For some, the path to a career in medicine is often linear and
logical. JoAnne Richards, Ph.D., professor of Molecular and Cellular
Biology in the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine, took a more circuitous route to her remarkable career in science discovery that stretches more than 50 years.
At the height of midcentury America’s optimism about science,
unexpected progress was quietly unfolding in psychiatry with a
psychedelic “wonder drug” called lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). The drug, which induced powerful, transcendental experiences, produced lasting psychological benefits for patients suffering from treatment-resistant conditions like alcoholism and deep-seated emotional trauma. Following a period in which psychedelics were banned due to fears like abuse and irresponsible research, Amy McGuire, Ph.D., J.D., and her team are reexamining the promising science behind their therapeutic potential.
Imagine the anxiety and worry of having a child diagnosed with a rare
and complex medical condition that has no cure and has symptoms that are difficult to treat. Imagine the hope you would have for a cure. This is the reality for Jenna and Justin Crosby, whose son Carson was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease at age 3.
The McNair Medical Institute at Baylor College of Medicine brings together the McNair Scholars in the Texas Medical Center to share their research efforts in order to accelerate advancements in science.
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