November 21, 2025 • 34 mins
Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Dr. Will Walker, director of the college's Women's Health Innovation and Science Translational Lab, about how Behrend's role in the MWRI-Erie initiative is helping to benefit medical research, undergraduate learning experiences, and the broader Erie community. Originally recorded on November 14, 2025.
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Ralph Ford (00:05):
I'm Dr.
Ralph Ford, Chancellor of PennState Behrend, and you are
listening to Behrend Talks.
My guest today is Dr.
Will Walker, Director of theWomen's Health Innovation and
Science Translational Lab, whichwe often refer to just as the
WHIST Lab here at Penn StateBehrend.
So welcome to the show, Will.
Will Walker (00:20):
Thank you.
It's great to be here.
Ralph Ford (00:22):
Well, we're going to have a great conversation
today.
I'm going to run through someof the background.
You know, the WHIST lab is partof the Women's Health
Initiative here at Penn StateBehrend.
Came out of this partnershipthat created a lot of community
splash about five, six yearsago.
I think it was actually 2019when we started this endeavor.
And at that point, we announcedat that time $26 million of
(00:43):
investment.
It's grown.
Behrend serves as what we callthe academic research partner
working here with Magee Women'sResearch Institute, which is
well known, and we're going totalk a lot about that.
We've raised some funds tocreate a nice endowment that
supports the work that you'redoing, and you started here this
summer.
And I'm going to just keepgoing, if you don't mind, Will,
(01:06):
for a moment and embarrass youwith all the great things you've
done in your career.
So our audience knows you are amolecular biologist and former
associate professor in theDepartment of Obstetric
Gynecology and ReproductiveSciences at the University of
Pittsburgh.
Will previously taught at theHoward Hughes Medical Institute
at Harvard Medical School.
(01:27):
You hold a Ph.D.
in biochemistry and molecularbiology from the University of
Texas, an executive MBA from theUniversity of Pittsburgh's Katz
School of Business, and youwent to the University of North
Carolina for your undergraduatedegree, did postgraduate work at
Harvard.
I hope that that's uh, youknow, just a flavor of what
(01:49):
you've done, I know, and yourresearch is focused on
reproductive health.
And uh again, you joined ushere this summer.
Welcome here.
I've said a mouthful.
Uh, tell us a bit about how didyou end up here at uh Penn
State Behrend Will.
Will Walker (02:04):
Well, thank you very much for the kind
introduction.
So I learned about the WHISTlab uh here through colleagues
at Magee Women's ResearchInstitute, or I'll just say MWRI
or Magee from now on.
And they said that there was agreat opportunity here, and I
enjoy mentoring.
(02:25):
And so I thought, well, here Ican go, I can mentor some
younger faculty here,undergraduate students, and
still continue my research.
And it seemed for me it was awin-win situation.
Ralph Ford (02:36):
You started working with our faculty a few years
ago, so it wasn't like you werea stranger.
Like there was a period whereyou have been going back and
forth and interacting with ourstudents for some time.
Will Walker (02:46):
Right.
That's that's one of the uhconnections that I had made when
I was in Pittsburgh.
There's seed grants that Mageehelps Behrend with and provides
startup money, small amounts ofmoney to perform research
projects that will hopefullylead to larger grant proposals
and support those proposals.
And so I was associated withintroducing those seed grants or
(03:09):
or managing those seed grantshere with at Behrend.
So the seeding worked, itsounds like yes.
The seed was planted.
Ralph Ford (03:18):
Well, let's go back just a little bit because I mean
you've had a really you knowlong career at Magee Women's
Research Institute, and I'llstart to abbreviate that as
well.
And we're you know working on alot of research.
So why don't you talk usthrough a little bit about what
was it, you know, what drew youto this field?
How did you end up there?
What were the interesting workthat you were doing at Magee
(03:40):
Women's Research Institute?
Will Walker (03:42):
Well, I was drawn to MWRI by uh collaboration that
I had was working with anotherinvestigator there, and uh he
asked for my help.
We uh wrote a paper together,and that was when I was doing my
research at Harvard at MassGeneral Hospital.
And uh so that project worked.
(04:03):
I guess I helped him, and so heput in a good word for me so
that I would be hired atUniversity of Pittsburgh.
And from there I moved over toMagee uh a few years later, and
it's I've been in Magee for 10,15 years, and it's it's been a
really good experience.
It's a great institution withtop-notch researchers and great
(04:25):
facilities, and uh we're reallylucky here at Behrend that we
can continue that collaborationwith Magee.
Ralph Ford (04:31):
Tell us about the significance of Magee Women's
Research Institute.
Wasn't it like the first in theworld that was this created
specifically focused on women'shealth?
Will Walker (04:41):
Well, that's probably true, and I should know
that.
But it is one of the alwaysnumber one or number two in
women's health and reproductionissues in the country of all at
all universities.
Wow.
Ralph Ford (04:57):
So could you give us a flavor?
Like what are the differenttypes of research that they
conduct there, and how does thistranslate into the lives of
women on a daily basis or howinto the future?
Will Walker (05:09):
Yeah, so Magee is a unique place.
What we have is you haveclinical research going on at
the same time, basic research ishappening.
So we have the um basicresearchers that never leave the
lab, and that that but they'restill collaborating with
clinical researchers that areacross the street at the
hospital, at the Magee Women'sHospital.
And so it's this collaborationand this cooperativity and
(05:32):
complementarity uh that makesMagee really so strong because
you can have the clinicalresearchers suggesting ideas to
the basic researchers and thebasic researchers providing the
information that the clinicalresearchers need to improve
their health care.
Ralph Ford (05:48):
I mean, that it looks to me like an ideal
situation and one that you don'thave everywhere in the world.
Will Walker (05:53):
No, it's it's it's one of two or three or four
places like that.
Ralph Ford (05:57):
Wow.
So what do you you know, whenyou were there, if you think
about it, like what were some ofthe you know most memorable
things that you worked on orthings you're really proud of
that came out of your work atMagee Women's?
Will Walker (06:09):
Okay, I guess the project that I'm most proud of
is a project that helped usunderstand how testosterone
works.
Testosterone is a hormone, it'sthe male hormone, and gives men
their manly ways.
But what I found there was thathow testosterone, it's usually
thought to only regulate geneexpression.
(06:29):
So genes will become proteinsand the proteins will perform
functions.
And and and that was all it wasthought to do, but I found that
not only that, but testosteronewill directly alter proteins
and cells and activate them sothat they'll perform other
functions, and that thesefunctions are actually essential
for male fertility.
(06:49):
So it's this second function oftestosterone that I found that
was essential for fertility andgave us a whole new way to think
about how sperm are produced.
Ralph Ford (07:00):
And then like this sort of work is uh funded.
How is it funded?
I mean, how does the wholeoperation work when you're
there?
Will Walker (07:08):
Well, when the um government is functioning.
Ralph Ford (07:11):
Yep.
We won't comment on that.
It started again, by the way.
Will Walker (07:15):
When the government is functioning, then a lot of
that work was supported by NIHgrants.
Yeah.
NIH money.
And that's very difficult toget.
Yeah, it's highly competitive.
Let me just say that.
So and at this moment, with thesituation the way it is,
perhaps five percent of allgrants that are submitted are
being funded.
Ralph Ford (07:35):
Yeah, wow.
It's uh well, we're lucky tohave you here.
So then, you know, talk usthrough why did uh Magee Women's
decide they wanted to come toyour EPA and build this
connection?
I mean, uh, what was attractiveto them?
Will Walker (07:49):
Well, UPMC and Magee Women's, they are became
associated here with HamotHospital.
They have a birthing centerthere, they have women's health
initiative there, and they alsoare performing clinical trials
with the help of people here inthe in the community.
And so with all that, they Ithink Magee realized that they
(08:10):
needed a real academic partnerto go along with those clinical
studies.
And that's what drew them toBehrend.
And it's been a really nicecollaboration, and we hope to
grow it even more soon.
Ralph Ford (08:24):
Yeah, and you know, I was part of that, so I'm not
gonna act like I'm ignorant ofthis in that interview.
And uh it really was, you know,they you know, your CEO Mike
Yannick, and others reached outand said there are a number of
reasons we've got a goodfoothold here in Erie,
Pennsylvania.
Turns out there are a lot offamilies that stay here for
(08:44):
multi-generation, so that allowsyou to do a multi-generation
study.
I mean, you might have agrandmother, a mother, a
daughter all here that you cantrack their health outcomes.
Will Walker (08:54):
Right.
And so that's so important.
Understanding the familydynamics and having the ability
to create a family tree, notonly to create it, but to have
it in your hand that you canwork with the people.
And so it makes genetic studieseasier and you can more easily
predict how people might getaffected by various diseases.
(09:16):
So it's a real positive for theclinicians and how they can
help with their with their care.
Ralph Ford (09:21):
Well, we've you know, I'm gonna switch back a
little bit to the WHIST lab andwhat's going on here on campus.
So that initiative wasannounced.
We've had some previous guestson here, we've talked about that
wonderful partnership.
I just love, you know, walkingup into the lab, showing
visitors what's going on.
We've got two research spaceshere on campus, or maybe a
(09:44):
research and a teaching space,and I'm going to name them both
because they are named labs.
One is the Janice HillBiomedical and Translational
Research Lab, and the other isthe Christine E.
Shewfelt Advanced Biochemistryand Molecular Biology Teaching
Lab.
So I'd love if you could talkus through each of those two
spaces.
(10:04):
One's right here in the heartof campus, the other one's up in
our tech park, Knowledge Park.
And uh how do they work and howdo they support this whole
initiative?
Will Walker (10:12):
Well, uh, let me talk first about the teaching
lab.
And so I had the opportunityrecently, unexpected opportunity
to teach some labs in thatspace and teach undergraduates
our 400-level laboratory class.
And um, so that is a reallystrong, well-equipped lab with
everything the students need,well, almost everything the
(10:34):
students need, to perform reallife experiments like anyone
would do in a biomedicallaboratory, say at Magee or
anything.
So they can they have get thisgreat experience, hands-on
experience, for how to performthese experiments and how to
learn how to be scientists andresearch scientists.
And so um, I say they don'thave everything because often we
(10:56):
have to bring down a little ofthis or a little of that from
the Janice Hill lab just tosupplement what's down there,
and that's fine.
Uh, and so the Janice Hill Labis what I would call our major
research lab.
And in that lab, we actuallyhave now, including my small
lab, three labs.
And we've got two juniorfaculty up there with their
(11:19):
technicians, and and we've alsogot seven undergraduate students
now working in a lab, and anduh we're probably will increase
by two or three more.
And uh so that's where thebasic research is being done
here.
Um we can talk about that atlength, but that's the um two
labs that you were spoke about.
Ralph Ford (11:38):
Well, first, appreciate you jumping right in
and teaching labs.
I think it's all part of theexperience.
I think that's what makesacademia so much fun is you can
do research, you can beteaching, you can interact with
the students.
Will Walker (11:52):
I had the greatest time teaching those labs and
interacting with the students.
A lot of fun.
A lot of fun.
Ralph Ford (11:56):
So, do you have any observations about our Behrend
students uh after after you knowa few short months?
Will Walker (12:02):
Yes.
And I gotta tell you, thestudents here are strong, very
strong, very dedicated and andfocused.
And I I saw that in in the labI taught, and I want to tell one
little story.
Okay, so the research lab is inthe AMIC building, which is
mechanical engineering mostly.
And we just share one room.
And I watched the mechanicalengineering students, and I
(12:26):
remember in college when I wouldgoof off between classes, but
the mechanical engineeringstudents, they're in there every
day before and after classes,working hard.
It's amazing that thededication they have to their
studies.
It's a very strong educationalenvironment here with strong
students.
Ralph Ford (12:43):
Well, thank you.
I mean, I just uh like you, Ilove seeing the students in the
hallway, seeing them working onprojects and the like.
And uh, we're gonna dig deeperinto the research, but since you
brought up the student piece,um, you know, if there's a
prospective student and, youknow, and they're thinking about
studying in this area, whyshould they do that?
I mean, what's the tell us alittle bit about studying
(13:06):
biology and getting involved inthis type of research as an
undergraduate?
Will Walker (13:10):
Well, okay, so if if you're like me, sometimes you
some people just want to knowthe answers.
Why are things the way theyare?
And that's the type of studentthat we really like to have, you
know, the ones that will askthe questions and want to get to
the answers.
And so why should they do this?
Well, you know, if that's whatthey want to do for their life,
then this just start early andget this type of foundation that
(13:31):
we can provide here, thefoundation to begin the research
capabilities that they candevelop.
And uh so you know, that'sthese students they could go to
medical school, becomephysicians.
One of the students in theteaching lab wanted to do this
forensics career, and I thoughtthat was interesting.
Others want to maybe go intonursing and and uh and then that
(13:53):
there's others that want to dobasic research or a combination
of basic and clinical research.
And so we can provide them withthe beginning of that
foundation to do that.
Ralph Ford (14:04):
Can an undergraduate student really make meaningful
contributions to research?
Will Walker (14:10):
Yes, and there's examples of that.
And and I think we haveexamples where students every
three months we have a labmeeting of everyone in in the
research lab.
And I was looking at data fromundergraduate students, their
research, and they presentedvery well.
I want to say the students hereare very good at presenting.
And and so, and yes, they wereactually making progress towards
(14:31):
answering questions,health-related questions, that
could help treat diseases.
I was really quite happilysurprised at the progress that
they were making.
Ralph Ford (14:42):
I know I asked the question, but I'm with you.
I mean, it really is one ofthose things that they can make
meaningful contributions andthey just grow so much
professionally.
It helps them for theircareers, whether they go to
graduate school or industry oranything else.
Will Walker (14:56):
Yeah, it's the start of becoming a
professional, and they can learnhow to do that here in the lab.
And not only that, but they canget advice, career advice.
They can just learn, you know,all kinds of advice.
They have dedicated people inthat lab that are taking care of
their work and also them.
Ralph Ford (15:14):
Well, how do you train them?
You know, I go into, you know,I'm switching between labs.
We've got the teaching labhere, and we'll, you know, we'll
talk about the research lab aswell, but might as well go there
a little bit right now.
Super high-tech equipment upthere, really complicated.
How long does it take to teacha student?
And are they hesitant?
Like, what's that process ofgetting them involved on working
(15:37):
with equipment that is juststate of the art?
Will Walker (15:39):
All right, well, first let me make an
advertisement for all thehigh-tech equipment that we
have.
And we're really quite wellsupplied.
I mean, we've gotstate-of-the-art microscopy
core, and we've got microscopesthat can look at fixed tissue
and cells, and we've got uhmicroscopy equipment that can
look at cells while they'restill alive, so we can treat
them with various environmentalfactors and observe what happens
(16:01):
inside the cell.
And we've also got cell culturefacilities that are equal to
anything at any otheruniversity, and that where we
can grow cells for their study.
And and we've also got special,very highly specialized
equipment that allows us tostudy extracellular vesicles.
Okay, extracellular vesiclesare small little bits of a cell
(16:24):
that kind of bleb off and carryinformation to other cells.
Anyway, very few labs have theequipment that we have to study
these extracellular vesicles orEVs.
And so, how do we teach thesestudents to do, to treat, to
work with this high qualityequipment, and that is very
carefully.
Very carefully.
Love it.
(16:44):
Right.
So we'll eventually, and I it'sthis is not easy to turn all
the knobs and push all thebuttons that allows the
microscope to get give you theinformation that you need.
It takes some time to learn allthose things.
And so we'll we have atechnician that will help sit
with them and teach them thosesort of things.
Cell culture is anotherexample.
We basically we have to teachthe students how to be very
(17:07):
careful and not to, well,bacteria are everywhere, and you
don't want the bacteria tocontaminate your cells while
you're there in culture.
So sterile technique is acritical concept that we have to
tell them all the time.
Yeah, anyway, it's these typeof foundational ideas that we
need to put across to them.
Ralph Ford (17:28):
You also work with faculty, and I mean we are
trying to get faculty engagedacross all four of our schools.
But let's start particularlywith two of our biology faculty
members, Dr.
Ashley Russell and uh Dr.
Jeremiah Keys.
You work closely with them eachand every day, and you're
mentoring them, working withthem.
What's that relationship like?
Will Walker (17:48):
Well, this has been a lot of fun.
I mean, I really enjoymentoring young faculty.
You know, it's it it's becauseyou know, they have to listen to
you.
But no, um it's fun to watchthem develop and to solve the
problems that come up.
You know, I enjoy solvingproblems.
And to see the progress thatthey make with their research
(18:10):
and to help them to overcome thebarriers that are needed to
make that progress.
Yeah, it it's a lot of fun.
And um and I think we've madesome progress since I came here.
I think they're uh hopefullybetter off.
Ralph Ford (18:23):
I'm actually quite sure of it.
And you're thinking broaderthan that, too.
Of course, you seeopportunities with engineering
and humanities and socialscience and other schools as
well.
Will Walker (18:34):
Yeah, so and that that also has been a real focus
for me is to collaborate withother departments that you
wouldn't think would haveanything to do with biology.
The engineering school, as youknow, is really top-notch here,
and the faculty are outstanding.
And so we're we want to usethat expertise and the
(18:54):
complementary expertise with thebiologists and and build
something even bigger.
For example, we arecollaborating with two faculty
members here on a microplasticsproject.
Okay, plastic breaks down,makes very small particles,
particles that are 10,000-foldsmaller than the width of your
um fingernail.
(19:15):
So very small products, and butthey have uh they get into the
water and into your bodies andthey cause all kinds of health
problems.
And so we're working with twoengineering faculty here to try
to understand how thesemicroplastics get into cells,
and then once they get into thecells, do they get out?
No one knows if they get backout again, okay?
(19:38):
And and what happens to thecell, what processes are
disrupted when the microplasticsget in.
And I tell you, it's been agreat experience working with
these, you know, I I don't knowwhy anyone needs mind-altering
drugs, because I go talk tothese engineers and my mind is
totally blown.
It's totally altered, and I go,Wow, how can how do you this is
(20:01):
a great idea?
How do you do this?
And it's it's thecomplementarity is great.
Ralph Ford (20:06):
Well, I love it.
You know, that's where so muchdiscovery happens, right?
At uh boundaries betweendifferent disciplines that we
hear it so often it's cliche,but to see it in action is a
different thing.
Not only that, I think they'reworking, uh, you know, they've
got a funded study with DukeUniversity, I believe, to look
at the effects of uhmicroplastics.
So I mean it's uh it's a largeeffort.
(20:28):
Does the fact that we're onLake Erie as well, and you know,
we've got a lot ofmicroplastics in Lake Erie, I
mean, that gives us anotheropportunity there, doesn't it?
Right, it does.
Will Walker (20:37):
And hopefully someday we can help rid the
environment of thesemicroplastics.
But for right now, it'simportant that we understand
better what they do.
Ralph Ford (20:47):
Yeah.
Yeah, and I think even themechanisms of what happens when
they're they're in water andthey settle to the bottom and
they're in the sediment, wedon't fully know all of that.
Are they picking up chemicalsand the like?
So there's so much opportunityfor us to be figuring out
problems that are relevant toeverybody's everyday life.
Will Walker (21:03):
And we look forward to collaborating with other
folks here at Behrend thatactually the environmental
experts here at um studying LakeErie and the microplastics in
the in the lake.
Ralph Ford (21:14):
Well, we've built this great ecosystem at Behrend,
but we are connected very muchto uh the Magee Women's Research
Institute in Erie and Dr.
Helena Szynski, who runs theeffort here as well.
So can you talk about how thatpartnership works?
Will Walker (21:30):
Okay, so Dr.
Selinski is is a force ofnature, totally energetic.
It's great, and she's awonderful um asset for the
community here.
So she heads up the women'sresearch there at Hammond
Hospital.
And so, yeah, we're workingwith her, they have clinical
trials there, and what we wantto do is we want to place
students to help uh work thoseclinical trials, to um perform
(21:56):
some of the duties that need tobe done, and also to maybe
perform some of the analysis ofthe results.
And so we're really lookingforward to working with Hamot
and Magee there to to get ourstudents into the hospital and
get the experiences there, andto get collaborative projects
that we can all work on and getfunded for.
(22:19):
Right.
Ralph Ford (22:20):
And it's important, and you know, you talked about
clinical trials, and I tellpeople that's not just a dry
concept.
Clinical trials mean that womenin our region now have access
to better health care than theydid before, right?
Will Walker (22:33):
And and so it's super important here.
Most clinical trials areperformed in cities associated
with the medical center.
And so here in the more ruralarea in northeast uh
Pennsylvania here, and it allowswomen here to uh participate in
these clinical trials to behelped by the trials, but also
(22:55):
to become a voice within thetrial, to have their voices
heard and their physiology tobecome part of the trial, and so
that we can help more people inrural areas.
Ralph Ford (23:08):
Yeah, super significant.
And uh between those twoorganizations right now, we have
the you talked about seedgrants earlier, but that's one
of the real benefits is the twoinstitutions come together and
they put in each put in somefunding, and the idea is that we
bring together researchers fromPittsburgh and Erie and look at
new novel ideas.
Will Walker (23:28):
Right.
So I know of one that's comingthat another a proposal that is
coming soon, and that is it wasfascinating to me.
It's collaboration with Mageeat Hamot and down in Pittsburgh.
Is these folks, theseengineering folks, they want to
use these um these head covers,these eye covers, these you see
virtual reality.
Yeah, that's the word.
(23:49):
Virtual reality.
Oh, yeah.
Virtual reality and havepregnant women wear these
virtual reality headsets andwalk across an engineered rug
that will measure their stepsand how they step.
And then they hypothesize thatthey can tell whether a woman
will become depressed afterpregnancy by how they walk
(24:10):
during pregnancy.
And so this is one of thethings.
So they'll have engineers herecollaborating with the people at
Hamot and and down in at Mageeto do this.
Ralph Ford (24:20):
That's amazing.
That I think that's called gateanalysis, right?
Trying to figure out gateanalysis, you know, and you can
learn a lot from that.
And uh we'll see where thatgoes.
Will Walker (24:28):
So there's a number of different projects.
And we've had other projects,one was just completed lately
about um prolapse.
Women's uh internal organs tendto fall.
And then what is done is a meshis usually is put in to hold
the or internal organs in place,and this has been nothing but
trouble for many years becauseof the immune responses that
(24:51):
occur in uh uh inflammation andgreat pain.
And so um there's a seedproject here, again, with other
engineers, to um address andimprove those meshes that are
used uh for prolapse.
Ralph Ford (25:05):
Oh, yeah, and I know I think Dr.
Helena Zazinski's been lookingat that one with the Yes, she's
been a part of that.
And and as you said, I'll goback to that.
She is a force of nature, she'sshe's on our board here, and
she's just a lot of fun to workwith.
And every time you sit down,you get about 10 new ideas from
her.
And uh the reason I want tocome back to that is one of the
goals of this project, and we'rein this for in the long term,
(25:28):
and one of the things thatconcerns me about Erie is we
don't get enough federalresearch funding.
If you look per capita researchfunding in Pennsylvania, it
goes to uh Pittsburgh, it goesto Philadelphia, and it goes to
State College.
And we're getting better.
Uh I think that's reallyimportant because research
funding is a bet on the future,I say.
Will Walker (25:49):
Well, I let me talk about one potential improvement
there.
Is um Dr.
Russell in in the WIS lab hasput in for a um NSF grant, a
career grant, a five-year grantthat would not only support her
research, but also educationhere and then would would
support high school studentscoming into the R Lab for the
(26:10):
summer and also undergraduateresearch.
And so we're hoping to hearabout this federally funded
research.
Uh we're guessing in thespring.
Okay.
But yes, if uh hopefully thisdoesn't become too political,
but um here at this universitywe're somewhat hamstrung by um
the inability to get what'scalled R-15 grants.
(26:31):
And these are federally fundedgrants for undergraduate
research.
I mean, these are largerproject projects.
And because um we areassociated with or part of Penn
State, Penn State has a lot offederal funding, as you stated.
And the problem is that whenyou have a lot of federal
funding, you cannot get thesesmaller R-15 grants for
(26:53):
undergraduates.
So we're trying to get aworkaround on this so that we
can uh obtain these R-15 grantsto improve our funding situation
for undergraduate research.
Ralph Ford (27:03):
Well, this first of all, this is a free speech zone,
so we can talk about it.
And uh look, we've talked tothe vice president of research,
and uh we're super open with youif and I know you're working on
this.
This is like one of yourcharges and missions in life,
I'm sure.
So we've got to change that,and that could be really
game-changing for the region ifwe can do that.
Will Walker (27:22):
I think so.
It would be game-changing forthe region to be able to access
those funds.
It would just allow us to growour research capabilities here
to the nth degree.
Ralph Ford (27:32):
Yeah, and we can talk about you know the
importance of federal fundingand that it has.
And I think, you know, there'sa lot of questioning of higher
ed.
This isn't uh new news.
Uh, what we do, the research wedo, and how important it is.
And I think what you're talkingabout here today and the
results you're showing, are thatthat research really gets
translated into impact prettyquickly for our community.
Will Walker (27:55):
Right.
So we've had great communitysupport.
You you talk about theendowment money and the and the
contributions that the communityhas made and and to start up
the lab and continue supportingthe lab.
But yes, I mean uh just imaginethat um, for example, Dr.
Russell's research, one of thethings she's doing is she's
studying um UTIs, urinary tractinfections in post-menopausal
(28:18):
women.
And so and she's associated,this is our project is again
associated with the MageeWomen's Research Institute.
And so she is studying howthese uh extracellular vesicles
are how they are changing with awomen's has a has a woman UTI.
And so if we find that there'svarious changes to the
(28:38):
extracellular vesicles and wecan alter them again to make
them right, maybe that's a animprovement for the therapy for
this for the UTIs, which is a aproblem for many women face.
Oh, it's it's a huge problem.
It's a huge problem.
And I'm not a physician, but Iknow that there has been great
advances uh for UTIs and women,and that it's uh you don't uh
(29:00):
using systemic or injections ofestrogen may not be a good idea,
but topical lotions are reallyhelping the UTI situation.
So we want to be part of thepeople that are helping these
UTIs, uh these folks with UTIs.
Ralph Ford (29:17):
I can say as somebody who has family members
who suffer greatly, it uh it'simportant research.
How about AI?
Let's talk a little bit aboutAI.
Go maybe I'm going off topichere.
Are you seeing impacts?
Are students using it?
What are you seeing in terms ofhow it's impacting the research
mission?
Will Walker (29:34):
So I am struggling with AI.
I think a lot of people arestruggling with AI and how to
use it.
In fact, I'm trying to sign upfor a course that allows me to
use AI techniques to do dataanalysis.
For if you've ever worked withan Excel spreadsheet, we've got
23,000 lines on Excelspreadsheet and how to analyze
(29:56):
these more efficiently.
And I think this is where AI isone example where AI can be
helpful in research, is tosummarize and characterize.
And organize all the data thatwe acquire.
And that's one of the thingsthat can be used for.
The other thing is AI can beused, it's now being used to
(30:17):
define various X-rays and MRIsand make diagnoses from them.
But that's great for theclinicians, but we can use AI
perhaps to interpret various,like for in our microscopy core,
we can use AI to give usquicker, more rapid
interpretations and perhapsbetter interpretations of the
(30:40):
pictures that we're taking.
Ralph Ford (30:42):
Yeah.
And uh I mean I would say thatthe spreadsheet analysis is one,
and there's so manyopportunities for us.
And I think one of the thingsthat I'd like to see us continue
to do here at Behrend is haveconversations internally.
And I know we've had some onteaching.
I've been talking to Dr.
Allison Rhodes saying, let'sput some forms together about
the impact of AI on research andeven how you uh conduct you
(31:06):
know background research and thelike.
There are platforms appearingeach and every day, and I'm
like, what are these about?
And there's a lot of threatsthough.
I mean, there are a lot ofconcerns as well, and things we
have to think about in terms ofethical use.
Will Walker (31:17):
Yeah, I I agree with the threats to and the
importance of ethical use.
What we need is not justgenerally how do you use
ChatGPT.
That that's great, but what wereally need is directed how to
solve this problem with AIsolutions, right?
And and discussions of that.
Ralph Ford (31:39):
You know, that's right on.
By the way, I have a seniorproject team I'm working with
this morning, and we're using AIto do some research, and I'm
challenging them.
I said, you know, they showedme what they were doing.
I don't want to go into all thedetails, but my question to
them is how are you going to useit to challenge your thinking
to go deeper into this problemso that you understand it?
And that's kind of like thenext phase.
And it's really pushingyourself not to just get the
(32:01):
answer, but uh how how can Ibecome a better thinker about
it?
Will Walker (32:05):
Right.
Yeah, so um I think it'simportant that we get down to
specific questions and how AIcan help at how how can we
better learn how AI can answerspecific questions?
Ralph Ford (32:18):
Well, we're getting close to the end of the show,
but we're not done yet.
So I'm going to put you on thespot.
Oh, great.
What does success look like?
Well, you know, you've onlyyou've been here a few months,
but let's let's hear.
What do you want to see inthree to five years?
Will Walker (32:32):
All right, so I recently drew up a five-year
plan, and what I think successis going to look like is gonna
be growth of the lab, moreinvestigators, more faculty
members.
But not just that, that's notreally success.
Success is production andproductivity and useful
(32:53):
productivity.
And what we're talking about iswriting, okay, academics.
It's publish or perish, isn'tit?
So no, we need to write morepapers and make more progress in
our research.
And that's one step.
And another step is I want thisplace, this lab, to become a
center of academic researchexcellence.
(33:14):
And I've talked, we have a lotof support from Magee and other
folks that want us to focus onwomen's health.
So I think one success would beif we became a center for
women's health, academicresearch here.
And if we could then expandthat into collaborating with
(33:38):
other units in the university,engineering, humanities, et
cetera, to bring everyone onboard to have this expansive
center that uh uses a lot ofdifferent approaches to work on
women's health.
Ralph Ford (33:51):
Well, that is a great way to finish this show.
I want to thank you so much uhfor joining us today, but also
for joining Penn State Behrendand you know, thinking deeply
about not only what's going oncurrently, but about our future.
And we're going to see what thenext few years bring.
Great to have you here.
Thanks for having me.
You have been listening toBehrend Talks.
(34:12):
I'm Dr.
Ralph Ford, Chancellor of PennState Behrend.
My guest today has been Dr.
Will Walker, Director of theWomen's Health Initiative here
at Penn State Behrend.
I'm Dr.
Ralph Ford, Chancellor of PennState Behrend, and you are
listening to Behrend Talks.
My guest today is Dr.
Will Walker, Director of theWomen's Health Innovation and
Science Translational Lab, whichwe often refer to just as the
WHIST Lab here at Penn StateBehrend.
So welcome to the show, Will.
Will Walker (00:20):
Thank you.
It's great to be here.
Ralph Ford (00:22):
Well, we're going to have a great conversation
today.
I'm going to run through someof the background.
You know, the WHIST lab is partof the Women's Health
Initiative here at Penn StateBehrend.
Came out of this partnershipthat created a lot of community
splash about five, six yearsago.
I think it was actually 2019when we started this endeavor.
And at that point, we announcedat that time $26 million of
(00:43):
investment.
It's grown.
Behrend serves as what we callthe academic research partner
working here with Magee Women'sResearch Institute, which is
well known, and we're going totalk a lot about that.
We've raised some funds tocreate a nice endowment that
supports the work that you'redoing, and you started here this
summer.
And I'm going to just keepgoing, if you don't mind, Will,
(01:06):
for a moment and embarrass youwith all the great things you've
done in your career.
So our audience knows you are amolecular biologist and former
associate professor in theDepartment of Obstetric
Gynecology and ReproductiveSciences at the University of
Pittsburgh.
Will previously taught at theHoward Hughes Medical Institute
at Harvard Medical School.
(01:27):
You hold a Ph.D.
in biochemistry and molecularbiology from the University of
Texas, an executive MBA from theUniversity of Pittsburgh's Katz
School of Business, and youwent to the University of North
Carolina for your undergraduatedegree, did postgraduate work at
Harvard.
I hope that that's uh, youknow, just a flavor of what
(01:49):
you've done, I know, and yourresearch is focused on
reproductive health.
And uh again, you joined ushere this summer.
Welcome here.
I've said a mouthful.
Uh, tell us a bit about how didyou end up here at uh Penn
State Behrend Will.
Will Walker (02:04):
Well, thank you very much for the kind
introduction.
So I learned about the WHISTlab uh here through colleagues
at Magee Women's ResearchInstitute, or I'll just say MWRI
or Magee from now on.
And they said that there was agreat opportunity here, and I
enjoy mentoring.
(02:25):
And so I thought, well, here Ican go, I can mentor some
younger faculty here,undergraduate students, and
still continue my research.
And it seemed for me it was awin-win situation.
Ralph Ford (02:36):
You started working with our faculty a few years
ago, so it wasn't like you werea stranger.
Like there was a period whereyou have been going back and
forth and interacting with ourstudents for some time.
Will Walker (02:46):
Right.
That's that's one of the uhconnections that I had made when
I was in Pittsburgh.
There's seed grants that Mageehelps Behrend with and provides
startup money, small amounts ofmoney to perform research
projects that will hopefullylead to larger grant proposals
and support those proposals.
And so I was associated withintroducing those seed grants or
(03:09):
or managing those seed grantshere with at Behrend.
So the seeding worked, itsounds like yes.
The seed was planted.
Ralph Ford (03:18):
Well, let's go back just a little bit because I mean
you've had a really you knowlong career at Magee Women's
Research Institute, and I'llstart to abbreviate that as
well.
And we're you know working on alot of research.
So why don't you talk usthrough a little bit about what
was it, you know, what drew youto this field?
How did you end up there?
What were the interesting workthat you were doing at Magee
(03:40):
Women's Research Institute?
Will Walker (03:42):
Well, I was drawn to MWRI by uh collaboration that
I had was working with anotherinvestigator there, and uh he
asked for my help.
We uh wrote a paper together,and that was when I was doing my
research at Harvard at MassGeneral Hospital.
And uh so that project worked.
(04:03):
I guess I helped him, and so heput in a good word for me so
that I would be hired atUniversity of Pittsburgh.
And from there I moved over toMagee uh a few years later, and
it's I've been in Magee for 10,15 years, and it's it's been a
really good experience.
It's a great institution withtop-notch researchers and great
(04:25):
facilities, and uh we're reallylucky here at Behrend that we
can continue that collaborationwith Magee.
Ralph Ford (04:31):
Tell us about the significance of Magee Women's
Research Institute.
Wasn't it like the first in theworld that was this created
specifically focused on women'shealth?
Will Walker (04:41):
Well, that's probably true, and I should know
that.
But it is one of the alwaysnumber one or number two in
women's health and reproductionissues in the country of all at
all universities.
Wow.
Ralph Ford (04:57):
So could you give us a flavor?
Like what are the differenttypes of research that they
conduct there, and how does thistranslate into the lives of
women on a daily basis or howinto the future?
Will Walker (05:09):
Yeah, so Magee is a unique place.
What we have is you haveclinical research going on at
the same time, basic research ishappening.
So we have the um basicresearchers that never leave the
lab, and that that but they'restill collaborating with
clinical researchers that areacross the street at the
hospital, at the Magee Women'sHospital.
And so it's this collaborationand this cooperativity and
(05:32):
complementarity uh that makesMagee really so strong because
you can have the clinicalresearchers suggesting ideas to
the basic researchers and thebasic researchers providing the
information that the clinicalresearchers need to improve
their health care.
Ralph Ford (05:48):
I mean, that it looks to me like an ideal
situation and one that you don'thave everywhere in the world.
Will Walker (05:53):
No, it's it's it's one of two or three or four
places like that.
Ralph Ford (05:57):
Wow.
So what do you you know, whenyou were there, if you think
about it, like what were some ofthe you know most memorable
things that you worked on orthings you're really proud of
that came out of your work atMagee Women's?
Will Walker (06:09):
Okay, I guess the project that I'm most proud of
is a project that helped usunderstand how testosterone
works.
Testosterone is a hormone, it'sthe male hormone, and gives men
their manly ways.
But what I found there was thathow testosterone, it's usually
thought to only regulate geneexpression.
(06:29):
So genes will become proteinsand the proteins will perform
functions.
And and and that was all it wasthought to do, but I found that
not only that, but testosteronewill directly alter proteins
and cells and activate them sothat they'll perform other
functions, and that thesefunctions are actually essential
for male fertility.
(06:49):
So it's this second function oftestosterone that I found that
was essential for fertility andgave us a whole new way to think
about how sperm are produced.
Ralph Ford (07:00):
And then like this sort of work is uh funded.
How is it funded?
I mean, how does the wholeoperation work when you're
there?
Will Walker (07:08):
Well, when the um government is functioning.
Ralph Ford (07:11):
Yep.
We won't comment on that.
It started again, by the way.
Will Walker (07:15):
When the government is functioning, then a lot of
that work was supported by NIHgrants.
Yeah.
NIH money.
And that's very difficult toget.
Yeah, it's highly competitive.
Let me just say that.
So and at this moment, with thesituation the way it is,
perhaps five percent of allgrants that are submitted are
being funded.
Ralph Ford (07:35):
Yeah, wow.
It's uh well, we're lucky tohave you here.
So then, you know, talk usthrough why did uh Magee Women's
decide they wanted to come toyour EPA and build this
connection?
I mean, uh, what was attractiveto them?
Will Walker (07:49):
Well, UPMC and Magee Women's, they are became
associated here with HamotHospital.
They have a birthing centerthere, they have women's health
initiative there, and they alsoare performing clinical trials
with the help of people here inthe in the community.
And so with all that, they Ithink Magee realized that they
(08:10):
needed a real academic partnerto go along with those clinical
studies.
And that's what drew them toBehrend.
And it's been a really nicecollaboration, and we hope to
grow it even more soon.
Ralph Ford (08:24):
Yeah, and you know, I was part of that, so I'm not
gonna act like I'm ignorant ofthis in that interview.
And uh it really was, you know,they you know, your CEO Mike
Yannick, and others reached outand said there are a number of
reasons we've got a goodfoothold here in Erie,
Pennsylvania.
Turns out there are a lot offamilies that stay here for
(08:44):
multi-generation, so that allowsyou to do a multi-generation
study.
I mean, you might have agrandmother, a mother, a
daughter all here that you cantrack their health outcomes.
Will Walker (08:54):
Right.
And so that's so important.
Understanding the familydynamics and having the ability
to create a family tree, notonly to create it, but to have
it in your hand that you canwork with the people.
And so it makes genetic studieseasier and you can more easily
predict how people might getaffected by various diseases.
(09:16):
So it's a real positive for theclinicians and how they can
help with their with their care.
Ralph Ford (09:21):
Well, we've you know, I'm gonna switch back a
little bit to the WHIST lab andwhat's going on here on campus.
So that initiative wasannounced.
We've had some previous guestson here, we've talked about that
wonderful partnership.
I just love, you know, walkingup into the lab, showing
visitors what's going on.
We've got two research spaceshere on campus, or maybe a
(09:44):
research and a teaching space,and I'm going to name them both
because they are named labs.
One is the Janice HillBiomedical and Translational
Research Lab, and the other isthe Christine E.
Shewfelt Advanced Biochemistryand Molecular Biology Teaching
Lab.
So I'd love if you could talkus through each of those two
spaces.
(10:04):
One's right here in the heartof campus, the other one's up in
our tech park, Knowledge Park.
And uh how do they work and howdo they support this whole
initiative?
Will Walker (10:12):
Well, uh, let me talk first about the teaching
lab.
And so I had the opportunityrecently, unexpected opportunity
to teach some labs in thatspace and teach undergraduates
our 400-level laboratory class.
And um, so that is a reallystrong, well-equipped lab with
everything the students need,well, almost everything the
(10:34):
students need, to perform reallife experiments like anyone
would do in a biomedicallaboratory, say at Magee or
anything.
So they can they have get thisgreat experience, hands-on
experience, for how to performthese experiments and how to
learn how to be scientists andresearch scientists.
And so um, I say they don'thave everything because often we
(10:56):
have to bring down a little ofthis or a little of that from
the Janice Hill lab just tosupplement what's down there,
and that's fine.
Uh, and so the Janice Hill Labis what I would call our major
research lab.
And in that lab, we actuallyhave now, including my small
lab, three labs.
And we've got two juniorfaculty up there with their
(11:19):
technicians, and and we've alsogot seven undergraduate students
now working in a lab, and anduh we're probably will increase
by two or three more.
And uh so that's where thebasic research is being done
here.
Um we can talk about that atlength, but that's the um two
labs that you were spoke about.
Ralph Ford (11:38):
Well, first, appreciate you jumping right in
and teaching labs.
I think it's all part of theexperience.
I think that's what makesacademia so much fun is you can
do research, you can beteaching, you can interact with
the students.
Will Walker (11:52):
I had the greatest time teaching those labs and
interacting with the students.
A lot of fun.
A lot of fun.
Ralph Ford (11:56):
So, do you have any observations about our Behrend
students uh after after you knowa few short months?
Will Walker (12:02):
Yes.
And I gotta tell you, thestudents here are strong, very
strong, very dedicated and andfocused.
And I I saw that in in the labI taught, and I want to tell one
little story.
Okay, so the research lab is inthe AMIC building, which is
mechanical engineering mostly.
And we just share one room.
And I watched the mechanicalengineering students, and I
(12:26):
remember in college when I wouldgoof off between classes, but
the mechanical engineeringstudents, they're in there every
day before and after classes,working hard.
It's amazing that thededication they have to their
studies.
It's a very strong educationalenvironment here with strong
students.
Ralph Ford (12:43):
Well, thank you.
I mean, I just uh like you, Ilove seeing the students in the
hallway, seeing them working onprojects and the like.
And uh, we're gonna dig deeperinto the research, but since you
brought up the student piece,um, you know, if there's a
prospective student and, youknow, and they're thinking about
studying in this area, whyshould they do that?
I mean, what's the tell us alittle bit about studying
(13:06):
biology and getting involved inthis type of research as an
undergraduate?
Will Walker (13:10):
Well, okay, so if if you're like me, sometimes you
some people just want to knowthe answers.
Why are things the way theyare?
And that's the type of studentthat we really like to have, you
know, the ones that will askthe questions and want to get to
the answers.
And so why should they do this?
Well, you know, if that's whatthey want to do for their life,
then this just start early andget this type of foundation that
(13:31):
we can provide here, thefoundation to begin the research
capabilities that they candevelop.
And uh so you know, that'sthese students they could go to
medical school, becomephysicians.
One of the students in theteaching lab wanted to do this
forensics career, and I thoughtthat was interesting.
Others want to maybe go intonursing and and uh and then that
(13:53):
there's others that want to dobasic research or a combination
of basic and clinical research.
And so we can provide them withthe beginning of that
foundation to do that.
Ralph Ford (14:04):
Can an undergraduate student really make meaningful
contributions to research?
Will Walker (14:10):
Yes, and there's examples of that.
And and I think we haveexamples where students every
three months we have a labmeeting of everyone in in the
research lab.
And I was looking at data fromundergraduate students, their
research, and they presentedvery well.
I want to say the students hereare very good at presenting.
And and so, and yes, they wereactually making progress towards
(14:31):
answering questions,health-related questions, that
could help treat diseases.
I was really quite happilysurprised at the progress that
they were making.
Ralph Ford (14:42):
I know I asked the question, but I'm with you.
I mean, it really is one ofthose things that they can make
meaningful contributions andthey just grow so much
professionally.
It helps them for theircareers, whether they go to
graduate school or industry oranything else.
Will Walker (14:56):
Yeah, it's the start of becoming a
professional, and they can learnhow to do that here in the lab.
And not only that, but they canget advice, career advice.
They can just learn, you know,all kinds of advice.
They have dedicated people inthat lab that are taking care of
their work and also them.
Ralph Ford (15:14):
Well, how do you train them?
You know, I go into, you know,I'm switching between labs.
We've got the teaching labhere, and we'll, you know, we'll
talk about the research lab aswell, but might as well go there
a little bit right now.
Super high-tech equipment upthere, really complicated.
How long does it take to teacha student?
And are they hesitant?
Like, what's that process ofgetting them involved on working
(15:37):
with equipment that is juststate of the art?
Will Walker (15:39):
All right, well, first let me make an
advertisement for all thehigh-tech equipment that we
have.
And we're really quite wellsupplied.
I mean, we've gotstate-of-the-art microscopy
core, and we've got microscopesthat can look at fixed tissue
and cells, and we've got uhmicroscopy equipment that can
look at cells while they'restill alive, so we can treat
them with various environmentalfactors and observe what happens
(16:01):
inside the cell.
And we've also got cell culturefacilities that are equal to
anything at any otheruniversity, and that where we
can grow cells for their study.
And and we've also got special,very highly specialized
equipment that allows us tostudy extracellular vesicles.
Okay, extracellular vesiclesare small little bits of a cell
(16:24):
that kind of bleb off and carryinformation to other cells.
Anyway, very few labs have theequipment that we have to study
these extracellular vesicles orEVs.
And so, how do we teach thesestudents to do, to treat, to
work with this high qualityequipment, and that is very
carefully.
Very carefully.
Love it.
(16:44):
Right.
So we'll eventually, and I it'sthis is not easy to turn all
the knobs and push all thebuttons that allows the
microscope to get give you theinformation that you need.
It takes some time to learn allthose things.
And so we'll we have atechnician that will help sit
with them and teach them thosesort of things.
Cell culture is anotherexample.
We basically we have to teachthe students how to be very
(17:07):
careful and not to, well,bacteria are everywhere, and you
don't want the bacteria tocontaminate your cells while
you're there in culture.
So sterile technique is acritical concept that we have to
tell them all the time.
Yeah, anyway, it's these typeof foundational ideas that we
need to put across to them.
Ralph Ford (17:28):
You also work with faculty, and I mean we are
trying to get faculty engagedacross all four of our schools.
But let's start particularlywith two of our biology faculty
members, Dr.
Ashley Russell and uh Dr.
Jeremiah Keys.
You work closely with them eachand every day, and you're
mentoring them, working withthem.
What's that relationship like?
Will Walker (17:48):
Well, this has been a lot of fun.
I mean, I really enjoymentoring young faculty.
You know, it's it it's becauseyou know, they have to listen to
you.
But no, um it's fun to watchthem develop and to solve the
problems that come up.
You know, I enjoy solvingproblems.
And to see the progress thatthey make with their research
(18:10):
and to help them to overcome thebarriers that are needed to
make that progress.
Yeah, it it's a lot of fun.
And um and I think we've madesome progress since I came here.
I think they're uh hopefullybetter off.
Ralph Ford (18:23):
I'm actually quite sure of it.
And you're thinking broaderthan that, too.
Of course, you seeopportunities with engineering
and humanities and socialscience and other schools as
well.
Will Walker (18:34):
Yeah, so and that that also has been a real focus
for me is to collaborate withother departments that you
wouldn't think would haveanything to do with biology.
The engineering school, as youknow, is really top-notch here,
and the faculty are outstanding.
And so we're we want to usethat expertise and the
(18:54):
complementary expertise with thebiologists and and build
something even bigger.
For example, we arecollaborating with two faculty
members here on a microplasticsproject.
Okay, plastic breaks down,makes very small particles,
particles that are 10,000-foldsmaller than the width of your
um fingernail.
(19:15):
So very small products, and butthey have uh they get into the
water and into your bodies andthey cause all kinds of health
problems.
And so we're working with twoengineering faculty here to try
to understand how thesemicroplastics get into cells,
and then once they get into thecells, do they get out?
No one knows if they get backout again, okay?
(19:38):
And and what happens to thecell, what processes are
disrupted when the microplasticsget in.
And I tell you, it's been agreat experience working with
these, you know, I I don't knowwhy anyone needs mind-altering
drugs, because I go talk tothese engineers and my mind is
totally blown.
It's totally altered, and I go,Wow, how can how do you this is
(20:01):
a great idea?
How do you do this?
And it's it's thecomplementarity is great.
Ralph Ford (20:06):
Well, I love it.
You know, that's where so muchdiscovery happens, right?
At uh boundaries betweendifferent disciplines that we
hear it so often it's cliche,but to see it in action is a
different thing.
Not only that, I think they'reworking, uh, you know, they've
got a funded study with DukeUniversity, I believe, to look
at the effects of uhmicroplastics.
So I mean it's uh it's a largeeffort.
(20:28):
Does the fact that we're onLake Erie as well, and you know,
we've got a lot ofmicroplastics in Lake Erie, I
mean, that gives us anotheropportunity there, doesn't it?
Right, it does.
Will Walker (20:37):
And hopefully someday we can help rid the
environment of thesemicroplastics.
But for right now, it'simportant that we understand
better what they do.
Ralph Ford (20:47):
Yeah.
Yeah, and I think even themechanisms of what happens when
they're they're in water andthey settle to the bottom and
they're in the sediment, wedon't fully know all of that.
Are they picking up chemicalsand the like?
So there's so much opportunityfor us to be figuring out
problems that are relevant toeverybody's everyday life.
Will Walker (21:03):
And we look forward to collaborating with other
folks here at Behrend thatactually the environmental
experts here at um studying LakeErie and the microplastics in
the in the lake.
Ralph Ford (21:14):
Well, we've built this great ecosystem at Behrend,
but we are connected very muchto uh the Magee Women's Research
Institute in Erie and Dr.
Helena Szynski, who runs theeffort here as well.
So can you talk about how thatpartnership works?
Will Walker (21:30):
Okay, so Dr.
Selinski is is a force ofnature, totally energetic.
It's great, and she's awonderful um asset for the
community here.
So she heads up the women'sresearch there at Hammond
Hospital.
And so, yeah, we're workingwith her, they have clinical
trials there, and what we wantto do is we want to place
students to help uh work thoseclinical trials, to um perform
(21:56):
some of the duties that need tobe done, and also to maybe
perform some of the analysis ofthe results.
And so we're really lookingforward to working with Hamot
and Magee there to to get ourstudents into the hospital and
get the experiences there, andto get collaborative projects
that we can all work on and getfunded for.
(22:19):
Right.
Ralph Ford (22:20):
And it's important, and you know, you talked about
clinical trials, and I tellpeople that's not just a dry
concept.
Clinical trials mean that womenin our region now have access
to better health care than theydid before, right?
Will Walker (22:33):
And and so it's super important here.
Most clinical trials areperformed in cities associated
with the medical center.
And so here in the more ruralarea in northeast uh
Pennsylvania here, and it allowswomen here to uh participate in
these clinical trials to behelped by the trials, but also
(22:55):
to become a voice within thetrial, to have their voices
heard and their physiology tobecome part of the trial, and so
that we can help more people inrural areas.
Ralph Ford (23:08):
Yeah, super significant.
And uh between those twoorganizations right now, we have
the you talked about seedgrants earlier, but that's one
of the real benefits is the twoinstitutions come together and
they put in each put in somefunding, and the idea is that we
bring together researchers fromPittsburgh and Erie and look at
new novel ideas.
Will Walker (23:28):
Right.
So I know of one that's comingthat another a proposal that is
coming soon, and that is it wasfascinating to me.
It's collaboration with Mageeat Hamot and down in Pittsburgh.
Is these folks, theseengineering folks, they want to
use these um these head covers,these eye covers, these you see
virtual reality.
Yeah, that's the word.
(23:49):
Virtual reality.
Oh, yeah.
Virtual reality and havepregnant women wear these
virtual reality headsets andwalk across an engineered rug
that will measure their stepsand how they step.
And then they hypothesize thatthey can tell whether a woman
will become depressed afterpregnancy by how they walk
(24:10):
during pregnancy.
And so this is one of thethings.
So they'll have engineers herecollaborating with the people at
Hamot and and down in at Mageeto do this.
Ralph Ford (24:20):
That's amazing.
That I think that's called gateanalysis, right?
Trying to figure out gateanalysis, you know, and you can
learn a lot from that.
And uh we'll see where thatgoes.
Will Walker (24:28):
So there's a number of different projects.
And we've had other projects,one was just completed lately
about um prolapse.
Women's uh internal organs tendto fall.
And then what is done is a meshis usually is put in to hold
the or internal organs in place,and this has been nothing but
trouble for many years becauseof the immune responses that
(24:51):
occur in uh uh inflammation andgreat pain.
And so um there's a seedproject here, again, with other
engineers, to um address andimprove those meshes that are
used uh for prolapse.
Ralph Ford (25:05):
Oh, yeah, and I know I think Dr.
Helena Zazinski's been lookingat that one with the Yes, she's
been a part of that.
And and as you said, I'll goback to that.
She is a force of nature, she'sshe's on our board here, and
she's just a lot of fun to workwith.
And every time you sit down,you get about 10 new ideas from
her.
And uh the reason I want tocome back to that is one of the
goals of this project, and we'rein this for in the long term,
(25:28):
and one of the things thatconcerns me about Erie is we
don't get enough federalresearch funding.
If you look per capita researchfunding in Pennsylvania, it
goes to uh Pittsburgh, it goesto Philadelphia, and it goes to
State College.
And we're getting better.
Uh I think that's reallyimportant because research
funding is a bet on the future,I say.
Will Walker (25:49):
Well, I let me talk about one potential improvement
there.
Is um Dr.
Russell in in the WIS lab hasput in for a um NSF grant, a
career grant, a five-year grantthat would not only support her
research, but also educationhere and then would would
support high school studentscoming into the R Lab for the
(26:10):
summer and also undergraduateresearch.
And so we're hoping to hearabout this federally funded
research.
Uh we're guessing in thespring.
Okay.
But yes, if uh hopefully thisdoesn't become too political,
but um here at this universitywe're somewhat hamstrung by um
the inability to get what'scalled R-15 grants.
(26:31):
And these are federally fundedgrants for undergraduate
research.
I mean, these are largerproject projects.
And because um we areassociated with or part of Penn
State, Penn State has a lot offederal funding, as you stated.
And the problem is that whenyou have a lot of federal
funding, you cannot get thesesmaller R-15 grants for
(26:53):
undergraduates.
So we're trying to get aworkaround on this so that we
can uh obtain these R-15 grantsto improve our funding situation
for undergraduate research.
Ralph Ford (27:03):
Well, this first of all, this is a free speech zone,
so we can talk about it.
And uh look, we've talked tothe vice president of research,
and uh we're super open with youif and I know you're working on
this.
This is like one of yourcharges and missions in life,
I'm sure.
So we've got to change that,and that could be really
game-changing for the region ifwe can do that.
Will Walker (27:22):
I think so.
It would be game-changing forthe region to be able to access
those funds.
It would just allow us to growour research capabilities here
to the nth degree.
Ralph Ford (27:32):
Yeah, and we can talk about you know the
importance of federal fundingand that it has.
And I think, you know, there'sa lot of questioning of higher
ed.
This isn't uh new news.
Uh, what we do, the research wedo, and how important it is.
And I think what you're talkingabout here today and the
results you're showing, are thatthat research really gets
translated into impact prettyquickly for our community.
Will Walker (27:55):
Right.
So we've had great communitysupport.
You you talk about theendowment money and the and the
contributions that the communityhas made and and to start up
the lab and continue supportingthe lab.
But yes, I mean uh just imaginethat um, for example, Dr.
Russell's research, one of thethings she's doing is she's
studying um UTIs, urinary tractinfections in post-menopausal
(28:18):
women.
And so and she's associated,this is our project is again
associated with the MageeWomen's Research Institute.
And so she is studying howthese uh extracellular vesicles
are how they are changing with awomen's has a has a woman UTI.
And so if we find that there'svarious changes to the
(28:38):
extracellular vesicles and wecan alter them again to make
them right, maybe that's a animprovement for the therapy for
this for the UTIs, which is a aproblem for many women face.
Oh, it's it's a huge problem.
It's a huge problem.
And I'm not a physician, but Iknow that there has been great
advances uh for UTIs and women,and that it's uh you don't uh
(29:00):
using systemic or injections ofestrogen may not be a good idea,
but topical lotions are reallyhelping the UTI situation.
So we want to be part of thepeople that are helping these
UTIs, uh these folks with UTIs.
Ralph Ford (29:17):
I can say as somebody who has family members
who suffer greatly, it uh it'simportant research.
How about AI?
Let's talk a little bit aboutAI.
Go maybe I'm going off topichere.
Are you seeing impacts?
Are students using it?
What are you seeing in terms ofhow it's impacting the research
mission?
Will Walker (29:34):
So I am struggling with AI.
I think a lot of people arestruggling with AI and how to
use it.
In fact, I'm trying to sign upfor a course that allows me to
use AI techniques to do dataanalysis.
For if you've ever worked withan Excel spreadsheet, we've got
23,000 lines on Excelspreadsheet and how to analyze
(29:56):
these more efficiently.
And I think this is where AI isone example where AI can be
helpful in research, is tosummarize and characterize.
And organize all the data thatwe acquire.
And that's one of the thingsthat can be used for.
The other thing is AI can beused, it's now being used to
(30:17):
define various X-rays and MRIsand make diagnoses from them.
But that's great for theclinicians, but we can use AI
perhaps to interpret various,like for in our microscopy core,
we can use AI to give usquicker, more rapid
interpretations and perhapsbetter interpretations of the
(30:40):
pictures that we're taking.
Ralph Ford (30:42):
Yeah.
And uh I mean I would say thatthe spreadsheet analysis is one,
and there's so manyopportunities for us.
And I think one of the thingsthat I'd like to see us continue
to do here at Behrend is haveconversations internally.
And I know we've had some onteaching.
I've been talking to Dr.
Allison Rhodes saying, let'sput some forms together about
the impact of AI on research andeven how you uh conduct you
(31:06):
know background research and thelike.
There are platforms appearingeach and every day, and I'm
like, what are these about?
And there's a lot of threatsthough.
I mean, there are a lot ofconcerns as well, and things we
have to think about in terms ofethical use.
Will Walker (31:17):
Yeah, I I agree with the threats to and the
importance of ethical use.
What we need is not justgenerally how do you use
ChatGPT.
That that's great, but what wereally need is directed how to
solve this problem with AIsolutions, right?
And and discussions of that.
Ralph Ford (31:39):
You know, that's right on.
By the way, I have a seniorproject team I'm working with
this morning, and we're using AIto do some research, and I'm
challenging them.
I said, you know, they showedme what they were doing.
I don't want to go into all thedetails, but my question to
them is how are you going to useit to challenge your thinking
to go deeper into this problemso that you understand it?
And that's kind of like thenext phase.
And it's really pushingyourself not to just get the
(32:01):
answer, but uh how how can Ibecome a better thinker about
it?
Will Walker (32:05):
Right.
Yeah, so um I think it'simportant that we get down to
specific questions and how AIcan help at how how can we
better learn how AI can answerspecific questions?
Ralph Ford (32:18):
Well, we're getting close to the end of the show,
but we're not done yet.
So I'm going to put you on thespot.
Oh, great.
What does success look like?
Well, you know, you've onlyyou've been here a few months,
but let's let's hear.
What do you want to see inthree to five years?
Will Walker (32:32):
All right, so I recently drew up a five-year
plan, and what I think successis going to look like is gonna
be growth of the lab, moreinvestigators, more faculty
members.
But not just that, that's notreally success.
Success is production andproductivity and useful
(32:53):
productivity.
And what we're talking about iswriting, okay, academics.
It's publish or perish, isn'tit?
So no, we need to write morepapers and make more progress in
our research.
And that's one step.
And another step is I want thisplace, this lab, to become a
center of academic researchexcellence.
(33:14):
And I've talked, we have a lotof support from Magee and other
folks that want us to focus onwomen's health.
So I think one success would beif we became a center for
women's health, academicresearch here.
And if we could then expandthat into collaborating with
(33:38):
other units in the university,engineering, humanities, et
cetera, to bring everyone onboard to have this expansive
center that uh uses a lot ofdifferent approaches to work on
women's health.
Ralph Ford (33:51):
Well, that is a great way to finish this show.
I want to thank you so much uhfor joining us today, but also
for joining Penn State Behrendand you know, thinking deeply
about not only what's going oncurrently, but about our future.
And we're going to see what thenext few years bring.
Great to have you here.
Thanks for having me.
You have been listening toBehrend Talks.
(34:12):
I'm Dr.
Ralph Ford, Chancellor of PennState Behrend.
My guest today has been Dr.
Will Walker, Director of theWomen's Health Initiative here
at Penn State Behrend.
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