LEAD Reverse Mentoring Pair
A. Nicole White and Linda Kusner
A. Nicole White, MBA, PhD, Reverse Mentor
A. Nicole White is a program manager at the Shared Facilities at Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation and an assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati Department of Pediatrics.
What new skills do you seek to gain as a reverse mentor?
White: The new skills I hope to gain in the FASEB LEAD Pairs program are focused on leadership within the area of my work as a researcher. Many soft skills can be homed in on and applied to my everyday work that I can learn from someone with more experience as a researcher. Many of these skills include time management, productivity, and focus on prioritization to help keep me oriented toward my long-term research and career goals.
How is mentoring important to your career development?
White: Including mentoring in my career development is critical to help me in planning the road ahead in my career. Many lived experiences, insights, and advice can be provided to me by individuals who have been in their careers longer than I have. Mentoring allows me to understand and develop important key skills that I may not have the forethought to consider as an early career investigator. Using the guidance of my mentor, I hope to use their lived experiences as a beacon to support me in navigating and creating a career plan that will enable me to be more successful.
Linda Kusner, PhD, Reverse Mentee
Linda Kusner is a professor at George Washington University in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. Kusner has devoted her scientific career to studying the pathophysiology of myasthenia gravis. She has conducted research using animal models of the disease to understand its underlying mechanisms better and to evaluate the effectiveness of potential treatments. Recognizing the need for standardized models to enhance the accuracy of preclinical assessments of therapeutic agents, she organized an NIH-sponsored symposium on myasthenia gravis model optimization. In her work with these preclinical models, Kusner has investigated the role of complement in myasthenia gravis pathology.
Kusner also focuses on understanding the characteristics of lymphocytes in myasthenia gravis patients by assessing the role of an inhibitor of apoptosis protein, survivin, in the autoreactive cells. Additionally, she plays a significant role within MGNet, overseeing the pilot studies program and serving as a member of the Executive Committee, comprising scientists, clinicians, and patient advocacy partners. Currently, Kusner is the director of the Laboratory of Myasthenia Gravis Research at George Washington University, where she collaborates with pharmaceutical companies to assess potential therapeutics.