In this episode, we interview Dr. Virginia Man-Yee Lee, an award-winning biochemist and neuropathologist who specializes in the research of Alzheimer’s disease at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the John H. Ware 3rd Endowed Professor in Alzheimer’s Research, Director of the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, and the Marian S. Ware Center for Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Program. Dr. Lee’s h-index is 224 and she is listed among the 10 most highly cited AD researchers from 1985-2008 and among the top 400 most highly influential biomedical researchers from 1996-2011. ISI has recognized Dr. Lee as an ISI Highly Cited Researcher and places her in the top 10 most highly cited neuroscientists from 1997 to 2007. Dr. Lee has been ranked 2 among Top Female Scientists for 2022 by Research.com. She received the 2020 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. It was a fun interview for us, Dr. Lee had lots of great stories to share, which we think you will find quite interesting.
Show Notes & Links Of Interest
Introduction [00:11]
Interview Begins [01:16]
Question: Can she introduce herself to our audience? [02:10]
Question: What was her life like growing up and how has that influenced her career and where she is today? [03:23]
Michael L. Shelanski [8:46]
John Q. Trojanowski [8:55]
Question: Where are we currently with Alzheimer’s and what can we expect in the coming years? [13:33]
Question: What were some of the hardest things she had to overcome? [20:38]
Question: Over the course of her career is there a particular award or accomplishment she is most proud of? [23:00]
Question: What were the challenges and benefits of her professional partner being her life partner? [28:15]
Question: Is there anyone she looks to currently as a role model/hero or someone that points out to her daughters? [26:20]
Link: Nadia Comăneci [28:06]
Link: Nastia Liukin [28:08]
Link: Shannon Miller [28:09]
Link: Olga Korbut [28:14]
Question: What advice would she give to young girls as they pursue their dreams? [31:00]
Question: What one quality or trait does she feel young girls should embrace when pursuing their dreams? [33:58]
Wrap up [35:22]
Dr Lee’s BIO
Dr. Virginia M.-Y. Lee studied music at the Royal Academy of Music in London (1962-1964) and received her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of California at San Francisco in 1973. She joined the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in 1981 and rose to become Professor of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine in 1989. She is the John H. Ware 3rd Endowed Professor in Alzheimer’s Research, Director of the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, and the Marian S. Ware Center for Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Program. Dr. Lee identified tau, alpha-synuclein and TDP-43 as disease proteins that form unique inclusions in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and frontotemporal degeneration/Lou Gehrig’s disease, respectively, and has advanced understanding of their roles in these disorders. Together with her late husband John Q. Trojanowski, Lee's studies challenged conventional belief that Alzheimer’s disease is caused by aggregation of amyloid plaques and pointed to the tau protein as a major player. Dr. Lee’s h-index is 224 and she is listed among the 10 most highly cited AD researchers from 1985-2008 and among the top 400 most highly influential biomedical researchers from 1996-2011. ISI has recognized Dr. Lee as an ISI Highly Cited Researcher and places her in the top 10 most highly cited neuroscientists from 1997 to 2007.Dr. Lee has been ranked 2 among Top Female Scientists for 2022 by Research.com. She received the 2020 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences.
Hosts
