Women in STEM 2024: Priya Sivaramakrishnan, PhD, Assistant Professor, Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine

Hello everybody. My name is Dr. Priya Sivaramakrishnan, and I recently started as assistant professor in the Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine and the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The goal of my lab's research is to understand how cell identities are established during embryonic development to allow for the generation of a fully functional adult organism. We use the tiny nematode worm, c. elegans, to study the mechanisms by which precision in transcriptional program support robustness in cell-based specification. These studies will help shed light on how things can go wrong during human development, leading to neurodevelopmental disorders.

Because the main cell types, tissues, master regulators, and pathways are so well conserved between c. elegans and humans, we can create humanized worms carrying genes linked to transcription associated development disorders to connect molecular changes with embryonic defects. We're also working collaboratively with groups across CHOP to use these disease model worms to clarify clinical variants of uncertain significance, which will help offer timely evidence to support genetic diagnosis.

My advice to aspiring women in STEM is based on something I wish I had done more throughout my career, which is to not be afraid to reach out to people for help. The secret that no one tells you in science, is that problems are not solved by an individual, and you're not expected to know how to do everything by yourself. Especially as a woman of color, it is very easy to fall into that trap. Find a community of peers who will support and guide you. And when it is your turn to help others, try to make the time to do so with kindness and with empathy.