Kate Jankowski, MSBS
Kate Jankowski, who received her Master of Science in Biomedical Science (MSBS) degree in 2024 from Mount Sinai’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, says Mount Sinai offered a vast number of labs, varying types of experiences, a great emphasis on science, and the ability to share ideas with others.
In the following Q&A, Ms. Jankowski discusses her many achievements and the strengths of the program as she pursues a career in science and medicine.
What is your academic background?
I majored in Biochemistry at Hamilton College in Upstate New York and graduated in 2022. After a spring semester of remote classes during sophomore year and a hybrid junior year during the COVID-19 pandemic, I worked in a lab my senior year to complete my thesis. I grew to love research and knew that I wanted to remain in school because I love the academic atmosphere and being able to learn.
I also knew I wanted to attend medical school, but I wanted to get some research and clinical experience before applying. That’s when I began to look for master’s programs that had a research focus. I became incredibly interested in the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai where I could get the best of both worlds: conducting research of my own while also taking classes and learning about science in a clinical capacity.
What first attracted you to this area of study?
My first real exposure to research occurred during a summer fellowship after my junior year at a medical institute in Utica, New York, where I worked in a chemistry lab. I learned so much about myself and how I wanted to approach science and medicine. However, after my senior year thesis research, which involved working in a biology/biochemistry lab, I really wanted to shift my focus to biomedical science research. I like being able to apply clinical knowledge to my work in the lab and being able to simultaneously take classes on topics that aided my research and provided a greater holistic understanding.
Who were your mentors, what research did you contribute to, and did you publish any work?
I started working in the lab of Lahouaria Hadri, PhD, Associate Professor of Pharmacological Sciences, and Medicine (Cardiology). My current research project is focused on analyzing specific proteins’ roles in cardiopulmonary diseases and using drug-targeted and gene therapies to help design innovative therapeutic strategies.
In 2023, I authored and published a review regarding a key cancer epigenetic regulator that has implications for pulmonary arterial hypertension. We are also in the process of submitting a new manuscript for publication, and I’m very excited to continue that work.
Additionally, when I started working in the Hadri Lab, I trained with a collaborator, Irene Turnbull, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) at the Cardiovascular Research Institute at Icahn Mount Sinai. The Turnbull Lab focuses on refining human models of the myocardium and applying tissue-engineering technologies. With this training and frequent assistance in the lab, I was able to co-author a paper on single-cell analysis of contractile forces in iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. I have also been lucky enough to present our work at multiple conferences, including Mount Sinai’s Annual https://icahn.mssm.edu/research/bmeii Symposium, and the Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute Annual Congress in London.
Why Mount Sinai—and what, specifically, are the strong points of the MSBS program?
When I first visited Mount Sinai, I was struck by the beautiful sense of community and the amazing people I got to interact with. Since then, that sense of community has only grown stronger, because every day I meet people who love the work they do and who want others around them to succeed.
The support I’ve felt as a student here is unparalleled, and I really do come to Mount Sinai each day with a smile on my face. I’m also part of a few campus groups, giving me opportunities to interact with students, faculty, patients, and others on a regular basis, which amplifies that sense of community. But fundamentally, I can’t forget the incredible research exposure this program provides, which is the reason I came here. The vast number of labs, the varying types of experiences, the great emphasis on science, and the ability to share ideas with others is paramount here.
What’s next?
I’ll be continuing my work in the Hadri Lab this upcoming year as an associate researcher because there are just a few more questions that I want to answer before I leave. In the meantime, I am also applying to medical school—I want to help people and take what I learned from the bench and bring it to the bedside. I’m excited about seeing where I end up.