#TraineeTuesday: Sarah Fitzpatrick

From the Lab to the Limelight - Blog version of our #TraineeTuesday Twitter series

This #TraineeTuesday, the spotlight’s on Sarah Fitzpatrick, an MD/PhD student in the Hoffman Lab! Recently awarded an NRSA F30 from the National Institute of Mental Health, Sarah’s excited to dive into her thesis work on autism. Find out how an Ohio summer camp inspired her research journey.

Using zebrafish as a model, Sarah will investigate the autism risk gene CHD8’s role in brain development. Through studying this gene and its mutations, she hopes to shed light on the mechanisms behind other risk genes — and inch closer to identifying specific treatments.

Growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio, Sarah worked at a summer camp for people with disabilities for many years, inspiring her interest in autism. As an Ohio State undergraduate student, one cold email to a Cincinnati Children’s hospital psychiatrist ultimately shaped her life: she found a lifelong mentor.

This launched a series of research experiences working on clinical trials of medications for patients with autism and Fragile X Syndrome. She continued working with the psychiatrist post-college — this time on translational research with mice and stem cells.

Sarah is still figuring out her future medical specialty. Luckily, her “excellent & supportive” mentor Ellen Hoffman, MD, PhD, is a physician-scientist at the forefront of autism research. This work excites the "curious kid" in Sarah, keeping her passion for research and medicine alive.