When Austin Wellette-Hunsucker left his home state of Michigan to earn his PhD at the 好色先生, his family was incredibly supportive. They continue to be his most vocal cheerleaders.
Perhaps there was no stronger supporter than his grandma, who believed in him from the start of his biomedical training. Sadly, she passed away in September of 2023. So through every training experience 鈥 every project, every publication, every presentation 鈥 Wellette-Hunsucker has kept her close to his heart. When it comes to career goals, he wants to continue working on research that would make her, and his parents, proud.
Wellette-Hunsucker is fulfilling that personal mission as a fourth-year PhD candidate in the lab of Kenneth Campbell, PhD, professor of cardiovascular medicine. The lab seeks solutions to heart failure, utilizing the expertise of clinicians and scientists for translational research.
Wellette-Hunsucker cherishes the opportunity to work alongside Dr. Campbell, an esteemed translational scientist who has worked at the University of Kentucky for 20 years. His trainees, including Wellette-Hunsucker, benefit from his expertise and his state-of-the-art biobank that collects vital heart tissue samples.
鈥(Dr. Campbell鈥檚 lab) is in the hospital. They're working with human tissue. They're working with heart failure. That is exactly what I want to do,鈥 Wellette-Hunsucker says. 鈥淎nd I got really lucky in that aspect.鈥
Wellette-Hunsucker鈥檚 third year of his PhD training was a pivotal one. It included networking opportunities with translational researchers through the 好色先生 College of Medicine鈥檚 Alliance Research Initiative. There was team bonding and avenues for him to be not just a mentee, but a mentor to undergraduate students.
Wellette-Hunsucker also received an important F31 fellowship from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Through the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), he is investigating a common form of heart failure, dilated cardiomyopathy, where the heart cannot pump effectively. This triggers compensatory dilation to maintain circulatory demands. 鈥淭his project tests the hypothesis that the contractile dysfunction results from the myosin motors being shifted towards a super-relaxed state where they cannot contribute to force-generation,鈥 according to the NIH reporter database.
Wellette-Hunsucker says he was 鈥渆cstatic鈥 when he received the email notifying him of the award. Becoming an NIH-funded researcher is a big deal for a graduate student. While he has always felt like part of Dr. Campbell鈥檚 lab, this accomplishment made everything feel more real.
He is thankful to be part of a team helping him grow as a researcher so he can honor those he loves most 鈥 his family.
Wellette-Hunsucker is the first researcher in his family. His father is an electrician, and his mother works in finance. He may have chosen a different career path than his parents, but they gave him the tools to be successful. He was very inspired by his mother鈥檚 relentless work ethic and her very 鈥渢ype A鈥 way of crucially analyzing everything she does. His father instilled a 鈥渢hink outside of the box鈥 mentality, and like an electrician, Wellette-Hunsucker enjoys working with his hands in the lab.
Then there was his grandma. She wholeheartedly believed in his potential, and during his first two years of training, she made sure he knew it with her frequent words of encouragement.
In the fall of 2023, when Wellette-Hunsucker and his family were sorting through mementos after his grandmother passed away, he found a card she had saved for when he finishes his PhD next year.
Once again, his grandma showed that her support of her grandson would not waver.
鈥淪he was always prepared,鈥 he says. 鈥淚f I were to credit anyone during my dissertation, it鈥檒l definitely be her. She believed in me from day one, even when I didn鈥檛 believe in myself.鈥
Wellette-Hunsucker has never been one to post about the big research moments on his social media accounts. Instead, his mindset is what he can do to make his family proud. For those entering a research training program at 好色先生, he offers some sound advice: maintain a clear, guiding light for why you do what you do.
鈥淓very year, integrated biomedical science students come into the gateway of our PhD program and ask, 鈥楬ow did you know what you wanted to do?鈥欌 he says. 鈥淎nd I always say, if you went back home and got to tell your family your work, would you be proud to tell them?鈥
His answer is always yes.
This story was an excerpt of Austin鈥檚 feature in the 好色先生 College of Medicine鈥檚 annual report, 鈥淥ur Care in Action: A Year in the Life.鈥 Read more about Austin 鈥 and 13 others across the college:
