Features

The Jugglers

Balancing a Scientific Career with Raising a Family

BY MICHELLE BOND, LAURA S. CARTER, ANNE DAVIDSON, CLARISSA JAMES, AND EMILY PETRUS

Everyone deals differently with how to balance raising a family with moving forward in a career, but such jugglers share common problems and use similar techniques in juggling the demands of family and research. For this issue of the NIH Catalyst, we interviewed NIH scientists of all types, at all levels of their careers, and at all stages of raising their families—from having infants to having grown children.

Brave New Imaging

From the Cosmos to the Molecule

BY ANNE DAVIDSON, NICHD

“Today we are going to consider the ultimate bridge from the farthest reach of the cosmos to the smallest molecule,” Irwin Arias, the organizer of the DeMystifying Medicine lecture series, told the crowd that gathered to hear presentations from NASA astrophysicist John Mather, who studies the stars, and former NIH senior scientist Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz, who studies the inner workings of cells.

Under Your Skin: Molecules and Cells for Touch and Pain

What Alexander Chesler Is Discovering about the Somatosensory System

BY HUSSAIN ATHER, NIDDK

Alexander Chesler was intrigued to learn that two mutations in a single gene cause dramatic problems in the sensory system.

NIDCR Symposium Focuses on the Science and Development of Autotherapies

The “Autotherapies: Enhancing Our Innate Healing Capacity” symposium held at NIH in January 2018, featured presentations on autotherapies, which are treatments based on the body’s natural ability to heal itself. These approaches may harness innate processes—such as the body’s immune responses or its regenerative potential—to treat multiple diseases and conditions.

Parenting Resources

BY MICHELLE R. BOND

The NIH provides many resources to support parents as they try to integrate and balance their careers and family.