HomepageBiologyFrom Ursinus to Temple and Beyond: This Alum has Heart

From Ursinus to Temple and Beyond: This Alum has Heart

Deborah Eaton, class of 2016, recently obtained her Ph.D. at Temple. She researched cardiac function with Dr. Beth Bailey in the Biology Department at Ursinus and now aims to facilitate the development of new heart failure therapies.

At the start of her sophomore year at Ursinus Deborah Eaton began her research journey. “Deb spent three years working in my research lab and during that time became a real leader in the lab. She was crucial to the development of the pregnancy animal model that we currently use”, said Dr. Beth Bailey, Deb’s research mentor during her time at Ursinus.

Jumping into the research lab early on happens often for Ursinus students. Deb applauds her experience here for her success in graduate school. She shared, “Ursinus prepared me so well for graduate school and being a member of the scientific community. A large part of being a scientist is being able to clearly communicate your data, which many people don’t realize. Between presentations in classes and research days, I really felt like I had a great foundation entering grad school in how to be an effective communicator.”

Following graduation, Deb received her masters, and most recently her Ph.D., at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. The majority of her work focused on developing a better understanding of the pathophysiology of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), with a focus on looking at sex-based differences. Sex-based differences in heart function is a topic of Dr. Bailey’s lab, so Deb was well positioned for success on this project.

“The research opportunities offered to Ursinus students are incredible. Dr. Bailey was an outstanding mentor and taught me so much about being a well-rounded scientist. Her encouragement from my undergraduate studies/research has carried over to my graduate work and I still reach out to her for advice. I cannot thank the Ursinus community enough for everything they did in preparing me to hit the ground running after graduation,” explains Deb.

What’s next in her journey? Deb will be doing a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. Her goal is to develop a better understanding of the intersection between basic, translational, and clinical cardiovascular research. She says, “I think there is an unmet need for scientists who can bridge the gap between basic science and clinical medicine, and I hope to fit into this unique niche to help facilitate the development and translation of new heart failure therapies.”

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