Graduation Feature: Hutcherson completes MS in Endocrinology and Reproductive Physiology program

Congratulations to Beverly Hutcherson, MS, who graduates from the Endocrinology and Reproductive Physiology program with a master’s degree! Hutcherson completed the thesis project “Elevated Antimullerian Hormone, Inhibitor of Oocyte Maturation?”.  

Hutcherson shared some reflections of her academic journey:  

Why were you interested in your research topic? 

When I was an undergrad, I was doing research through the Ronald E. Mcnair Scholars program. Through that, I did a summer program at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities with the chair of neuroscience there, Dr. William Engeland. And then I kind of got hooked on research. From there, I did some research with animal models, including lampreys and rats.  

When I came to UW-Madison for graduate school, I had this animal model experience and I planned to work in a lab doing research with rats. Circumstances changed, and I ended up working on a PCOS project that included a monkey model.  

When I started on that project, this protein [antimullerian hormone] wasn’t well known, it was thought to be only in males. Over the 21 years, though, this has become a really prominent conversation and clinically relevant protein. So I've been able to grow with this this work throughout this time. 

This has been a 21-year journey – I started graduate school in 2003, then I had my son, then I ended up getting sick. All this life happened between starting grad school and finishing my master's this year. My thesis topic was a culmination of like this journey of looking at a protein that wasn't well known, and then over time, being a part of the cutting edge of a discovery of a protein that was not only found in women, but is probably one of the most important hormones above some of the hormones we've been studying in women's fertility. 

What lessons will you carry forward from your research? 

I persevered through this degree because I was actually dealing with the issues I was studying. The master's degree has been less about the actual degree and more about understanding what it means to be a patient in the healthcare system, and not from a theoretical perspective. It influenced my research and then also will fuel my PhD. 

I continue to use these experiences of being chronically ill disabled in my research, in how I'm approaching administration, how I'm teaching the med students. In fact, before lectures I usually start with a story. But what they don't know is that happened to me, the story I’m sharing is my own. And I found that it humanizes the data. It humanizes the process. And so I think I've been able to use what would be seen as an adverse experience, and I've been able to apply it in a way that helps shape the minds of the next generation of scientists and physicians and that helps reshape our system and how it operates. 

What is next on your academic or professional horizons? 

I’ll be working on a clinical investigation PhD from the UW-Madison Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, with Dr. Tiffany Green as my professor. We’re looking at Black maternal health, preeclampsia, morbidity, and ways to improve early detection for preeclampsia. I’ll be looking at this from the perspective of a reproductive biologist, but also as a patient and as an administrator, bringing the biology and the patient experience and the administrative logistics all together to help us better care for preeclampsia. 

My goal after that is to go to medical school and pursue a career in pathology.  

Any special shout-outs or thanks to faculty, staff, other members of the department who shaped your experience here? 

I wouldn’t be alive without Dr. Dave Abbott and Dr. Dan Dumesic – they coached me and supported me through all my health issues. 

Dave Abbott has got to be the best scientific mentor on the planet. Not only is he a brilliant, internationally renowned scientist, he is the absolute best teacher. He’s also an incredibly compassionate person, he and his family are so genuinely kind. He made sure I could continue my program through all this time. When I wasn’t sure why I was sticking with this, he reminded me that I was finishing this program while working full time, while raising a child, and while sick. 

I'll also shout out Ian Bird, I remember getting an email from him when I had to take a break. He told me, “When your life allows, you're going to be really successful in this space.” I held on to that in these gaps – it's not that I wasn't smart enough to be a scientist, but that life circumstances didn’t give me the time or the mental space.   

Dr. William Engeland at the University of Minnesota gave me some advice that shaped my parenting. He told me, “If you choose this path and you're successful, you're going to be tempted to put your career first. I'm going to encourage you to put your family first.” When I had to decide my priorities when I had my son, I didn't have to ask that question to myself because I'd already gotten this wisdom of someone who had already lived this life. And now, my son’s in college, I’m able to focus on my training without guilt.  

Congratulations, Beverly!