Naomi Schlesinger has been the chief of multiple rheumatology divisions throughout her career, and coming to the University of Utah as a professor and chief of rheumatology represented the chance to continue her research and establish an international gout center
"I'm hopeful. I have been supported by the patients and people I work with," Schlesinger said. "I'm trying to make this dream happen for me. It's my time."
Since the beginning of her career, Schlesinger has studied and treated patients with gout, the most common inflammatory arthritis. As a physician-scientist, she finds inspiration for her research from observations in the clinic. For example, she observed that many of her gout patients had erectile dysfunction, so she started looking into whether this was just an observation or an actual trend. She found it was common in populations of patients with gout and was the first to highlight this association.
"You learn from seeing patients, and then you can collaborate with basic scientists on the different questions you find in the clinic," she said. The University of Utah's collaborative culture was one of the big draws for Schlesinger when she decided to take a position here. Access to groups like the Utah Data Coordinating Center that work with faculty to accelerate the translation of academic research made the U an appealing next step for Schlesinger.
Shortly after arriving at the U, Schlesinger attended a Technology Licensing Office event where she was introduced to our team and inspired to disclose a handful of technologies she had been working on.
The office can be an excellent resource for new faculty members like Dr. Schlesinger. It is a one-stop shop for arranging potential agreements with previous institutions, conducting market research for new grant applications, navigating the U's policies on patents and technology transfer, and more.
"It was really a pleasure working with the Technology Licensing Office, and it was much easier here than at my previous institution to go through the disclosure process. The team came to my office and met with me, and they were very kind," Schlesinger said.
While the technologies she disclosed to our office were not patentable, she learned what she would need to do the next time she discovered something in her research. Schlesinger is excited to pass on her knowledge to new doctoral students and faculty members who will come through her division and, eventually, through her international gout center.
