Leah Salinsky, PhD

What’s the most important leadership lesson you’ve learned?

We don’t have to be a carbon copy of those who were leaders to us. We can take pieces and lessons from the people that made us who we are and develop our own leadership style.

What do you consider to be your most important career achievement or milestone?

Completing my PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Texas Medical Branch was by far the most difficult and rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life.

What do you aspire to accomplish in your career and why? What obstacles will you overcome?

I hope to make scientific information, especially regarding mental health, more easily accessible to the general public. I believe that training the new generation of scientists to communicate their science in a more open way is extremely important.

Describe an amazing opportunity in your STEM career.

Becoming a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington under Dr. Susan Ferguson has been an incredible opportunity for my career. I’ve truly enjoyed being able to lead my own research projects and mentoring students!

How was AWIS helped you professionally and/or personally?

AWIS has been extremely helpful to me ever since joining as a graduate student. The organization has provided great webinars for professional development and women empowerment in the scientific world.

What is your favorite word? (only one word)

Inimitable.

How do you define it?

I hadn’t heard the word “inimitable” until the musical Hamilton, but now I think about it quite often. I define the word as having a level of uniqueness, and individuality that is impossible to replicate in another — being one of a kind.

How has this word influenced or inspired your career?

To me, being inimitable in the scientific world means many things. It means pursuing your own interests, it means expressing yourself, and it means being uniquely you, even in a world where we are often told to present ourselves as the norm. And that’s precisely how I aim to be in my career.

Dr. Leah Salinsky received her BS in Neuroscience from the University of Texas in 2019 and her PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Texas Medical Branch in 2024 under the mentorship of Dr. Kathryn Cunningham. She serves as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington under Dr. Susan Ferguson. Dr. Salinsky’s research focuses on the understanding the therapeutic potential of psychedelic compounds for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders.