What do an undergraduate degree in history, the transcription factor Forkhead box class O1 (FoxO1), and maternity leave have in common? In this new episode of our Behind the Bench podcast, host Lisandra de Castro Bras (East Carolina University) and her new co-host Charlotte Usselman (McGill University) interview lead author Kate Weeks (Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute) about a new study by Weeks and co-authors which shows FoxO1 is a critical mediator of exercise-induced cardiac hypertrophy. We reached out to Kate to get the story behind her research, because we know how critically important it is for women scientists to hear from other women scientists about balancing scientific research and life outside the lab. Kate discusses the implications of her study in considering FoxO1 as a target for treating heart disease, and she also discusses the implications of maternity leave on maintaining her career as a research scientist. Interspersed in this engaging and enlightening conversation about Kate’s research are life lessons about planning your career path, taking family leave from work, inquiring about childcare at conferences, and so much more. Listen now.

Kate L. Weeks,Yow Keat Tham, Suzan G. Yildiz, Yonali Alexander, Daniel G. Donner, Helen Kiriazis, Claudia A. Harmawan, Amy Hsu, Bianca C. Bernardo, Aya Matsumoto, Ronald A. DePinho, E. Dale Abel, Elizabeth A. Woodcock, Julie R. McMullen FoxO1 is required for physiological cardiac hypertrophy induced by exercise but not by constitutively active PI3K  Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, published April 7, 2021.