Lisa M. Arendt completed a bachelor’s degree in Genetics and a doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She then completed a PhD in the Cellular and Molecular Biology Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her thesis focused on the role of prolactin in the promotion of luminal type breast cancer utilizing transgenic mouse models. Dr. Arendt completed post-doctoral training at Tufts University. Her work examined the effects of mutations in epithelial cells and alterations in the tumor stroma to model how the tumor microenvironment alters the progression of malignant breast tumors. Dr. Arendt is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Comparative Biosciences in the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. Her laboratory focuses on understanding how obesity contributes to breast cancer risk and progression. She is an editorial board member for Endocrinology and a member of the Early Career Special Interest Group Steering Committee.
What is your favorite Endocrine Society memory?
I went to my first Endo meeting as a graduate student and actually met the authors of papers that I was reading. The meeting at first seemed large and overwhelming, but there were so many opportunities for scientific discussion and meeting people. It was amazing to see the breadth of topics of research that are represented by the Endocrine Society. After my first poster session, I met people with similar interests and felt like I was a part of a vibrant scientific community.
What advice would you give for someone looking to become more involved in the Endocrine Society?
There are a lot of ways to become involved, even if your schedule feels very full. Joining a special interest group and participating in the discussions with groups of people that have common interests is a great starting place! Becoming a member of the Endocrinology editorial board has helped me to explore exciting research. I look forward to participating in other committees.
How has the Endocrine Society supported your professional development/career journey?
I joined the Endocrine Society as a graduate student, and I met career mentors through networking opportunities. As I have been a member, I have seen the Endocrine Society expand mentoring opportunities and programming to meet the needs of graduate students, post docs and early career members to help foster development at each career stage.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I have been watching Marvel movies with my kids. It has been really fun to see movies that I enjoyed with them for the first time.
If you were in a room with all other members of the Endocrine Society, what is the one question you would want to ask the other members and get their feedback on?
I would want to ask other members at different stages of their career how they achieve work-life balance. Everyone has a different approach and perspective on this that can change at different career stages. This can be an area of challenge for researchers and physicians alike.
