaling. She went on to complete a pediatrics and child neurology residency at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital. Since completing her residency, she has progressed into both a postdoctoral research fellowship in the lab of Dr. Mustafa Sahin at Boston Children’s Hospital as well as her clinical Pediatric Epilepsy Fellowship where she balances basic science and busy clinical endeavors.
Here, Dr. Salussolia shared much on her career including her academic journey into medicine and science from her time at Swarthmore College and personal family experiences, spoke on her neuroscience development in the M.D./Ph.D. program, discussed her next grant target, and summarized a typical day of balancing clinical & research obligations with MSTP student Tyler Guinn.
Background, College, & getting into research
What led you to pursue a scientific career? Who are the individuals or what were the important events that stood out to you for motivating you to pursue a scientific focus during before college, during college, or during your masters?
From a young age I wanted to be a physician, but my passion for neuroscience and the understanding of the molecular neural determinants of learning, memory and neurodevelopment in normal and disease states was influenced by personal experiences with my brother. Chronologically, my brother and I are very close in age; yet, academically we have always been years apart. From an early age I knew that we did not process information – whether it be verbal, written, or tactile – in the same manner. Where I excelled in school, my brother struggled to perform even what one might call simple tasks, such as basic arithmetic. Diagnosed with multiple learning disabilities – likely stemming from prematurity, hypoxic-ischemic injury at birth, and seizures throughout early childhood – my brother has significantly helped to shape my career in the field of Child Neurology and more specifically, sparked my interest in the molecular mechanisms underlying epilepsy and neural function.
My decision to pursue a career in science was influenced by Dr. Maria Papadopoulos, a neonatologist at St. Christopher’s Hospital. Dr. Papadopoulos was an amazing physician, mentor and friend. While working in her laboratory during the summer between my junior and senior years of college, I saw firsthand that you could be a successful physician and scientist. It was during this time, I began to think about applying to MD/PhD programs, but rather than apply during that cycle, I wanted to be sure of my decision to commit to a career as a physician-scientist and pursued a two-year Master’s program in neuroscience where I would complete a thesis before committing to a 8-year program. My Master’s program reinforced my desire to be a physician-scientist.
How did your experiences at Swarthmore & Albany Medical College prepare you for a career in medicine/research?
At Swarthmore, my first introduction to the lab was as a lab assistant making fly food and taking care of the drosophila stocks. During my sophomore year I began to work on a research project that studied learning and memory in flies: my job was to analyze the mating behaviors of different fly strains that had mutations that impacted their and memory. This experience taught me the patience and attention to details needed to be successful in science. My thesis projects at Swarthmore and Albany Med allowed me to work with mice and rats respectively. Through these projects I learned various behavioral and learning paradigms, as well as surgical techniques that have helped form a good basis for my future research.
Was there an area of medicine or research you were hoping to do when you started to apply to medical school?
Neuroscience- there was never any doubt. With regards to my medical specialty, I was always thinking I would do Child Neurology, but I did briefly consider Neonatology given my college mentor and that I am interested in genetics and developmental aspects, but Neurology was always my true love.
What did you study at Swarthmore? How did this influence your interest in research/medicine?
Swarthmore is a liberal arts school, so there was not a formal neuroscience or neurobiology major. So, I majored in Psychology and minored in Biology, allowing me to create my own curriculum in neuroscience.
Were there any other career paths that you considered?
No.
MSTP Training:
What were some aspects that drew you towards Stony Brook after finishing your masters at Albany Medical College?
The community! On my interview day and on my second look, I felt so welcomed and at home. Everyone was so friendly, and it felt like a great place to be. The possible mentors I met during those early visits were wonderful and the opportunity to work and collaborate at Cold Spring Harbor was a huge plus.
How were the first two years of medical school?
A lot of studying for megas (do you still have those?), full of laughter and good times. I had an amazing class and a great group of friends that made those years wonderful through all the ups and downs.
Were there any challenges that you faced from switching fields/institutions and what advice would you give students in similar positions pursuing M.D./Ph.D. training?
The advice I always give future MD/PhD applicants and even residents, is do not pick an institution for one particular person you would like to train with, as they could leave. Choose a technique or make sure there are multiple people you could see yourself working with so that you have options and continue to adapt and grow in your career.
Which labs did you end up rotating with?
I rotated with Holly Colognato and Lonnie Wollmuth.
How was the transition back into a research lab for PhD?
I was excited to be back in the lab and I didn’t feel like it was a huge transition since I felt like we didn’t really ever stop since there was a rotation prior to 1st year, a rotation in the summer prior to 2nd year and then after boards I joined my PhD lab. As with every lab you join, there is a learning curve, but it wasn’t too bad. The bigger transition was back to 3rd year. I thought I made a good decision starting with OB/GYN thinking it would be one system to focus on, but the shelf exam was a lot of medicine and surgery, so that was a little steeper.
Who did you ultimately end up picking as a dissertation lab?
I chose Lonnie’s lab after my second rotation and joined immediately following completion of my second year.
How did your undergraduate/masters focus influence your choice of a dissertation lab? What skills were you able to use during PhD that you learned from undergraduate?
My passion for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying learning and memory led to me to join Lonnie Wollmuth’s lab. My goal was to learn electrophysiology, however my project took a different more molecular turn and I focused on the biogenesis of glutamate receptors. While I still learned basic electrophysiology and have a solid basis in the field, I am still hoping to complete my electrophysiology training in my post-doc.
What ultimately led you to choose the dissertation lab that you did?
First and foremost, the research question/material: glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain and is pivotal in normal states such as learning and memory, but dysfunctional glutamatergic signaling is implicated in many disease states including epilepsy, mood/psychiatric disorders, and neurodegenerative disorders. I also liked that the lab wasn’t too big, and that Lonnie always had his door open to talk over questions, review data or come into the lab and be hands on working through a problem I might have.
What were important milestones for you during graduate school? How did your mentors/PI help you with these?
I think one of the best things I did was include my outside member for my thesis committee at an early stage. I had my outside member present when I proposed, and it was very helpful to have him involved early as it allowed me to complete my thesis in four years and produce three first author papers.
How was the transition back into medical school from graduate school? What were helpful habits, hints, or tricks that you developed to navigate this or heard from other students who had undergone this transition?
In the last year of my PhD, I would work 1-2 ED shifts a month in preparation for going back to 3r year. I thought it was helpful to start getting back into the swing of things, coming up with a differential and working on my presentations. I chose the ED so I could see a little bit of everything. If you have the opportunity to do something like this, I would highly recommend it.
As you were approaching 4th year of medical school, how did you come to the decision to apply to pediatrics/child neurology? What important medical school experiences led you to make this decision? How did your PhD influence this decision?
As I said earlier, I always was leaning towards child neurology, however during medical school I learned about neurodevelopmental disabilities residency as well, which I felt also fit my interests well, so I completed an away rotation at Boston Children’s in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (NDD). I applied to both Child Neurology and NDD, but during my interview at Boston Children’s I met with Chair, Scott Pomeroy who was very honest and a mentor from day one even prior to me matching in the program and gave me great advice about my career as a physician-scientist guiding me towards Child Neurology and pursuing the R25 fellowship for Child Neurologists. The R25 provides 6 months of protected time in your last year of residency and 2 years of funding as a post-doctoral fellow.
Postgraduate Training:
After pediatrics residency, you than transitioned to Boston Children’s Hospital for Pediatric Neurology Residency. Can you speak about that transition? Also, what aspects from your experience stand out as important to keep mindful of when switching institutions, disciplines, areas, etc.?
Any transition brings new challenges and adjustments, I think it’s important to embrace it and don’t be afraid to ask for help. While scary, it was also extremely liberating and felt great to be finally in my specialty. One of the things I wasn’t ready for was that as soon as I started Neurology, attendings were asking what did I want to specialize in? As a first-year child neurology resident, you feel like you are already specialized, but there is so much more! Neuroimmunology, neuroophthalmology, epilepsy, epilepsy genetics, neuromuscular, movement disorders, neonatal, stroke, neuro ICU, headache and the list goes on!
After completing 5 years of residency, what experiences led you to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship position? Were there other options you were considering?
The R25 post-doctoral fellowship from NINDS is a great opportunity for neurologist and neurosurgeons. It provides 6 months protected time in residency as well as 2 years of funding following residency to allow you to gather data to prepare and apply for a K08. I learned about the R25 program during my interviews and applied during the start of my second year of neurology. I am currently working on applying for a K award. As Child Neurologists we are fortunate enough to be able to apply for a K12 award which is only for Child neurologists, as well as the K08.
As a postdoctoral fellow & a Pediatric Epilepsy fellow, can you speak to what most excites you about your current work?
My patients! Understanding the molecular mechanisms of genetic epilepsies excites me and makes me want to get into the lab and hopefully make meaningful discoveries that may lead to patient-specific treatments.
What is a typical day like for you?
Currently I’m a full-time clinical fellow- so I’m on service 3 weeks a month and have elective once a month. Right now, I’m actually covering the concerned parent pager and am on call from home tonight. From a research perspective, I go into lab during nights and weekends when I’m on a lighter service, as I’m currently making a mouse model for my upcoming grant applications.
Miscellaneous/Fun Q’s:
Did you develop any fun hobbies or go on any remarkable adventures during your M.D./Ph.D. training at Stony Brook?
For fun, I was a season ticket holder for the Seawolves football and basketball and really enjoyed attending the games. Before the football games, I would tailgate along with others who sat near us including my PI Lonnie and his wife. I also really enjoyed exploring Long Island- going out East to different farms, vineyards, or just a nice drive. Port Jefferson is amazing, and I still miss it- studying in the old ship-building building, looking out onto the harbor, and that ice cream!
Are there any aspects, locations, or peoples that you miss about Long Island or Stony Brook?
Port Jefferson and the close ties to the community. I have come back to visit my lab and some of my close friends who still live in the area.
Article by Tyler Guinn, MS3.
