Episode #3 - Joseph Italiano - Focusing on some of the details...makes the lab stronger.

Joseph Italiano, PhD.

Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Est. 1998

Graduate Training at Florida State University, Florida

Postdoctoral Training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Ma.

Joe’s team focuses on:

Biogenesis of platelets and megakaryocyte.

The Italiano lab focuses on new megakaryocyte and platelet biology. The lab’s research focuses primarily on how blood platelets, which function as the band-aids of the bloodstream, are produced from megakaryocyte precursor cells. Megakaryocytes are terminally differentiated cells that in their final hours convert into long, branched proplatelets. Proplatelets function as the assembly lines of platelet production. We have demonstrated that platelet formation follows a defined set of morphogenetic shape changes driven by forces derived from both microtubules and actin filaments. The overall goal of our research is to elucidate the cell biological and molecular pathways that culminate in the formation of platelets.

PUBMED

LINK TO LABORATORY: WWW.ITALIANOLAB.BWH.HARVARD.EDU

Thanks to Dr. Joseph Italiano for joining us today to talk about his journey to lead a team of dedicated scientists to unraveling the mysteries behind metabolic related diseases.

Today's show we ask Joe some of the following questions that has helped him to lead such an amazingly successful research lab:

You say little things matter. What little things matter?
How do you work with introverted personalities?
Who were your inspirational leaders in science?
What strategy do you use to manage your team?
How do you recruit the best students?
Where do you find the right postdocs?
How do you manage your time?
How do you sell your science?

SOME OF WHAT WE LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:

Smaller labs are more comfortable to focus.
Retreats help to strengthen the lab vision and relationships.
Use your lab as a way to make your scientific concepts stronger.
Seeing your people accomplish more than you becomes your main accomplishment.
Smaller conferences are better for meeting talents.
It’s all about your relationships.
A strong personality can disrupt the make-up of the lab.
Training from ground zero, as oppose to running the risk of bringing in bad techniques into the lab.
Pursue 2 types of projects in training and funding; The “low hanging fruit,” and the “holy grail”.
Smart students don’t want to go to larger labs.
Turning off technology helps to manage.

Thank you for checking out The Leading Life Science Radio Podcast. We’d love to hear from you. So, please leave a comment or suggestions about questions you’d like to hear from our guests, that could help you on your scientific journey.

Also, please let us know what leaders in science inspire you to pursue a career in the life sciences. We'd love to bring them on the show, to share their experiences and to share their tips and strategies that has helped them to lead a successful life science venture.