Research, Resilience and Reproductive Health: An Interview With Prof. Christine Metz
Prof. Christine Metz discusses the urgent need for better science in endometriosis and the power of persistence in STEMM.
Complete the form below to unlock access to ALL audio articles.
Dr. Christine Metz is a professor at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell in the Departments of OB/GYN and Molecular Medicine. She is also a professor and associate dean of the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine.
She received her BS and MS in human nutrition from Cornell University and her PhD degree in immunology/pathology from New York University. In 2019, Metz was identified as one of the top 100,000 scientists in the world (among 7 million) based on her productivity and the impact of her work. Her research primarily focuses on identifying mechanisms that underlie dysfunctional inflammatory responses, and in recent years, she has focused on conditions that affect women, including preeclampsia, preterm labor and endometriosis.
In this interview, Metz discusses her journey into science, her groundbreaking research on endometriosis and the importance of funding and mentorship in advancing women's health and supporting women in STEMM.
What motivated you to pursue a career in science?
Christine Metz, PhD (CM):
Two things really motivated me to pursue a career in science. First, back in the early 1980s, I was recommended for the undergraduate honors program at Cornell University. This program allowed me to conduct an independent research project and it helped me learn more about research-related careers.
The second motivating factor was a personal one. While I was in the undergraduate research program, my father was suddenly hospitalized with septic peritonitis (a severe abdominal infection). Although doctors knew what was wrong with him and he was receiving excellent treatment in a top hospital, he faced a 50% chance of survival. I was truly frustrated by this! I will never forget his physician telling me that current treatments were limited and more research was needed to improve survival in sepsis patients like my father. Luckily, my dad survived. Still, this experience was pivotal and led me to choose the “research path” so I could develop new treatments, improve diagnostic methods and ultimately improve human health.
KR:
CM:
Most of my early research focused on the regulation of inflammation, a complex process implicated in many diseases and conditions. Balancing the body’s pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses is critical for maintaining health. My research related to endometriosis started in the 1990s.
I was inspired by a collaborator studying the inflammatory lesions of endometriosis; these lesions occur mainly in the abdominal cavity and look like endometrial cells that typically line the inside of the uterus. It was clear to me that despite its wide prevalence (affecting about 1 in 10 menstruators), little was known about endometriosis, and inflammation was likely implicated in its development and/or progression. In fact, many areas related to women’s reproductive health were relatively underexplored – leaving lots of opportunities for researchers like me to make meaningful advances.
At Northwell, I co-founded the ROSE (Research OutSmarts Endometriosis) study more than a decade ago with my collaborator, Peter Gregersen, MD. The goals of the ROSE study are to better understand the development and progression of endometriosis so that we can develop a non-invasive method for earlier detection. Additionally, we hope our research will lead to more effective treatments, which are sorely needed for patients with endometriosis.
To achieve these goals, we study menstrual effluent (also known as menstrual blood or menses). We chose menstrual effluent for many reasons, including:
- Endometriosis lesions are comprised of endometrial-like cells that normally line the inside of the uterus and are shed as menses.
- Endometrial alterations, including inflammation and differentiation defects, are found in patients with endometriosis.
- Menstrual effluent has been largely ignored as a biological specimen and will likely inform us about uterine health and infertility, a common symptom of endometriosis.
KR:
CM:
Although the barriers for women in STEMM have improved over the past couple of decades, there are opportunities for improvement. The biggest barrier for me was the limited number of ”prominent female researcher” role models, mentors and inventors. Although this number has increased, we have too few female researchers in leadership positions, particularly in academic research, to mentor women in STEMM.
I attribute my success, in part, to collaborating with successful male researchers interested in improving women’s health; they have been amazingly supportive. Mentorship and solid research networks are critical for securing funding, particularly for those interested in advancing women’s health where there is gravely inadequate research funding.
The inability to access funding and the overall lack of funding can seriously limit the advancement and success of women researchers who specialize in women’s health.
Although there have been improvements in funding for women’s health (e.g., ARPA-H Sprint for Women’s Health), the current investment is insufficient, leaving patients to suffer from delays in diagnosis and a lack of effective treatments. Substantial increases in research funding are needed to help researchers make a significant impact on women’s health.
KR:
CM:
KR:
CM:
