As a part of our “Meet Yale Internal Medicine” series, today’s feature is on Stephanie Thorn, MSc, PhD, assistant professor (cardiology) and the associate director of the Yale Translational Imaging Center (Y-TRIC)
Stephanie Thorn’s, MSc, PhD, first foray into research was like being dropped straight into the deep end. “It was in the summer before my fourth year of undergrad when I didn’t know anything about scientific research. My advisor showed me the room and said, ‘There's the equipment, there are the manuals. Get to it and let me know if you have any questions.’ I think that was when I fell in love with research,” said Thorn.
Thorn went on to receive her master’s in science from the University of Guelph and then got a job in research at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. That experience, she said, helped her realize that research was the right path for her and that, eventually, she wanted to investigate her own ideas.
“As an investigator, you read all of these papers and learn what everybody else has provided to the literature, but then you can forge your own path by investigating your question with that knowledge,” she said.
During her PhD thesis defense, she met Albert Sinusas, MD, professor of medicine (cardiovascular medicine), who served as her external reader. Not only did she get her PhD, but she also got a job offer from Sinusas, who invited her to come to Yale as a postdoctoral fellow.
Thorn now serves as the associate director of the Yale Translational Imaging Center (Y-TRIC), a research core within the Section of Cardiovascular Medicine that Sinusas envisioned and established in 2010. The center, which Sinusas leads, centralizes state-of-the-art imaging facilities, research space, and surgical suites for translational research.
“The lab is such an amazing place. We can develop the techniques and methodology and investigate therapeutics here – and then, because we’re using the exact same cameras used in the clinic, we can very easily translate our research and methods to patient studies in the clinic,” said Thorn.
Most other university research centers do not have a dedicated center like Y-TRIC, so researchers often need to use clinical equipment in the evenings after patient appointments are complete. “They can’t start their studies until 5 p.m., and then they work until midnight,” says Thorn. “All of our equipment is in one spot, so we can run all different tests back-to-back and get more information more quickly.”
Having dedicated imaging equipment for research also means that Thorn and other investigators can stretch the limits of the technology in ways that other centers aren’t able to. “Since this equipment is not used for patients, we don’t need FDA approval for everything. We can install unique or beta versions of software and push the envelope, which is what we’re supposed to do as researchers.”
Since joining Yale, Thorn has worked with Sinusas to investigate cardiac injury after a heart attack and develop novel therapeutic approaches for left ventricular remodeling to prevent heart failure. Over the past several years, Thorn has begun to conduct her own research on the right ventricle of the heart, often referred to as the ‘forgotten’ ventricle, because there has been very little research and understanding about it and its role in human health.
“The right ventricle is interesting,” said Thorn. “It’s so thin-walled that imaging equipment couldn’t pick it up until about 5-10 years ago. Now that cameras are getting more sophisticated, with better sensitivity and better resolution, we can pick up this part of the heart and better understand its role and function.”
It’s now understood that if the right ventricle starts to fail, mortality rates for patients with heart failure dramatically increase. Right ventricle failure has also been linked to increased mortality among people with pulmonary hypertension and other conditions. “Drugs that have been used in left ventricle heart failure do not always work well, so more research is needed to understand the role of the right ventricle and how to address issues,” said Thorn.
Thorn and her team use SPECT or PET to monitor therapies to understand how they impact the right ventricle. “It’s a non-invasive way to monitor progression in those patients,” she said. “We’re uniquely positioned to look at this with our cameras and apply this novel technology into the clinical atmosphere very quickly.”
Thorn was recently promoted to assistant professor of cardiology, where she works closely with postdocs, clinical fellows, and undergrads who train in the lab and help her with her research. “I tell undergrads, if you like research, try it for the summer. If you still like it, get your master's degree. Then, if you really love it, get a PhD,” she said. “Science is tricky. Most of the time, it doesn’t work out how you thought it would. If you are someone who does cartwheels down the hallway those very few times when things work perfectly, this is the career for you.”
The Department of Internal Medicine at Yale School of Medicine is among the nation's premier departments, bringing together an elite cadre of clinicians, investigators, educators, and staff in one of the world's top medical schools. To learn more, visit Internal Medicine.