Ana Fernandez-Sesma, PhD, Professor of Microbiology, and Medicine (Infectious Diseases), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Dr. Fernandez-Sesma’s laboratory studies innate immunity evasion by viruses of human health interest, such as dengue virus, influenza virus, Chikungunya virus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and others. The main area of research in her laboratory is dengue, the most important mosquito-transmitted virus in the world for which no vaccines or antiviral drugs are available. The laboratory also investigates the interactions of influenza viruses with human immune cells and the strategies of innate immune evasion developed by important human pathogens.
Ana Fernandez-Sesma is a native of Spain, where she completed her undergraduate work in Biological Sciences. There, she witnessed the challenges of securing a promising position in a research laboratory: something possible at that time in Spain, and elsewhere in Europe, only through connections with the professor in charge. It was not an attainable goal for every eager science student, especially those without a professional network in place. A career in science was even more challenging in Spain for a young woman. Dr. Fernandez-Sesma was heartened to learn that in many U.S. labs, young scientists could work as volunteers to learn “the ropes” and gain insights before applying for positions.
Dr. Fernandez-Sesma is a homegrown Mount Sinai leader, having joined the institution 29 years ago. She worked in the labs of Peter Palese, PhD, and Thomas Moran, PhD, completed her PhD and postdoctorate work at Mount Sinai, and advanced through a series of faculty positions to her current role as full professor with tenure in 2016. “I came up through the ranks here, so I understand the academic experience from every perspective,” she says.
Now she leads a diverse group of scientists who study how viruses manipulate the immune system and infect humans, with the goal of helping develop therapies to eliminate viral diseases.
“My team includes people from many different ethnic, racial, and cultural backgrounds and religious beliefs,” she says. “I believe it’s also important to have different levels of experience represented in the lab—undergraduates, master’s students, PhD students, and postdoctoral students, all working together, sharing experiences and insights. Sometimes the younger students help more experienced people with the latest statistical software or computer application, and the more experienced scientists are able to guide the junior people in designing studies or sharing learnings from their past work.”
She also believes that having different “generations” of scientists provides a level of support that might not be possible if everyone was at the same level: “The more experienced scientists show the less experienced that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. They are living proof that progress is possible, and that things change over time. Sometimes science is truly a struggle, and it’s encouraging for someone facing what seems like the biggest challenge of their career to see that others ahead of them have endured similar situations and prevailed.”
“It’s important to have different levels of experience represented in the lab—undergraduates, master’s students, PhD students, and postdoctoral students, all working together, sharing experiences and insights.”
Dr. Fernandez-Sesma believes in communication and sharing information with her team. “Not everyone agrees with my philosophy, but I think we are stronger if we talk about our successes and our failures. When we get a new grant or publish a paper, we celebrate. But if we don’t get a grant, or a project does not bear fruit, I think it’s important to talk about it openly with the team. This helps us figure out what went wrong and plan better for the next project.
She also believes that with a diverse group, sometimes styles of communication are different, and what may seem acceptable to one person is not okay to another. For example, an individual on her team from one part of the world made a comment to another that the recipient, who was from a totally different region, took as offensive or insulting. The team was able to discuss the comment openly and the individual who made the comment apologized, even though he meant no insult. Dr. Fernandez-Sesma believes this type of openness leads to deeper understanding and development of more effective teams.
She also encourages diversity in career planning. “Everyone who comes through my lab as a PhD student may not ultimately want to pursue a career in academic research, and that’s okay. I tell my students that I am here as a platform to their next career move, whether that’s postdoctoral work or something totally different.”
She cites one student who did a complete 180-degree change and decided to move into a career in aviation. “He is an excellent scientist, but his dream is to become a pilot, and I support that,” she says. “I feel good that he will use his scientific training in a new way.” A postdoctoral fellow decided she did not want to be in a lab anymore, and Dr. Fernandez-Sesma helped her pursue a new path in scientific communications, working for a scientific company. “Our diversity means that not everyone is on the same pathway, and that shows how a scientific training can prepare you for different careers,” she says.
She also works hard to create a supportive environment in which her team feels comfortable presenting projects regardless of the outcome. “Data is not always going to be positive or support your hypothesis. That’s the scientific process,” she says. “My main goal is to have an open lab environment where people feel they can be totally transparent and where we can work together creatively to get through hurdles.”
Dr. Fernandez-Sesma says it was heartening for her to learn that a new master’s student chose her lab after sitting through a lab meeting in which a current PhD student presented a project with which he struggled and did not have compelling data to share. “Rather than my team be critical of his work, we helped him figure out how to revise the project and reanalyze the data he had to gain better insights,” she says. “The prospective team member was so impressed with the level of openness and support that she made the decision to join our team. That made me so proud.”
Photo Credit: Claudia Paul, January-February 2020