WOMEN IN SCIENCE: Living in another country is such a scary yet wonderful experience. We have so much to learn from each other and our cultures.
Grantee Experience I Stephanie Schofield I Universität Heidelberg I 12 months
Stephanie Schofield just wrapped up her research grant in Heidelberg, Germany, where she worked at the Institute for Human Genetics at the Universität Heidelberg.
During her time, she researched ways to use patient-derived stem cells to create 3D models of stages of early embryogenesis, specifically focusing on neural crest cells.
Genetic changes during the development and migration of these cells can have major impacts on an embryo’s development and manifest into a neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) , which can be present in 1 in 6 live births.
Stephanie’s goal was to recapitulate these events within stem cells in order to better understand what leads to NDDs and hopefully inspire novel care regiments for patients affected by these conditions.
An aspiring genetic counselor, Stephanie diversified her Fulbright experience beyond the lab-bench, spending a week in Finland under an Inter-Country travel grant from the Fulbright Finland Foundation.
She explored Finland’s healthcare system, focusing on the country’s clinical genetics practices and in turn, educated her Finnish collaborators about genetic counseling practices in the United States.
Beyond her genetics-based work, Stephanie is passionate about cultural exchange and visited two German schools under the Meet US program from Fulbright Germany.
“Living in another country is such a scary yet wonderful experience. We have so much to learn from each other and our cultures. Aside from my research, my biggest goal was to instill the same passion for cultural exchange that Fulbright Germany instilled in me”, Stephanie said.
While she has completed her grant, Stephanie hopes to continue to inspire others around the world to reach out of their comfort zones and study abroad.
