Researcher Spotlight: Sarah Satola

What is your professional background?
After college I was certain about one thing — I wanted to experience living in “the city” (New York City). So, with my undergraduate degree in biology, I took a job as a research technician at Rockefeller University, not even realizing for several months that I was working with a Noble Laureate. From there, I continued working in research labs, from Madison, Wisconsin, to Geneva, Switzerland, until coming to Emory to pursue a PhD with Dr. Charles P. Moran, Jr., studying gene regulation in bacteria. I stayed at Emory for a post-doc with Dr. Monica Farley, studying bacterial pathogenesis of Haemophilus influenzae and have remained at Emory ever since. I have also been fortunate to garner clinical microbiology experience through a medical microbiology practicum with Drs. Eileen Burd and Colleen Kraft of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Emory, where I have a secondary appointment.

In what division do you work, and who is your mentor?
I am an associate professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases. Dr. Monica Farley, Director of the Division, has been my mentor from the beginning of both of our professional careers. She has been mentoring me since I was a post-doc in her first lab just after she finished her ID fellowship, to my current position now.

What is your professional background?
After college I was certain about one thing — I wanted to experience living in “the city” (New York City). So, with my undergraduate degree in biology, I took a job as a research technician at Rockefeller University, not even realizing for several months that I was working with a Noble Laureate. From there, I continued working in research labs, from Madison, Wisconsin, to Geneva, Switzerland, until coming to Emory to pursue a PhD with Dr. Charles P. Moran, Jr., studying gene regulation in bacteria. I stayed at Emory for a post-doc with Dr. Monica Farley, studying bacterial pathogenesis of Haemophilus influenzae and have remained at Emory ever since. I have also been fortunate to garner clinical microbiology experience through a medical microbiology practicum with Drs. Eileen Burd and Colleen Kraft of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Emory, where I have a secondary appointment.

In what division do you work, and who is your mentor? 
I am an associate professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases. Dr. Monica Farley, director of the division, has been my mentor from the beginning of both of our professional careers. She has been mentoring me since I was a post-doc in her first lab just after she finished her ID fellowship, to my current position now.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
At the moment, I am very busy helping my daughter plan a wedding. I like to swim, bike, and occasionally run (at least enough to finish a triathlon).

What is a fun fact about you?
Abraham Overholt, the funny looking man on the bottle of Old Overholt Rye whiskey (America’s oldest continually-maintained brand of whiskey), is my great, great, great, great grandfather.