Summary: Before Rhonda Perciavalle Patrick "stumbled into research"—at the renowned Salk Institute—the Southern California native was a biochemistry major and a passionate surfer.<br> <br> She's still an avid surfer, but of her college major, Patrick said, "I wasn't feeling connected to synthesizing peptides in the lab, so I decided that I wanted to try out biology."<br> <br> After earning her undergraduate degree in biochemistry from the University of California at San Diego, Patrick worked at the Salk Institute's aging laboratory, where she became fascinated with watching how much the lifespan of nematode worms could fluctuate depending on the experiments done on them.<br> <br> Hooked on aging research, she pursued that thread all the way to the laboratory of renowned scientist Dr. Bruce Ames, who developed the Triage Theory of Aging, which focuses on the long-term damage of micro-nutrient deficiencies.<br> <br> Patrick is currently working with Ames as a post-doc at the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Hospital. Together, they are looking at strategies to reverse the aging process.<br> <br> She also received her Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the University of Tennessee, where she worked at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.<br> <br> Patrick lectured at IHMC in Ocala in December. https://youtu.be/wQZz5PklDB0. She also has her own podcast show, called "Found My Fitness," at: http://www.foundmyfitness.com<br> <br> STEM-Talk host Dawn Kernagis and co-host Ken Ford talked with Patrick about her research and development as a young scientist who is now at the forefront of the longevity field.
