This month in our Graduate Student Spotlight, we feature Emily Hayes, who is a 3^rd-year Ph.D. Candidate in the MD/PhD program from Dr. Stocco’s Lab. Her research focuses on understanding the role of the salt-inducible kinases in female fertility in the ovary.

To learn more visit https://chicago.medicine.uic.edu/physiology/profiles/stocco-carlos/

Hometown: Chicago, IL
Previous Education
B.Sc.: University of Rochester, 2017
M.Sc.: Northwestern University, 2020

Current Education
Degree: MD/PhD
Department: Physiology and Biophysics
Program: GEMS
Concentration: Integrative and Translational Physiology

What are your research and clinical interests? 
My research interests over the last 13 years have focused on understanding the signaling pathways in the context of endocrinology. More specifically, my research over the last 10 years has been focused on reproduction and the ovary, honing and solidifying my passion for women’s health. Outside of what I currently do, I’m fascinated by mechanotransduction and physical genomics, and hope to incorporate that into my future career! Clinically, I’m interested in becoming an Ob/Gyn! I envision myself going into maternal-fetal medicine or minimally invasive gynecologic surgery and running my own lab.

What makes UIC College of Medicine unique for your studies? 
UIC was my first choice specifically because of the multiple investigators in women’s health and reproduction! My PI, Carlos Stocco, is a big name in ovarian biology, and wanting to work with him was a significant reason I chose UIC.

What attracted you to The Department of Physiology and Biophysics?
This department has such diverse interests and expertises! Anything that we want to do, we know that there is someone in our department who can give us advice or point us in the right direction. What I’ve come to love about the department over the last two years is that the PIs are all so supportive and I feel like I’m being raised by a village of mentors.

What would you like to do in your free time?
In my free time, I’m a professional wedding, event, and portrait photographer! I have been shooting professionally since 2019, and it’s been the most wonderful (though time-consuming) creative outlet. Shooting weddings is so fun—the days are fast-paced, I get to meet and connect with new people, I need to think on my feet and constantly switch between different types of photography, and I get to go to amazing parties and capture the most special days in a person’s life. Most importantly, it’s so immersive that I get to take a break from everything else and live this exciting second life outside of science and medicine! Follow my business page on Instagram: @emtaylorphoto

What do you most enjoy doing in Chicago? 
I love taking walks along the lake with friends, editing photos at coffee shops (love La Colombe, Colectivo, and Philz), and going to local professional wrestling shows (Freelance Wrestling). Because Chicago has seemingly everything to offer, I’ve gotten to try out some hobbies during grad school! Specifically, I took pottery classes for a few months at Penguin Foot Pottery in Logan Square and I took swing dancing classes for 8 months at Dance Center Chicago in Roscoe Village. The swing dancing community also has social dancing events across the city multiple nights a week that are SUPER fun, open to all skill levels (calendar of events: Windyhop.net)