Seattle University is where innovation meets humanity, and a great example of this can be found in Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Stephen Luckey’s research of heart disease and heart failure.
This research, which began in July, was made possible by the inaugural Rogel Professorship. Luckey’s scholarship allows him to seek better understanding of human health and well-being through laboratory-based and pedagogical research.
With the generosity of an endowment established by Steven Rogel and his late wife Connie, ’67, the recently created Rogel Professorship is awarded to a faculty member conducting bio-medical or bio-engineering research and ideally mentoring undergraduate researchers.
The Rogels are ardent proponents for research and education at Seattle University, and their generous contributions include the Connie and Steven Rogel Anatomy and Physiology Lab in the Sinegal Center for Science and Innovation.
“The greatest impact that the Rogel Professorship has provided me is devoted time to think more deeply about my research projects in the context of human health and disease,” Luckey says. “My overarching goal for the professorship is to accelerate my research program such that I can complete several ongoing projects and, at the same time, develop new projects. If not for the professorship, none of these new experiments would be possible.”
One arm of his research revolves around finding ways to help prevent heart disease, which is the leading cause of mortality in the United States. For this, Luckey’s lab is conducting a meta-analysis, a statistical approach combining results of other studies, which was conducted over the summer with student researcher Natalie Crouse, ’24, and featured at the 2023 SU STEM Research Showcase. The research required an exhaustive review of scientific literature about cardiovascular disease and exercise to corroborate the findings of studies. The team was particularly interested in the impact of different types of exercise and biological sex on heart disease.
“Ultimately, the research will contribute to the development of therapeutic strategies that prevent or reverse cardiac disease in all ages, but specifically, in the aging female population. Thus, helping to undo systemic biases in biomedical research, a goal which is consistent with the Jesuit principles of providing service to and pursuing justice for underserved populations,” Luckey says.
The second project focuses on sleep health. This project is an opportunity for students with less lab experience to participate in clinical research and is applicable to the undergraduate population interested in the human health profession. Luckey plans to focus on both sleep disparities and the impact of reduced sleep on stress reactivity in undergraduates and how each impact health across different ethnic and racial groups.
Along with advancing scientific understanding, mentoring is a fundamental element of faculty research at Seattle University. Students have the chance to experience this hands-on research with the professorship holder and learn about conducting a large-scale research project.
“Because of the professorship, I have been able to increase the number of students I’m actively working with from one to four and from two projects to four. I expect this capacity will increase in the spring quarter when I have another course release and in preparation for the upcoming summer work,” Luckey says. “A small milestone includes one of the research students submitting an abstract so she can present her research at a national conference in April.”
Looking ahead at the next year of the professorship, Luckey, along with student researchers and co-authors, will continue researching and working towards publishing their findings. Luckey also plans to create an upper-level biology research-based course focused on human physiology and develop a sustainable research program in this area of health and disease.
“My commitment to undergraduate research is grounded in the Jesuit values embodied by the philosophy of cura personalis—care for the whole person—and the commitment to developing leaders who work in the service of others,” Luckey says. “Engaging undergraduate student researchers in clinically relevant, novel scientific research is central to my work as a faculty member.”
Donor funding is integral to supporting faculty research and developing student research opportunities. With this endowment, the Rogels’ impact ensures that transformative scholarship and undergraduate research will continue for decades to come.