Meet the Contributors
We are a collective of research scientists in the Laronda Lab at the Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern University. We are passionate about research and feel a collective duty to inform the public on endocrinology and reproductive biology topics.
The Laronda Lab aims to understand the development and function of gonads, hormone- and sex cell-producing organs like testes and ovaries, by performing experiments with animal models that mimic this process, examining human gonads and differentiating human induced pluripotent stem cells. When folks think about the gonads, many may focus on their functions solely in reproduction. However, the gonads (and other reproductive tract organs) are important for a myriad of biological functions. Hormones produced by the gonads are critical for overall health and wellness! It is important that everyone has access to information about the human body, and we will be sharing our passion for these topics on this blog.
Hormone Broadcast will serve as a platform for providing information on reproductive biology, ranging from topics like the reproductive tract, fertility preservation and gonads (our specialties!), assisted reproductive technologies and more. As mentioned, we are a collective, and these posts will be written in a revolving fashion. Meet the contributors!
Lab Director
Monica Laronda
Monica Laronda is the lab director and became interested in reproductive biology when she took a summer job as an assistant for the Frontiers in Reproduction Course at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. She has a passion for discovery and believes that dissemination of knowledge is a critical and an important part of being a research scientist. Monica is motivated in large part to understand fertility and hormone function to support new innovations for patients who suffer from diseases within the gonads or that affect hormone function. When Monica is not in the lab, she enjoys running, traveling the world with her partner, water sports (kayaking and sailing), eating seafood and spending time with her nieces and nephews.
Lead Editor
Shravya Pant
Shravya Pant is an undergraduate student studying Journalism and Global Health at Northwestern University. She is the lead editor and writer for Hormone Broadcast, specifically focusing on highlighting interdisciplinary research and clinical practice efforts for differences in sex development (DSD). Her work in the Laronda Lab focuses on the effects of chemotherapy on ovarian vasculature and fertility outcomes. She is passionate about reproductive agency, science communication and health policy and hopes to attend medical school after college. In her free time, you can find Shravya on the tennis court!
Editor
Hana Kubo
Hana Kubo is a seventh-year Ph.D. student in the lab and has a deep love for reproductive biology and science communication. She works on making ovarian hormone-producing cells from stem cells to model ovarian development and to build a cell-based therapy for individuals that may want or need these hormones. In her free time, Hana can be found watering her plants, showering her cat Peanut with affection or playing around with clay on the potter’s wheel.
Contributor
Claire Joswiak
Claire Joswiak is a Research Technologist in the Laronda lab and performs ovarian and gonadal tissue cryopreservation for pediatric patients at Lurie Children’s Hospital. Though her educational background is in biomedical and chemical engineering, her broad love of science has led her in many directions including medical imaging, vascular tissue engineering and reproductive science. Outside of the lab, you can find Claire playing video games, training to use a longsword and spending time with her dog Roscoe.
Contributor
Hannah McDowell
Hannah McDowell is a third-year graduate student in the Driskiill gaduate program at Northwestern University. She has always been interested in women’s health and surrounded herself with opportunities that fulfilled her desire to be involved in this space such as volunteering in a labor and delivery unit, helping design a breast pump for working mothers in developing countries and shadowing at Northwestern’s Fertility and Reproductive Medicine clinic. When she decided to pursue her Ph.D., she wanted to combine her love of bioengineering with reproductive health. She is excited to be part of the Laronda Lab and believes that this blog will be a pivotal step in expanding access to essential knowledge to the larger community. She hopes that this collection provides an informative, safe and supportive environment to teach all people about reproductive and developmental biology.
Contributor
Anika Schipma
Anika Schipma is a second-year MS-Reproductive Science and Medicine studying. Anika’s thesis project in the Laronda Lab aims to improve fertility restoration options for male pediatric cancer patients. Specifically, Anika is working towards optimization in vitro culture systems that support spermatogenically-active testicular organoid generation and survival. Anika is also passionate about improving widespread reproductive autonomy through expanded access to reproductive education. Outside of the lab, Anika is a volunteer doula and hosts a podcast on Spotify called The Repro Pulse.