Dr. Lakeisha Lewter

Dr. Lakeisha Lewter intends to light the way for the next generation of scientists on the path she traveled.

The neuroscience research associate in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences (BBS) at The University of Texas at Dallas received a Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award from the National Institutes of Health. The postdoctoral fellowship will fund her pain research for the next three years.

Lewters passion for her research is matched by her dedication to serving underrepresented populations, a desire that comes from her own life story.

Growing up in Laurel, Maryland, Lewter attended a high school with an international baccalaureate program, which she credits with teaching her how to think independently and critically two important components of being a researcher, she said. And yet, she felt there was something lacking in her educational environment.

I attended majority-white institutions my whole life. I felt a loss of identity; it had been hard fitting in, she said. I grew up watching A Different World, based on a fictional HBCU [historically Black colleges and universities], and I thought it would be nice to be in a space where I wasnt the only person who looked like me.

Although her guidance counselors pushed her in other directions, Lewter said she knew in her heart where she wanted to be. She followed her older sister to Morgan State University, a public HBCU in Baltimore.

Winding up at Morgan State is what got me on the track of being a researcher, Lewter said.

Her sister played a role in that, too, telling Lewter, then a freshman biology student, about the Minority Biomedical Research Support Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (MBRS-RISE) program, a paid research opportunity for undergraduates. She jumped at the opportunity.

I started during my second semester. That following summer, they gave me my own project, and I fell in love with research doing experiments, interpreting results, answering questions and developing more questions, Lewter said.

Dr. Lewter is an outstanding researcher, teacher and mentor. Folks come to her for her expertise and ability to thoughtfully process their situation.

Dr. Benedict Kolber, associate professor of neuroscience in the UTDallas Center for Advanced Pain Studies

As an undergraduate, Lewter focused on aspects of neuroscience, including mental health disorders and later on behavioral pharmacology. While obtaining her doctorate from the University of Buffalo, she moved into pain research, specifically studying the potential utility of novel compounds for pain control. For her postdoctoral position, she sought a chance to learn a new skill set. Thats how she found Dr. Benedict Kolber, now an associate professor of neuroscience in the UTDallas Center for Advanced Pain Studies, who was at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh at the time.

Dr. Lewter is an outstanding researcher, teacher and mentor. I knew when she first interviewed with the laboratory that she would both fit into our existing community and also make it better, said Kolber, who joined UTDallas in 2020. Folks come to her for her expertise and ability to thoughtfully process their situation.

When Kolber left Duquesne for UTDallas, Lewter an avowed East Coast girl made the cross-country jump as well.

He takes time out to train his mentees. He pushes you, but not unreasonably so, she said of Kolber. I enjoy my work, and a large part of that is because hes a great supervisor. Ultimately, thats why I decided to come to Dallas, even though Id just arrived in Pittsburgh.

Lewters fellowship work will continue to explore the origins of urologic chronic pelvic pain syndrome. She is examining how changes in one region of the brain may cause the persistent condition.

Pain is so complex, with different modalities and different types, she said. Earlier work determined that in neuropathic pain, theres a change in dominance of the amygdala several days after the event, from left to right, as pain transitions from acute to chronic. Were going to see if thats also true in visceral bladder pain. Were also exploring if the receptors for calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) have similar dimorphic effects.

Kolber said Lewters research is opening up new technical innovations for our investigation of the brain in the context of visceral bladder pain.

The NIH fellowship that was recently funded is the result of over two years of hard work. Using novel in vivo imaging, Dr. Lewter is trying to tease apart the specific cells in an area of the brain, the amygdala, that can both increase and decrease bladder pain, he added. These biomedical questions will give us insight into human pain disease progression and hopefully treatment. This project will also be a major springboard for her to launch her own independent research career.

When it comes to that eventual career, Lewter has some particular goals in mind.

Plan A is that Id like to be a primary investigator at a minority-serving institution, she said. Representation is important in itself; thats another big thing about my HBCU experience there were so many Black women within the department that had their PhDs, and the RISE program at Morgan State gave me the confidence and skills to pursue my own PhD. Its important to me to foster that environment.

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Neuroscientist Wins NIH Fellowship, Shines as Researcher, Mentor - University of Texas at Dallas