By Reagan Malenius
Arinola Lampejo, Ph.D., attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for undergraduate studies, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering. During her undergraduate studies, Lampejo found a passion for research in the lab of Linda Griffith, Ph.D., director of the Center for Gynepathology Research at MIT.
During her two years in the Griffith lab, Lampejo worked with postdoc mentor Victor Hernandez-Gordillo and gained experience in bench work, analysis, imaging, and how to write and present her work. Her well-rounded experience encouraged her passion and curiosity to ask and answer scientific questions. Under Hernandez-Gordillo’s mentorship, Lampejo was encouraged to pursue graduate school and continue to enrich her passion for learning and discovery in scientific research.
After narrowing down her graduate school top picks, Lampejo decided to join the microvascular dynamics lab in the University of Florida’s biomedical engineering program after clicking immediately with principal investigator Walter Murfee, Ph.D., and other graduate students. Murfee is a professor and associate chair for undergraduate studies in the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering.
It wasn’t until joining his lab that Lampejo started on her cancer research journey. Murfee’s lab focuses on lymphatic blood vessel plasticity in the tumor microenvironment and studies how blood vessels interact and form connections resulting from tumors.
“This discovery is exciting because it’s considered an interaction that does not always occur, but our research has shown it actually does,” Lampejo said.
Lampejo won a poster prize for her research at the UF Health Cancer Center’s 2023 Research Day. She successfully defended her thesis in August.
During her time at UF, Lampejo was also passionate about the Gator Salsa Club. It provided her an opportunity to take a break from work and connect with fellow students and even professors all while learning the bachata in downtown Gainesville.
“You can do cool research anywhere, but the most important thing is who you work with,” Lampejo advised other trainees. “If you can find a mentor with a mentorship style that works with you, you will be much more successful even if the research isn’t exactly what you want. Mentors make or break the experience.”
