The Jadavji Laboratory is 4 years old! There sure has been a lot going on, but we are happy to celebrate our accomplishments and reflect on what worked and what can be improved in the coming years. So, this blog post will contain some bragging, but also thoughtful reflection.
 
We have trained over 29 students in the lab! Wow, I can’t believe it myself. The students include 1 high school, 3 undergraduates, 3 Masters of Biomedical Sciences, 6 veterinary, 13 medical, 2 pharmacy, and 3 dental students. These students have contributed to research projects and helped me develop my mentoring/supervising skills.
 
We have published 11 papers (6 data papers and 5 review articles) and below is a list of all our students and their publications. Most days I feel like I am the rate limiting step for getting papers out the door, but I think we have done well for being a new lab during a global pandemic.
 
Our grant game has been on fire, I have applied for 19 grants – definitively honing in on my grantmanship skills! We have obtained $456,435 (extramural) and $8510 (intramural) in funding during the past 4 years, which I am very proud of. I am still developing my grant writing skills and was happy to take part of the Utah NRMN Grant Writing Coaching Groups Study.
 
We also had a junior member of the lab arrive in October 2021; he is an absolute bundle of joy and will be 2 soon!
 
Things that I think have worked well since starting an independent research group include writing a lab manual which includes details for safety training and expectations of myself and students – I think this is a good resource for me and students. I have learned a lot about mentoring and supervising students. Through advice from the Twitterverse, I have set up a lab mentoring survey which has helped me obtain a lot of information on what works well and what does not. Another success is keeping notes from all meetings, everything is electronic (Word documents, Google docs, or Apple Notes); these are helpful to keep track of experimental plans, goals, planning, etc. I have also continued to build my community, this is essential for anyone in science, but I think vital for a new parent, PI, and women in academia. I have written about building a community before, here is a link to the post.
 
 
Things I am still working on include taking it slow, being an academic researcher is not a sprint, but a marathon. It is important to leave time to polish off grants, manuscripts, etc. and not have too much going on. As a postdoc I was able to do many things at once, but with more responsibilities I am learning I cannot do this. I think it is important to reflect on what is working and not working, so every 6 months I try to schedule strategic planning for my lab, which includes updating projects and lots of long-term planning. I have learned as PI you are not only a scientist but HR, psychologist, etc. I am working on developing my leadership skills in my laboratory and my profession through different venues. This year I completed the American Society of Nutrition 2022 Nutrition Leadership Academy and the Research Leadership Program.
 
 
The past four years have been challenging in so many ways and I have been pushed, but I have also grown and adapted – all of which I am proud of! Every day, I enjoy working with motivated students and colleagues and I am excited to see what happens next!
 
 
 
Jadavji Lab Student Publications
Hurley L, Jauhal J, Ille S, Pull K, Malysheva OV, Jadavji NM. (2023) Maternal dietary deficiencies in one-carbon metabolism during early neurodevelopment result in larger damage volume, reduced neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation and changes in choline metabolites after ischemic stroke in middle-aged offspring. Nutrients. 15:1556 (Invited)
Veterinary Students: Lauren Hurley
Master’s Biomedical Science student: Jesse Jauhal
Dental Studyent: Sharadyn Ille
 
 
Yahn GB, Wasek B, Bottiglieri T, Malysheva O, Caudill MA, Jadavji NM. (2023) A dietary vitamin B12 deficiency impairs motor function and changes neuronal survival and choline metabolism after ischemic stroke to the sensorimotor cortex in middle aged male and female mice. Nutritional Neuroscience, In Press https://doi.org/10.1080/1028415X.2023.2188639.
Master’s in Biomedical Science student: Gyllian Yahn
 
 
Clementson M, Hurley L, Coonrod S, Bennett C, Marella P, Pascual AS, Pull K, Wasek B, Bottiglieri T, Malysheva O, Caudill M, Jadavji NM. (2023)  Maternal dietary deficiencies in folates or choline during pregnancy and lactation worsen stroke outcome in 3-month-old male and female mouse offspring, Neural Regeneration Research. 18:2443-2448
Medical students: McCoy Clementson, Calli Bennett, Purvaja Marella
Veterinary Students: Lauren Hurley
 
Clementson M, Jauhal J, Jadavji NM (2023) Dietary B-vitamins deficiencies and maternal over supplementation on neurodevelopment: an updated narrative. Vitamins and Minerals in Neurological Disorders. Editor: Colin Martin,
Vinood Patel, and Victor Preedy. Elsevier. (invited).
Medical student: McCoy Clementson
Master’s Biomedical Science student: Jesse Jauhal
 
Virdi S, Jadavji NM* The impact of maternal folates on brain development and function after birth. Metabolites 12(9): 876 (Invited).
Medical student: Sapna Virdi
 
Poole J, Jasbi J, Pascual AS, North S, Kwatra N, Weissig V, Gu H, Bottiglieri T, Jadavji NM.(2022) Ischemic stroke and dietary vitamin B12 deficiency in old-aged females impaired motor function, increased ischemic damage size, andchanged metabolite profiles in brain and cecum tissue. Nutrients, 14(14), 2960; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14142960.
Medical students: Joshua Poole; Sean North
Dental student: Neha Kwatra
 
Marella P, Yahn GB, Kang J, Jadavji NM. (2022) The impact of homocysteine on ischemic stroke and dementia: an updated review of clinical studies and mechanisms in Advances in Health and Disease. Nova Science Publishers Inc.
Medical students: Purvaja Marella, Jeminin Kang
Dental student: Gyllian Yahn
 
Bennett C, Green J, Ciancio M, Goral J, Pitstick L, Pytynia M, Meyer A, Kwatra N, Jadavji NM. (2021) Dietary folic acid deficiency impacts hippocampal morphology and cortical acetylcholine metabolism in adult male and female mice. Nutritional Neuroscience: In Press. DOI: 10.1080/1028415X.2021.1932242. PMID: 34042561.
Medical student: Calli Bennett
Dental student: Neha Kwatra
 
GB, Leoncio J, Jadavji NM* (2021)The role of dietary supplementation of one-carbon metabolism on stroke outcome. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care: doi: 10.1097/MCO.0000000000000743. PMID: 33631772.
Master’s in Biomedical Science student: Gyllian Yahn
Pharmacy Student: Jeannine Leoncio
 
Yahn GB, Abato JE, Jadavji NM. (2021) Role of vitamin B12 deficiency in ischemic stroke risk and outcome. Neural Regen Res.16(3):470-474. PMID: 32985467. PMCID: PMC79986019.
Master’s in Biomedical Science student: Gyllian Yahn
Veterinary student: Jamie Abato
 
Burgess K, Bennett C, Mosnier H, Kwatra N, Bethel B, Jadavji NM*. The antioxidant role of one-carbon metabolism on stroke. Antioxidants. 9):1141 PMID: 33212887. PMCID: PMC7698340. (invited)
Medical Students: Callie Bennett, Forrest Bethel
Veterinary Students: Kassidy Burgess
Dental Student: Neha Kwatra
Undergraduate Student: Hannah Mosnier
 
 
Abato JE, Moftah M, Cron GO, Smith PD, Jadavji NM. (2020) Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase deficiency alters cellular response after ischemic stroke in male mice. Nutritional Neuroscience. 25:558-566. PMID: 32448097.
Veterinary student: Jamie Abato
 
 

By: Nafisa Jadavji, PhD
 
As a scientist I have been mentored throughout my different stages of training and continue to be mentored. The mentoring relationships I have formed throughout my lifetime have been priceless.  I am also a mentor and I think it is so important – this past year I helped professional students mentor undergraduate women. Through my experiences and what I observed this year, I wanted to share what I think works for a healthy mentoring relationship.
 
There is a lot of effort to inspire women to study and work in STEM, however the continuation of alienation from fully engaging in science related fields still occurs for women, I have seen this happen at all stages. I think mentoring and forming a community both play an important role in keeping women in STEM.
 
The benefits of being a mentor are vast, they include showing the ropes and sharing resources.
In academic research and STEM there is a hidden curriculum which is described by education scholars as the set of tacit rules in a formal educational context that insiders consider to be natural and universal – I was a first-generation student. Mentors helped teach this and make academic research more accessible to me as well as for those that don’t know the hidden curriculum.
 
Being a mentor also provides an opportunity to share experiences, including the good and bad. Mentors act as a sounding board and enriching education experience and the ability to network.  As a mentor, I have improved leadership capacity and sharpened my communication skills. I have also become exposed to different thoughts and opinions. Pay it forward – in my opinion this is so important.
 
I think it is important to begin the relationship with a needs assessment that establishes expectations and articulates desired outcomes. Set clear boundaries and guidelines at the beginning: How often will you meet? Will you be discussing research issues, career development, personal problems, or all three? Are any topics off-limits? Strive for clear and effective communication. Give honest and objective feedback.  Be encouraging and motivating, but also be realistic. Challenge your mentee to think broadly and to consider all opportunities. Maintain confidentiality to build a relationship based on trust. Create a judgment-free zone. Keep in mind that you are mentoring not just a woman in STEM, but a whole person who likely has competing professional and personal priorities. Be sensitive to this complexity and be prepared to help with time management suggestions or tips for overcoming guilt and anxiety. Recognize that your mentee may have needs, goals, values, and priorities that differ from your own. Be approachable and accessible. 
 
With collaborators I have written an article that describes how to build and sustain mentor interactions.
 
I hope that this article is useful to you. Please feel free to leave a comment!