Alumni Reflections: Samuel Reynolds, MD, ’11

I’ve been in love with science since I was young but studying cellular biology at Northeastern University was a major catalyst for my passion in utilizing science to better the lives of patients. My second co-op was particularly memorable at The Brigham and Women’s Hospital Division of Translational Medicine, where I was fortunate to work with various physician scientists and help identify novel intracellular signaling mechanisms driving lymphangioleiomyomatosis. I learned, even through researching this rare disease, that every patient and, accordingly, every patient’s condition(s) have their own unique genetic signature. Through many hours of studying and mentorship provided to me at Northeastern, I was fortunate to matriculate into medical school at The University of South Florida and continue through residency and chief residency at The University of Louisville. Here, my focus shifted more to clinical research in hematologic neoplasms but was still themed in examining targeted molecular therapies in disease. Today, I’m proud to be a Hematology & Medical Oncology fellow at The University of Michigan, where I’ve really gotten back to my roots in cellular biology. My current research pertains to seeking a better understanding of correlations between somatic mutations and the products of gene expression in myeloid neoplasms. I work in the lab every day and see patients in clinic throughout the week. Even today, now 14 years removed from that Brigham and Women’s co-op, I still find myself revisiting the same techniques I learned in Dr. Po Shun Lee’s lab  and the same principles taught to me by Dr. Wendy Smith in her Regulatory Cell Biology course. I’m still proud to be a husky and always will be.