PROFILES IN RESEARCH EXCELLENCE: Elizabeth M. Poole, Ph.D.

Linda and Carolyn, 1999

Where is this, anyway?

Dr. Poole is an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and is affiliated with Brigham & Women’s Hospital, a cutting-edge outfit.  She came to my attention because she was awarded a 2015 Scientific Scholar award from the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research, which as you know is one of the places I try to help.  Scientific Scholar Awards are designed to further the work of young, innovative researchers who want to investigate a fresh approach to the problem of OVCA.   MRC handed out five such grants this year.  The reason that I chose Dr. Poole’s work to “reward” is that it is – well - different.  The remaining SS Awardees are planning to pursue new avenues, but avenues well within existing mainstream research – our old friends PARP inhibitors, immunotherapy, personalized medicine, etc. – all worthy, of course, but nothing to make my heart race.  Dr. Poole, by contrast, is taking a statistical approach to the following question: are certain commonly used medicines (aspirin, acetaminophen, beta-blockers, anti-depressants, etc.) in any way associated with resistance to ovarian cancer?   She has at her disposal two mammoth data bases – and she is trained in the statistical (and computational?) techniques needed to squeeze enlightenment out of them.  Squeeze hard, Liz:  Women everywhere will benefit.

Dr. Poole got her Ph.D. (in Epidemiology) from the University of Washington in 2008.  Prior to that she received an MS in Public Health from Emory University, and a B.S. (pre-med) from Augustana College.  Judging from her graduation date (and assuming a standard age of 21 for that event), Dr. Poole is about 36 years old.  However, judging from her picture, she is younger.  Any way you cut it, Elizabeth Poole has a lot of years to battle ovarian cancer.  May she experience every conceivable success.