Sarah Sheppard, M.D., Ph.D., currently a post-doctoral fellow and attending physician at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, under the supervision of Hakon Hakonarson, M.D., Ph.D., received a Travel Award from LE&RN to attend the Lymphatic Forum in Austin, TX. We asked Dr. Sheppard to share her thoughts on that experience with us and to tell us a bit about her research and future plans.

What did you get out of the Lymphatic Forum? Why did you feel it was important to attend?

I attended to learn about the newest research in the field of lymphatic biology and meet others in the field.

What are your areas of interest in research?

My interest is in the human genetics of lymphatic anomalies, as I believe identifying the etiologies in my patients will help further elucidate the molecular underpinnings of the disease.

What are your hopes and plans for your career and your research?

I hope to be a physician-scientist at a large academic institution specializing in the human genetics of lymphatic anomalies and performing research to further understand these diseases.

Why do you believe that, in general, lymphatic research is important? What might the field accomplish within the next few years?

Lymphatic biology is extremely important as millions of people world-wide suffering from lymphedema and related congenital vascular malformations. My hope in the next few years is that we will know more about the molecular etiologies in humans and use this to develop precision medicine approaches to treat our patients.

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