Teaching & my mentees

My general statements:
“Having been shaped by incredible mentors, I am committed to paying it forward.
My goal is to help each of you achieve success on your own terms, just as my mentors did for me.”

Wenqiang Chen, Ph.D.

Mentorship history

I do not have a lab yet. So I am not a “official mentor” to the trainees.

But I have helped the training of many trainees, mostly junior labmates.

The first “unofficial” trainess, was more than 10 years ago, who I helped recruited for my PI as an intern from a college.

He stays in as a RA for more than 10 years, and published a Cell paper (co-author) back then.

We still keep in touch now and then. He is one of my best friends.

He asks me many critical life decisions, including Ph.D. program.

Very recently he got in a Ph.D. program in University of Connecticut.

This is an example of how mentor-mentee could be.

A few words to trainees / mentees

Mentorship is not about following a path—it’s about helping you forge your own. I want to support your unique journey, just as my mentors supported mine.

My Mentees / trainees

I am not an official mentor to mentees, at least not yet, but I have mentored several excellent young scientists. Drawing inspiration from exceptional mentors, I focus on understanding and nurturing the unique paths of my “trainees”. Some examples (but not all of them)

Emily: Emily a medical student coming from Texas. She got an NIDDK fellowshp to spend the summer at the Joslin and work with me on my Microglia project. Emily’s contributions earned her a co-authorship on my PNAS paper and high praise from Dr. Kahn for her presentation. Our enduring friendship is a testament to the impact of meaningful mentorship. We have so many things in common —- we both love cats and Oscar movies, and Ramen of course!

To Emily: “Your dedication and passion have already led to remarkable achievements. Our shared passion for science (and ramen) is just the beginning. I’m excited to see where your journey takes you next. I am extremely proud of you for your new journey at the MGH!”

Chen W, Huang Q, Lazdon EK, Gomes A, Wong M, Stephens E, Royal TG, Frankel D, Cai W, Kahn CR. (2023) Loss of insulin signaling in astrocytes exacerbates Alzheimer-like phenotypes in a 5xFAD mouse model. PNAS 120(21):e2220684120.

Chunyang: I have known Chunyang for more than 6 years. I co-mentored Chunyang through her challenging Ph.D. journey, which was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through weekly to bi-weekly Zoom meetings, I provided scientific and emotional support, guiding her through experimental challenges and manuscript preparation. Despite setbacks, Chunyang successfully defended her PhD thesis and is now a promising young investigator in a hospital in China. I was very emotional seeing her defence completed, because I know how hard she contributed to this project.

To Chunyang: “You navigated the challenges of your Ph.D. with resilience and grace. Watching you grow into a promising scientist, despite the odds, has been one of my proudest moments.”

Li C, Miao C, Wu J, Ge Y, Gao P, Yin S, Zhang P, Tian B, Chen W^#, Chen XQ^#. (2024) A molecularly distinct cell type in the dmPAG regulates intermale aggression behaviors in mice. (Under Review) (#co-corresponding author) bioRxiv: doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.10.19.562724

Being mentered my so many great mentors, it is highly unlikely that I will not be a good mentor. Just follow what I have seen in these mentorships, I will do my best to advance my traineee’s success, and most importantly, their individulized success.

Bordeaux School of Neuroscience

In this School, I served as an instructor and taught 3 students in a week-long project that desiged by me: Microglial phagocytosis in AD pathogenesis.

My commitment to teaching extends to formal roles, such as being an Instructor at the Bordeaux Summer School of Neuroscience. There, I supervised three young female students in a project on microglial phagocytosis in Alzheimer’s disease, inspiring their interest in scientific careers and assisting them in delivering an impressive final presentation. In two of the five days, we had to work very late to do cell culture and prepare for the next-day experiment, all of them stayed late with me, making me very moved!

To My Bordeaux School Students: “In our time together, I saw not just students, but the future of neuroscience. Your curiosity and drive during our project left a lasting impression—never lose that spark.”