Agatha Christie once said, “the first time you do a thing is always exciting.” Well, we’ve had a lot of excitement at the Nutrition Research Institute recently! Two members of the Smith Lab are celebrating becoming first-time first-authors of scientific journal publications.
Cecilia Kwan, PhD, RD, is a postdoctoral researcher in the Smith Lab. Her recent publication, Maternal Iron Nutriture Modulates Placental Development in a Rat Model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, is her first first-author publication at the Nutrition Research Institute. Dr. Kwan received her PhD in molecular nutrition from Cornell University. While at Cornell, she also completed a dietetic internship and is currently certified as a Registered Dietitian.
Kaylee Helfrich, a PhD student in the Smith lab, also recently saw the publication of her first paper as co-first author. Alcohol’s Dysregulation of Maternal-Fetal IL-6 and p-STAT3 Is a Function of Maternal Iron Status was co-authored by Nipun Saini, PhD, a post-doctoral researcher in the Smith Lab. Kaylee, who completed her BS degree in Biochemistry at Clemson University, works with Dr. Susan Smith to research prenatal alcohol exposure and its interaction with iron metabolism in the mother and infant.
Publishing in a scientific journal is no easy feat. In addition to the many hours spent writing and revising the publication itself, research needs to be completed and outcomes analyzed before the decision to publish results can even be made. Congratulations to Cecilia and Kaylee on this hard-earned accomplishment!
