I am currently a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Eva Grayck, M.D. at the University of Colorado.   Our research focuses on elucidating underlying mechanisms by which extracellular antioxidant defenses protect against acute lung injury, pulmonary hypertension, and pulmonary fibrosis. My path to my current position and research areas were primarily due to being an IMSD graduate student in the Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology & Biotechnology Department. It is ubiquitously known that across Brown’s BioMed division that all departments are highly interdisciplinary and diverse. Additionally, I was highly driven to perform my graduate studies in an environment that emphasized translational science. Those two factors were significant driving forces for me to attend Brown. Upon entering graduate school, the IMSD program was a program that not only in part financially supported my stay at Brown but had a far-reaching impact across all departments regardless of representation status. My career path today is primarily due to IMSD as a program and the mentors I have gained throughout my stay at Brown.  I was recently awarded an AHA Postdoctoral Fellowship which will allow me to spend more time carving out future research areas. My advice to current graduate students would be to take part in as many modules and activities the IMSD program offers. I would also highly recommend fostering mentoring relationships that will last after graduation. I have been lucky to have diverse individual mentors who have continued to support my career. The IMSD program is not only a support mechanism, but a highly cultured and rich environment that all graduate students should take an active part in.