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The Incubator At The Bench
At the Bench is a podcast series produced by The Incubator and hosted by Dr. Elizabeth Crouch, Dr. David McCulley, and Dr. Misty Good. This series is dedicated to exploring the lives and work of neonatal physician scientists. Each episode features in depth conversations with neonatologists who have chosen careers rooted in discovery science, offering listeners a closer look at what it truly means to be “at the bench.” Through thoughtful discussion, the hosts explore how these clinicians found their path into research, the scientific questions that drive their work, and the challenges and rewards of balancing clinical care with life in the laboratory. The series provides insight, inspiration, and practical perspective for trainees, early career investigators, and anyone curious about the role of physician scientists in advancing neonatal care.
The Incubator At The Bench
#001 - Insights in Neurovascular Research (ft. Dr. Betsy Crouch)
This week, we start by interviewing Dr. Elizabeth “Betsy” Crouch, a neonatologist, neuroscientist, and vascular biologist at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Crouch’s lab takes a “Vascular-centric” perspective to neurodevelopment and studies how the blood vessels in the developing brain and spinal cord impact the growing neural cells, and vice versa. In part, this approach is inspired by germinal matrix hemorrhage, a devastating condition unfortunately common in the NICU that can cause cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, and death. Early in Dr. Crouch’s training, a family she cared for in the NICU questioned the status quo in germinal matrix hemorrhage management. They asked why, in this era of modern medicine, their baby had no treatment options for this devastating and common condition. This anecdote highlights what has become a theme in her research: basic and translational science inspired by parents and patients. Her lab now focuses on defining the stages of vascular stem cells in the developing brain and understanding the mechanisms that regulate their functions, applying this knowledge to produce novel technologies and therapeutic strategies for different brain hemorrhages in neonatal and pediatric patients. This episode discusses the challenges and victories in Dr. Crouch’s journey, her mentors and their wisdom, and how we might create a future without germinal matrix hemorrhage for our premies and their families.