2 October 2024
Dermatologist and Associate Professor Beatrice Dyring-Andersen has been awarded a grant from the LEO Foundation for a 14 month-long research stay at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Here, she collaborates with leading scientists and works with new methods and technologies. In this interview, Beatrice Dyring-Andersen shares what international experience means to her research.
What is your research focus?
My group, the Skin Science Lab at Zealand University Hospital in Denmark, is engaged in various research projects, specializing in investigating protein content in skin samples from rare cancers and inflammatory skin diseases. Proteins are the active end products of our DNA and play an essential role in all cellular processes.
Among other things, we are investigating whether it’s possible to diagnose fungal skin infections by detecting specific fungal proteins directly from skin scrapings, eliminating the need for culturing samples. We are also studying why psoriasis manifests so differently among patients. Some have guttate psoriasis with teardrop-shaped spots, others have large lesions, and another group may only be affected on the hands. We hope our approach will provide new insights and potentially lead to more differentiated treatments.
Why have you taken a research sabbatical in Boston?
I was a postdoc in Boston at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and it opened my eyes to what the international research environment offers and what it means to be part of it. Boston has some of the world’s leading research institutions; it’s a hub of knowledge, with many symposium opportunities, and it is where new methods are implemented. That’s why I wanted to return.
What does international experience mean for a researcher?
First and foremost, it provides an overview of what’s happening globally in research. Because it’s a knowledge hub, I can quickly get answers when faced with a challenging result. Expanding your network also makes it easier to collaborate and send members of our research group to other laboratories to learn new methods. For example, we recently had the opportunity to send a PhD student to Australia for a research stay. We later organized a symposium where the Australian researcher came to Denmark and presented a unique method to Danish scientists. The international aspect is fundamentally important for a researcher, as it ensures that knowledge is shared and disseminated. It benefits everyone when we share methods and new insights and push knowledge forward.
How do you build international research relations?
In my case, I applied for a spot at the Future Leaders Academy in ESDR (The European Society for Dermatological Research) in 2017. There, I met many international colleagues who are now also my friends, and we collaborate on several research projects. Additionally, I’ve been active in ESDR, where I try to take initiatives that disseminate knowledge.
As a concrete example, I’ve worked on establishing a Global Health Mentoring Program based on a pilot project where we hosted a dermatologist from Armenia and one from South Africa. We created a program for them, where they visited SIC (Skin Immunology Research Center) at the University of Copenhagen, participated in clinical work, observed Mohs surgery (a specific method for removing skin cancer) at Bispebjerg Hospital, and attended a melanoma symposium we organized. We also learned a lot from our colleagues during their visit about their everyday dermatology practices.
It’s a particularly exciting time to be a researcher, with so many new methods and opportunities. We generate a lot of results, but not all results are translated into knowledge. So, there’s a need to make it easier for researchers to understand the potential of these methods and to share knowledge about new technologies.
The importance of my relationships with colleagues around the world has meant more than I can express. It’s crucial for advancing knowledge and research. Without that global perspective, conducting translational research can be difficult. It is a very competitive field. My colleagues constitute a forum where I can be heard because they often face the same challenges as I do.
How is your workday different now?
I’m not in the clinic for a while, which means I have more time for research and to read and analyze our data.
What considerations did you have before leaving?
There were many. First and foremost, financing. There aren’t many funding opportunities if you’re not a PhD or postdoc, so this is crucial, and I’m very grateful to have received a grant from the LEO Foundation. Besides, it wasn’t just a matter of packing a suitcase and leaving. I also have a family, and we have a life in Denmark, which includes kids, a dog, a house, family, and friends. This also impacts the rest of the research group that I’m a part of, and the students that I supervise. So, there have been many considerations along the way and many changes that are beyond one’s control. For instance, who will take care of the dog when the U.S. suddenly imposes a dog embargo? I’ve been here for three out of 14 months, and it has taken two years to plan, so it requires a pragmatic mindset, a supportive partner, colleagues who help, and a supportive leader.
About Beatrice Dyring-Andersen
- Dermatologist, Research Lecturer (Associate Professor of Dermatology and Clinical Proteomics)
- MD in 2007 from the University of Copenhagen and earned her PhD in 2014
- Group leader of the Skin Science group at Zealand University Hospital, along with Marianne B. Løvendorf
- Currently a part of the Department of Dermatology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston
- Read more at https://skin.science/
Funding opportunity: LEO Foundation Visiting Researcher
The LEO Foundation Visiting Researchers program is anchored in Denmark, i.e., an applicant from a Danish research institution can apply to visit a research institution abroad, or an applicant at an international research institution can apply to visit a Danish research institution. A research visit should be minimum three months.
The purpose of the LEO Foundation Visiting Researchers program is to stimulate a cohesive and agile skin research ecosystem by supporting temporary embedment of skin researchers in a foreign research environment with the aim of fostering genuine international collaborations and strengthening the exchange of knowledge, ideas, methodology, and technology between Danish and international skin research communities.
A LEO Foundation Visiting Researchers grant can be up to DKK 2 million for a research visit of minimum 3 months. Applicants must be at or above postdoc level.
Read more about the program and how to prepare an application here