CRS Scientist Spotlight on Tanvi Potluri

Tanvi Potluri is a 3rd year PhD student in Dr. Serdar Bulun's lab. Her research focuses on understanding estrogen’s role in causing fibrosis and developing non-surgical interventions for treatment in patients.

Name: Tanvi Potluri

Position: PhD Graduate Student

Mentor: Dr. Serdar Bulun

Thesis: Effects of Estrogen on Skeletal Muscle Fibrosis and Inguinal Hernia Pathophysiology

What brought you to join the CRS community and what is your current position? 

For my Ph.D., I joined Dr. Bulun’s lab in Ob-Gyn Dept. and thus became a part of the CRS community. Currently, I am a 3rd year (Ah! time flies!) Ph.D. student. 

Could you describe your research? 

The Bulun lab has developed a mouse model for inguinal hernias wherein excess local estrogen causes the abdominal muscle to fibrose and weaken. My research focuses on understanding estrogen’s role in causing this fibrosis and potentially develop some non-surgical interventions for treating hernia patients. 

What aspect(s) of CRS do you find most valuable?  

Hands down the fantastic community we have here to learn from one another and collaborate. The food during RRU Wednesdays is a close second (Miss those days!). 

What has been the most valuable aspect to your training as a reproductive scientist? 

I am developing the ability to think like a scientist. It took me a while to develop those analytical skills, to question most things, and find ways to get to the answers. Of course, I’m still very much at the beginning of this journey. 

What is one piece of advice you would give to young scientists starting in their journey in science?  

Be kinder to yourself. There is so much pressure on getting everything right and perfect, especially if you feel like an imposter in academia. Someone once told me that we are juggling many balls in our lives, and your well-being is a glass ball that we cannot drop, no matter what. Be nicer to yourself if something doesn’t work out. Take care of your mental and physical health. I’m still trying to figure this one out!

What do you think will be the next big contribution in the reproductive biology field?  

I think (or hope) in the next few years, we will have better ways of approaching gender in our research and therapeutics. As someone who studies estrogen and has researched sex differences before, I feel we scientists need to have better inclusivity. Be it in research studies or getting more voices on the table when training our future scientists and doctors. 

What hobbies do you have outside of the lab?   

I love knitting and am trying to learn to crochet. I would say knitting and Netflix together is what I do most evenings. I volunteer at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum on Saturdays, so you will probably find me feeding turtles or releasing newly emerged butterflies!