Meet LaNisha Patterson, MS, PhD

We were lucky to catch up with LaNisha Patterson, MS, PhD recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi LaNisha, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?
This is a very important question that I believe many individuals can benefit from. I am currently a post-doctoral fellow in the field of cancer biology, with a specialization in pancreatic cancer and new-onset diabetes (NOD). Throughout my journey of becoming a medical researcher, I have dealt with many hardships, including being one of the only African-American, female scientists in the laboratory; a phenomenon I like to call being a “triple-minority”. There are various studies published in very renowned scientific journals, including Science and Nature, that have acknowledged discrepancies in NIH funding, with white males being considered the elite amongst PIs and grant funding. In fact, it was reported that black researchers made up 1.8% of all investigators but just 0.9% of elite PIs. Of the 1.8% black researchers, black women were one-third as likely to be an elite PI as white men; with just 12 black women holding at least three grants. Acknowledging the disparately low proportion of women faculty in the NIH research grant applicant pool was the first step in understanding that I must work 150x harder than all of my colleagues. Although many people may look at the statistics as unfair, I have learned to look at it as an opportunity to be a pioneer for inclusivity in scientific research.

I have been a type I diabetic for thirty years and was allowed to be the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s first Children’s Congress when I was eight years old. Of the 100 delegates chosen to go to Washington D.C., I was one of only four chosen to testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee. During my testimony, I pleaded with Congress to allocate research funding for type I juvenile diabetes to the National Institute of Health. I promised that if they did not support funding to find a cure, I would grow up, become a medical researcher, and find a cure myself. I tell this story to stress my second point, which is purpose. I see living a purpose-filled life as natural fuel that will continue to ignite the fire leading you to your success. No matter who is in the room, and/or what odds you have against you, if you have purpose and you know that purpose, nothing can stop you from fulfilling it.

Finally, we have to learn to love who we are. I find self-love to be one of the most important aspects of my life. Everyone has an opinion. No one on this earth has ever been judged, whether it be positive or negative judgment. We have to learn that people are entitled to their opinions, however, as stated in the Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, we have to learn not to take things personally. There is no such thing as a perfect individual. I like to believe that we are all perfectly imperfect, unique individuals who each serve a purpose in life. If you understand this, then you understand that being the only one in the room is exactly what you are supposed to be.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am currently a CPRIT (Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas) TRIUMPH ((Translational Research in Multi-Disciplinary Program) Post-doctoral Fellow at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in which I am conducting research that will explore the link between pancreatic cancer and new-onset diabetes (NOD). The objective of this study is to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms of pancreatic cancer-associated diabetes to identify putative molecular drivers of the hyperglycemic phenotype we observe in a subset of patients and leverage these candidates for an early detection strategy. Our long-term programmatic goal is to identify noninvasive but highly discriminatory biomarkers for early detection of pancreatic cancer.

I began my higher education in biology. I received my bachelor’s degree from Marquette University in biological sciences. I went on to receive my master’s degree in biology at Texas Southern University. During this time, I also spent two summers at MD Anderson as a graduate research assistant for MD Anderson’s Cancer Prevention Research Training Program. I continued to pursue a career in research by entering graduate school at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. My research experiences have resulted in multiple publications, including two first-author manuscripts, one of which has recently been accepted in the Journal of Infection and Immunity, a first-author review, and multiple co-authorships. I am also honored to have been a recipient of a UTMB McLaughlin Endowment Predoctoral fellowship and an F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (NRSA) during my Ph.D. studies. My career goal is to become an independent R01-funded investigator at a research-intensive institution where I plan to continue my studies in my postdoctoral research.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three qualities that were/are impactful in my journey as a medical researcher are being tenacious, driven, and humble. Nothing or anyone should get in the way of you reaching your purpose. There are a million excuses in the world, don’t limit yourself by using one of them. Be limitless. Understand that no matter what you accomplish, or how far you have come, we are all unique individuals with purpose. Some of us find out before others, and some do not find their purpose at all, but that does not change that we each have a purpose in life. Those of us who are allowed to live that purpose should remain humble in all that we do, and use our opportunities for the greater good.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
One of my overarching goals is to start an organization to provide workshops, courses, conferences, and resources for minority students who are interested in STEM. These services would be provided to students in elementary through college. I would like to collaborate with individuals who would like to assist in the creation of this program or those who would like to provide resources or participate as mentors. I am based in the city of Houston, however, I would like this program to be nationwide. Please feel free to contact me if this is something that would interest you.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Antonio L. Vines BADS photography

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