Dr. Celia Santi, James P Crane Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, in the Center for Reproductive Health Science, was highlighted in the Division of Physician-Scientist Newsletter. This newsletter supports the career development of Physician-Scientists, shares resources, guides mentorship, and encourages research pursuits at all career stages.
What motivated you to become a physician-scientist?
I originally planned to become a physician and earned my MD at the Universidad de la República in Uruguay. During medical school, however, a biophysics course on membrane excitability sparked my fascination with ion channels and how they regulate the electrical activity of cells. While working as a teaching assistant in the Biophysics Department, I had the opportunity to participate in a project that involved performing experiments and recording calcium currents in isolated cardiac myocytes. That experience revealed how exciting discovery-driven research could be and ultimately led me to pursue a PhD in biomedical sciences. My medical training continued to shape the scientific questions I asked, particularly whether dysfunction of ion channels could contribute to male infertility and whether sperm-specific ion transporters could serve as targets for contraception.
What drew you to your field?
I was drawn to reproductive biology by a desire to understand, at a mechanistic level, why some couples struggle to conceive despite appearing clinically normal. At the same time, I was struck by the limited progress in identifying new molecular targets for non-hormonal contraception for both men and women. These challenges motivated my interest in the ion channel mechanisms that regulate sperm function and fertilization.
Tell us about your research
My laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms that allow sperm to acquire the ability to fertilize an egg. In particular, we investigate how ion channels regulate the electrical activity of sperm and how changes in membrane potential control key processes required for fertilization. A major focus of our work is a sperm-specific potassium channel that we are studying as a potential target for non-hormonal contraceptive development. In parallel, we are developing functional assays to improve the diagnosis of idiopathic male infertility and to help guide more personalized treatment strategies for couples experiencing infertility. I also collaborate with Dr. Sarah England on a project examining the role of ion channels in regulating uterine excitability.
What has mentorship meant to you?
Mentorship has been essential to my journey. I have been fortunate to learn from many outstanding mentors who inspired and guided me at different stages of my career. My first exposure to research came while I was a teaching assistant in the Biophysics Department at the Universidad de la República in Uruguay, under the leadership of Dr. Elia Nunes and with the influence of Drs. Brum, Pizarro y Barrios. Their enthusiasm for science inspired me to pursue a research career.
I later moved to Mexico to complete my PhD under the mentorship of Drs. Alberto Darszon and Arturo Hernández-Cruz, where I studied ion channels in spermatogenic cells and sperm physiology. My training then took me to Vancouver, Canada, where I worked as a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Terry Snutch’s laboratory, and later to Washington University, where I trained with Dr. Lawrence Salkoff, whose lab cloned the SLO3 channel that became central to my research program. I have also greatly benefited from the mentorship and support of colleagues such as Dr. Sarah England, and the head of my department Dr. Dineo Khabele. I am deeply grateful for the guidance I have received and strive to carry forward their example by mentoring and supporting the next generation of scientists.
Three things about me
I love traveling and discovering new countries and cultures. Uruguay, my home country, remains very special to me, and every year my husband, my son, and I travel back to reconnect with family and friends and enjoy its wonderful people and food—especially asados, the traditional barbecue.
I also love dancing. Salsa is my favorite style, but I enjoy exploring other types of dance as well. For me, dancing is one of the most joyful and relaxing ways to unwind.
Finally, I am a very social person and feel incredibly fortunate to have built close friendships in every country where I have lived. Even across long distances, those friendships have remained strong over the years.