David Polhemus

Baseball aficionado, David Polhemus, is not one to let a strike avert a home run, nor does he allow a temporary setback in science prevent him from accomplishing the task at hand. David double majored in Chemistry and Economics at Emory University. He recently graduated with a PhD in Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. David currently works in the Lefer lab at Louisiana State University’s Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.David Polhemus I’m from San Francisco, California, born and raised. When I was young, what I cared about most was playing baseball on the street with my friends. I enjoyed sports and being outdoors. Neither of my parents had a scientific background; dad is in finance and mom works in human resources. My parents were incredibly supportive of my education and encouraged me to pursue my interests, not theirs. When I attended Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, I studied economics for its practical applications, but also studied chemistry. My passion for science further developed during summer vacations when I worked in anesthesia and neuroscience labs as a student intern.I applied for a lab tech position in a cardiovascular research lab at Emory and I immediately fell in love with the field, so much so that a couple of years later I entered a PhD program within the same lab. I have an outstanding mentor, Dr David Lefer, whom I credit for my success. His love for science is inspirational. During my young career, I have had the unique opportunity to play a role in translating a discovery that we made in mice into clinical trials in humans. We found that in mice, hydrogen sulfide improves cardiac remodeling and function during heart failure. Currently, the same hydrogen sulfide drug that we tested in …