Lindsey M. Kirkpatrick, DO, PhD

Lindsey Kirkpatrick was born and raised as an Indiana Hoosier, originally from the town of Muncie. Initially, she planned on becoming a journalist due to her passion for creative writing, but quickly developed a love for science and research, particularly synthetic organic chemistry.  She completed her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Spanish at Ball State University (Muncie, IN) and went on to pursue her Doctor of Philosophy in Organic Chemistry at Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN). While at Purdue University, she joined the Kenttämaa laboratory to study reaction mechanisms and kinetics of anti-cancer intermediates utilizing high-vacuum mass spectrometry. Four years into her PhD and with a profound appreciation for mass spectrometry, she made the decision to go to medical school with the intention of becoming a physician scientist with a focus on developing new and rapid diagnostic methods utilizing mass spectrometry. She completed her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in May 2014 and returned to Indiana to complete a pediatric residency at James W. Riley Hospital for Children - Indiana University. Throughout residency, she found that infectious disease was her passion, and better and more rapid diagnostic methodologies were desperately needed. While exploring different programs, she was attracted to the Pediatric Infectious Disease fellowship at Indiana University due to their perfect blend of research and clinical interests. The flexibility to conduct her desired research was an attractive trait of the program, and the close proximity to Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis allows for meaningful collaboration with experts in mass spectrometry. Currently, she is developing mass spectrometry-based quantitative assays of several broad-spectrum β-lactam and antifungal agents to assist in pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics studies in critically-ill populations. At the end of fellowship, her hope is to obtain a faculty position as a physician scientist at a large teaching hospital and secure grant funding to continue this research. When not sequestered in the laboratory or hospital, Lindsey enjoys reading, creative writing, hiking, traveling to exotic places, and photography.