Lauren Otto

Area of Study: Psychoneuroimmunology
Hometown: Boiling Springs, PA

Academics

Research Interests

The effects of breast cancer and chemotherapy on the immune system, specifically in the brain.

Awards, honors, publications

University Fellowship, Otto, L., Wang, A., at al. (2019). Comparison of manual and computer assigned injury severity scores. Injury Prevention. https://doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2019-043224 

Long term goals/aspirations

After MSTP I plan to complete a residency and then begin a clinical career with hopes of starting my own lab or collaborating with an established one. My clinical aspirations are anywhere between immunology, neurology, oncology, infectious disease, and surgery.

Post MSTP Training dream job

My dream job continues to change as I experience new clinical and research areas. Right now, I have two. 1. Breast reconstruction surgery after mastectomy for breast cancer patients 2. Infectious disease for adults and pediatrics with comorbid conditions focusing on mass spread of diseases like the flu and now coronavirus. With both I want my research to focus on the immunology and behavioral aspects of these conditions.

Fun Facts

What you enjoy outside of school:

Cooking, hanging out with my cohort, playing with Harper (my best friend’s dog), netflix

A talent you have always wanted:

Flexibility, I have always wanted the ability to do a split.

Favorite quote:

“If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?”
― Albert Einstein

Can’t live without:

Socializing. Even during quarantine, I need to call and facetime with friends and family. 

If you weren’t in MSTP, what would you be doing now?

I would likely be in an MD or PhD program. Outside of that I could be doing social work or something in policy and government.