The fellowship encourages and supports female research scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. It was established in 2010 through a generous gift from Robin Chemers Neustein, JD, MBA, a former member of Mount Sinai’s Boards of Trustees. Recipients are senior postdoctoral scientists who intend to complete their training within two years, have demonstrated high-impact accomplishments in biomedical sciences, and exhibit the potential for an independent scientific career. Dr. Joseph is the 24th recipient of the award.
From left: Andrea Joseph, PhD, and Michal A. Elovitz, MD
Dr. Joseph is a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Michal A. Elovitz, MD, a physician-scientist who is a renowned leader in obstetrics and gynecology, and reproductive biology. Dr. Elovitz is the inaugural Dean for Women’s Health Research, Founding Director of the Women’s Biomedical Research Institute, Mount Sinai Professor of Women’s Health Research, and Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science.
Dr. Elovitz’s research focuses on understanding the underlying biological mechanisms and consequences of adverse reproductive and pregnancy outcomes. Her research integrating immunology and microbiology into reproductive biology is creating new paradigms for understanding and ultimately improving reproductive and pregnancy health.
Our research integrating immunology and microbiology into reproductive biology is creating new paradigms for understanding and ultimately improving reproductive and pregnancy health.
As a National Institutes of Health (NIH) F31 graduate research fellow, Dr. Joseph developed biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles for the delivery of small-molecule and large-enzyme therapeutics to the injured neonatal brain. Dr. Joseph’s postdoctoral projects probe the ways inflammation is initiated in pregnancy, focusing on microbial-immune interaction as a key mediator of preterm birth. Specifically, her proposed work investigates how extracellular vesicles derived from vaginal bacteria propagate inflammation in the reproductive tract and how these extracellular vesicles may be engineered for bio-inspired, anti-inflammatory drug delivery.
“Scientists still have a poor understanding of the molecular drivers of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth,” says Dr. Joseph. “My work has shown that the vaginal microbiome may play a role in preterm birth, specifically through bacterial extracellular vesicles that can activate immune pathways. I hope that, through my research, we can engineer new therapeutics for these diseases, leveraging some of biology’s own tools. I am honored to receive this year’s Robin Chemers Neustein Postdoctoral Fellowship Award and I am grateful to the selection committee for believing in my work.”
Says Dr. Elovitz: “An important pathway to meaningfully advance reproductive and pregnancy health is to leverage expertise across disciplines. Dr. Joseph’s work embodies this objective. Specifically, by applying a chemical engineering lens to reproductive biology, her work on bacterial extracellular vesicles significantly advances our understanding of host-microbial interactions, and thus, opens new therapeutic windows for conditions that create huge burdens for women.”
Throughout her career, Dr. Elovitz has created several mentoring programs and has been active in supporting women in science and medicine. “I am excited to have this opportunity to mentor and sponsor the next generation of promising physician-scientists and scientists in women’s health at Mount Sinai. I remain committed to promoting equity and empowering women as physicians, scientists, and leaders in medicine and science.”
Supporting women’s health research ...
... and advancing careers for female scientists
In October, Icahn Mount Sinai received a $4.6 million gift from The Pershing Square Foundation to support women’s health research and advance careers for female scientists. The gift will support critically needed discovery studies in four important areas across a female’s lifespan: endometriosis, cervical cancer, preeclampsia, and menopause. Dr. Elovitz will drive these four initiatives. “As the Dean for Women’s Health Research, I am empowered—along with an amazing group of clinicians, researchers, and scientists at Mount Sinai—to create a new paradigm for advancing women’s health,” says Dr. Elovitz.