From the lab to the runway: Ph.D. candidate finds confidence through research

Growing up, Lauren Moncayo and her younger sister, Rebecca, could often be found in matching outfits, lovingly designed, sewn and hemmed by their grandmother. Guided by her experience, Moncayo fell in love with fashion and spent much of her free time learning the ins and outs of sewing.  

From hand stitching to tracing patterns, Moncayo loved the creativity and glamour of fashion and said that being a model was her "childhood dream job." But when her beloved grandmother was diagnosed with cancer, Moncayo set her sights on a new path: medical research. 

“At the time, my sister and I had the idea that we were going to cure cancer,” Moncayo said. “As we grew up, we've gotten more realistic about what we can do, but that interest really stuck with us.” 

Now a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, set to graduate in the spring of 2025, Moncayo is finding her place in medical research while honoring and pursuing the dreams she had as a young girl. 

“A Ph.D. has been seemingly out of reach for so long and now that I’m almost done, it’s made me reevaluate what else I’ve considered ‘out of reach,’” Moncayo said. “It’s taught me that while there’s still so much to learn, there’s also so much I am capable of.” 

Paving new roads 

Moncayo, a double VCU alum, initially found her research interest as an undergraduate studying biochemistry. During a psychology course, she took note of the overlap between some mental disorders and drug abuse and developed an interest in the neuroscience behind these conditions and behaviors. As she advanced into the pharmacology and toxicology master’s program, this interest grew to include the neurocircuitry of chronic pain, which also has commonalities with drug abuse, and she focused her research on alcohol-induced chronic pain. 

“Chronic pain is a very complex issue that affects a lot of people,” Moncayo said. “Investigating how the body reacts to pain can help us find better treatments to enhance those lives.” 

In pursuit of breaking what she described as a vicious cycle, Moncayo is investigating the role of endocannabinoids, naturally occurring neurotransmitters that are critical to inflammation management and have a structural similarity to molecules in the cannabis plant, in mediating alcohol-induced chronic pain. Understanding how endocannabinoids contribute to the body’s mitigation of pain, Moncayo said, has the potential to lead to new therapies that can better target chronic pain with fewer side effects than currently available therapies. 

As she explores career options, one field Moncayo is considering is biotechnology. It’s one of many avenues available to Ph.D. graduates in the health sciences, and she’s especially interested in developing new therapies and treatments for diseases. She also hopes to inspire other women in science to pursue science, graduate education and fields in which women have been historically underrepresented, like biotech.  

“When I began my Ph.D., I didn’t even know those fields were an option, because we don’t see or hear of people like me doing these jobs,” Moncayo said. “That makes me want to do it even more and create an example of what a Ph.D. can offer you.” 

Moncayo has already set an example for younger scientists as a mentor to undergraduate and graduate students, a personal project she took on during her master’s program. Aron Lichtman, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and one of Moncayo’s mentors, said she took on a leadership role in his lab, stepping up to guide and support undergraduate and fellow graduate students. 

“She’s a real self-starter,” Lichtman said. “She’s enormously hard working, thrives on being challenged and always seeks out more responsibilities. Whatever career path she decides to go down, she will excel and find fulfillment.” 

One of the students Moncayo took under her wing is Fosua Adu-Gyamfi, a senior pre-medical student studying biology at the VCU College of Humanities and Sciences. From conducting experiments to crafting presentation posters, Adu-Gyamfi learned the ins and outs of working in a lab as an undergraduate research assistant in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology over the past two years. Adu-Gyamfi also traveled with Moncayo to Minneapolis, Minn., for the Research Society on Alcohol’s annual conference, where she presented her research on how the enzyme diacylglycerol lipase-beta impacts alcohol consumption. 

“That was my first ‘grown-up’ conference and I’m grateful I had that experience so early in my education,” Adu-Gyamfi said. “I really knew nothing about research when I came into the lab for the first time, but I’ve learned so much since meeting Lauren.”  

Last summer, Adu-Gyamfi worked in a genomics lab as a research intern at the National Cancer Institute, an opportunity she felt prepared for thanks to her time working with Moncayo. 

“Research is something I definitely want to continue in medical school,” Adu-Gyamfi said. “If we want medicine to keep advancing, we need that research.” 

Finding confidence through experience 

With her birthday around the corner, Moncayo is working her way down a list of 30 things she wants to accomplish before turning 30. She recently crossed off a major one: auditioning for a modeling gig. 

Moncayo went in with no expectations, and said the results were more exciting than she could have hoped. She landed an audition for New York Fashion Week, signed to an independent management company and made her runway debut at D.C. Fashion Week. That childhood desire to be a model never left her, and she looks forward to continuing to pursue this passion alongside her research. 

“It all happened so fast, but it's been so exciting,” Moncayo said. “I don’t know if I would have gotten here without my graduate school experience. If I can present my research in front of hundreds of doctors and researchers that are experts in their fields, then I can walk on a runway in front of 100 strangers.” 

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The School of Medicine communications team is always looking to highlight student success, faculty achievement, cutting-edge research and innovative initiatives around the MCV Campus. If you have an idea for a story, please submit your pitch to laura.ingles@vcuhealth.org.