Helen Martirosova, PhD, MSc

Scientific Research Manager, Pathology Department, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Let's start with your background- can you tell us a bit about your journey from school to laboratory?

In a way I wanted to be some version of a scientist since about 12, it just went through several iterations. At first, I wanted to be a marine biologist and study fish underwater, which my uncle found hilarious at the time, and then around 12 I saw the film Outbreak and I became obsessed with the ebola virus and becoming a virologist. Of course, the thought of actually coming face to face with a virus that liquefies your organs was terrifying! It was at Hunter College, where I was almost a triple major in Biology, Psychology and Philosophy, where I fell in love with neuroscience and particularly the molecular basis of learning, memory formation and memory recall. We are made of our memories, and what we remember, and I was fascinated by the concept of altering a memory each time that you recall it. Being first generation immigrant at the end of college I needed to make a hard decision to pursue the practical path of law school for patent law (one school gave me a full scholarship) or to take the much riskier path of pursuing graduate school. I followed my gut and was admitted to Northwestern University for their neuroscience grad school. To make a long story short my grad school experience was challenging for all the wrong reasons. I had no issues with grades or coming up with a great thesis that I am still proud off (on how a metabolic key player was affected in Alzheimer’s disease) but the politics, and treatment as a young woman, had me defending a MSc after 4.5 years instead of a PhD and vowing to leave science. I played around with the idea of going back to law school which led me to shortly work at an intellectual property law firm and then joining Memorial Sloan Kettering contracts department, I then transitioned to Cornell to work on clinical trial contracts. When I was being recruited for manager positions, I had to really think of whether that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. My love of science was just still too strong! So when a That's when Stand Up To Cancer was hiring a project coordinator I jumped at the chance. I was over the moon being back close to science, and being exposed to such great scientists, unfortunately I senses that a lack of a PhD was holding me back. Being in my 30s I didn't know what to do.  Luckily, I found a program (Salus University) that collaborated with Memorial Sloan Kettering to do a PhD. So, in 2020 I joined the incredible lab of Christine Iacobuzio-Donahue (Director of Pancreatic Research), where I did my PhD, post-doc and am now Science Research Manager for the Pathology Department at Memorial Sloan Kettering.

Who is your favorite scientist and why? 

There are so many great scientists out there that just amaze me every single day. My favorite scientist of all time though has to be the neuroscientist Eric Kandel, not only is he an incredible scientist he is an inspirational human being. His exceptionally creative approach to studying difficult neuroscientific concepts of learning and memory using the simple model of sea slugs were revolutionary and his discoveries had the most profound impacts on the field to this day. I also love the fact that he is a well known art lover (as am I) and has delved into the neuroscience driving artistic endeavors which is fascinating (highly recommend his book The Age of Insight).

What is the last book you read? 

 Reading really is a key to success in life. I read absolutely everything, science, news, culture, and of course books. I love authors such as Milan Kundera, Vladimir Nabokov, James Salter, Franz Kafka, Albert Camus and Stanislaw Lem. The book that I just finished was His Master Voice by Stanislaw Lem and a biography of Joy Division (I am a lifelong fan). Both great books for very different reasons. His Master’s Voice painted a vivid picture on what collaboration on science going awry looks like. The Joy Division Biography (Touching from a Distance) provided a very raw look at artistic genius.   

Your research focuses on how Type 2 diabetes impacts pancreatic cancer-what insights have you learned so far? 

Each one of us has a unique environment and when our metabolism shifts, such as in the case of type 2 diabetes, it also shifts how we respond to diseases, including cancer. I think it is critical to understand the subtle differences in cancer patients with type 2 diabetes vs without to improve their treatment and outcomes. I am in the process of assembling a publication of this important work so stay tuned!

What innovations in science are you most excited about?

We have the ability now to really begin to gain a full scope view of what goes wrong by looking at all disease aspects at single cell and bulk levels. We can look at DNA, RNA, protein expression, epigenetic changes, and tissue alterations all at the same time. Additionally, whatever the disease being investigated is, it exists within a whole individual, and not just the organ being directly affected, so looking at how multiple organs are involved in disease state, and particularly investigating the involvement of the central nervous, is the future of learning about disease progress and hence treatment.  

Why did you feel inspired to pursue a career in this field?

 I get really excited about moving forward great research that is novel and of benefit to patients. So many times, scientists play around with great ideas but for whatever reason they put them aside to focus on more pressing matters. This is where I come in to really build out the idea, build out the cross-sectional collaboration and really go for exciting impactful research, nothing is better than that for me!

What is your advice for young women who want to pursue a career in STEM?

My advice is to make sure that science really is your passion because if it is not, it will be torture. If it is your passion, then make sure to keep reading not just within your field but in related fields as well to gain inspiration. This will also build confidence, which will be necessary to push forward your original ideas. Always remember that great science should tell a great story and is not just about getting down the skills and techniques which are just the means to an end.

Thank you, Helen. We look forward to reading your publication!