FROM KITCHEN TO MIT LAB
It’s out of the frying pan and into the research lab for “Top Chef” star Padma Lakshmi. MIT just appointed the actress, model, author and women’s health advocate a visiting scholar at its Center for Gynepathology Research, and she’ll be coming to the Cambridge campus to speak at its Open Endoscopy Forum on Friday.
Lakshmi has long been a champion for women’s health, after personally suffering from endometriosis well into her 30s, with her condition improving after advancements were made in the disorder’s treatment. Since her experience, she has been outspoken about developing new methods of both diagnosing and treating gynecological diseases, and she even co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America.
On Friday, Linda Griffith — a leading expert in endometriosis and professor at the MIT School of Engineering — will be sitting down to speak with the Emmy-nominated Bravo host during the annual forum. The event, which kicks off at 5:30 p.m., will also feature top MIT minds and medical experts, all of whom will shine light on the push to make improvements within the specialty, as well as the science and technology that’s driving those advancements.
Lakshmi’s MIT itinerary also includes: a meeting with MIT Chancellor Cynthia Barnhart and Dean of Engineering Anantha Chandrakasan; a visit with the university’s research scientists to delve into potential improvements in how they address gynecology diseases; and a tour of the MIT Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics, where she’ll veer off the topic of women’s health to discuss nutrition with students involved in the Engineering the Human Gut project.
This week’s visit is hardly Lakshmi’s first rendezvous with MIT. When the Center for Gynepathology Research opened in 2009, she marked the occasion by delivering a keynote address. Since that time, she’s repeatedly returned to the school to raise awareness about women’s health, especially endometriosis, within the student population.