Dr. Pat Hunt Delivers Neena B. Schwartz Lectureship
The 2022 Neena B. Schwartz Memorial Lectureship in Reproductive Science took place on October 7th. Hosted annually to honor the legacy of CRS founder Dr. Neena B. Schwartz, this year’s event featured an eye-opening lecture by Dr. Patricia Hunt, Regents Professor in the School of Molecular Biosciences at Washington State University located in Pullman, WA. Dr. Hunt received her PhD in Reproductive Biology from the University of Hawaii in 1983 and has since been a major contributor to our understanding of how age and environment affects a woman’s ability to create genetically normal eggs. This lectureship also marked Dr. Hunt’s return to in person seminars away from her home institution, and our CRS community was more than grateful to host Dr. Hunt.
In her lecture titled “Making a Good Egg: Lessons Learned From Mistakes,” Dr. Hunt, recipient of the 2022 Frontiers in Reproduction Pioneer Award, spoke about the influence of the ubiquitous industrial chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) on the mammalian reproductive system. The harm of BPA manifests in meiotic defects and aneuploidy, and what is perhaps even more alarming is the potential multigenerational effects on reproductive function. Though Dr. Hunt’s interest earlier on in her career was in the influence of age on human aneuploidy, her focus shifted to endocrine disrupting chemicals rather unexpectedly. The accidental origin of Dr. Hunt’s prolific research on the effect of these environmental contaminants, or endocrine disrupting chemicals, on mammalian reproduction was from the fateful realization that mice in her lab had sustained chromosomal abnormalities as a result of inadvertent exposure to BPA. This discovery has led to a global reevaluation of how chemicals found in everyday products can have lasting effects on our physiology and reproduction.
Prior to delivering her lecture, Dr. Hunt spoke candidly with CRS trainees about some of the trials and tribulations in her career. She discussed her hesitation to publish at first – the mouse exposure incident took place in the late nineties, but her seminal findings on BPA were not published until 2003. The caution was out of recognition that this research would shake up not only the scientific world, but the general public, as well. A proponent of science communication, Dr. Hunt underscored that receiving media training was an integral part of her journey over the past two decades as she has brought awareness to the critical information her research uncovered. She encouraged trainees to care deeply about reproductive issues and to be vocal about these issues that affect us all as a society.
Dr. Hunt’s presentation and the spirit of her work exemplify the same passion and willingness to push boundaries that was characteristic of Dr. Schwartz, whose distinguished career also included pioneering previously unexplored territory. Her findings in 1977 showed that Inhibin preferentially augments FSH secretion regulating ovarian function in the female. Though she is no longer with us, Dr. Schwartz’s imprint will always remain in the reproductive science world, and her beloved memory will be honored in the CRS community in the years to come.