Steven Townsend's fervent desire to solve problems is motivated by a group of women who have enriched his world-intellectually and emotionally. With these essential people in mind, he has worked to foster a treasure trove of scientific discovery that focuses on health issues that primarily impact women.
His research discovers previously unknown scientific powers in the chemistry of breast milk and in the evolving sugars within that "liquid gold" that bolster the immune system and kill bacteria.
"Breast milk is the second most important fluid on Earth, next to water," Townsend said. "Mother's milk serves as a primary way good bacteria are introduced to a baby's system."
FIRST INSPIRATION
Townsend's love for learning started with his mom, Frankie. She raised him, his younger brother and three younger sisters as a single parent in inner city Detroit. She was the first to see Townsend's fascination with chemistry when he experimented with cleaning products in the house. She found him a safer alternative, which ended up being better for everyone.
"My mom is tough as nails but crazy compassionate. She wanted to harness my science obsession and keep me out of her kitchen, so she had me take care of a garden and figure out how to compost," Townsend said. "She made me a gardener in the middle of Detroit."
When it came to navigating challenges of adolescence-especially when the family moved a lot, making Townsend the new kid in school five years in a row-his mom used science to keep him grounded.
"Mom kept comparing stuff I was dealing with in school or the neighborhood with my garden because she connected both to game theory," he said.
(Game theory is the study of mathematical models and strategic interactions in decision-making.)
"Mom said: 'Everything's a game. You've got to be able to play the game and solve problems and make good decisions. The same stuff that you have to do to solve problems when it comes to your garden is the same socially, right? You've got to be able to figure out the game.' And I could relate to that," he said.
Townsend's mom is a breast cancer survivor-and is the inspiration behind his newest scientific work into easing the painful gastrointestinal side effects of chemotherapy: "I started to think, if we go 30,000 feet in the air with this breast milk research, the mom makes specific things in her milk to protect her baby from specific illnesses or diseases. Adults have illnesses and diseases too. So which ones do adults have that are similar to babies, right? Then, how can we use those ingredients from breast milk to help adult disease?"
PARTNER FOR LIFE
Townsend's wife, LaToya, caught his attention early in college with her intellect, enthusiasm and passion for helping others. She has been his steadfast partner for 20 years as the two raise their daughters, Allison and Angela.
"I'm extremely proud of him, and I hope that he is proud of himself because it is beautiful work he does," said LaToya Townsend, who works as deputy director of development for Davidson County's Office of Family Safety. "He didn't have to focus his work on women. The fact that he is so passionate and interested in it is just beautiful, and it's an honor to be married to a man like that."
It was Toya, through her pregnancy and early days with their first daughter, who inspired Townsend's investigations into breast milk.
"He's a born scientist, and I would see him just watching me with the baby, watching me breastfeed or pump. I could tell his brain was spinning. And he treated me with such a deep appreciation and love," she said. "He cherishes us, and he shows it every day."
SCIENTIFIC MENTORS
Two female professors stepped up as his early mentors, helping set the first-generation college student onto his intellectual path in chemistry.
Kathleen Moore was a biochemist at Oakland University, where Townsend earned his undergraduate degree.
"Kathy got me to the lab because I had a science AP test score of five, and she was like, 'Yeah, I know the quality of Martin Luther King High School in Detroit, so, this kid probably has some juice,'" Townsend said, laughing.
Moore then connected Townsend with a mentor who she thought would really challenge him: Amanda Bryant-Friedrich.
"Kathy said, 'I can't train you to be a Black scientist because I think you're going to encounter some things that I myself never encountered,'" Townsend explained. "Amanda Bryant-Friedrich is a huge presence in chemistry, and she's the person who really pushed me, even after I set half of her lab on fire."
DARE TO GROW
With the support of his mentors and his wife, Townsend moved to Nashville to complete his Ph.D. research in chemistry at Vanderbilt. After a time working at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Columbia University in New York City, he came back to Vanderbilt.
Townsend now has a highly collaborative organic chemistry lab filled with undergraduates, graduate and doctoral students.
"I try to make this as personal as possible for each student. You know, I had a former student who worked on an anti-cancer project because a lot of people in his family had cancer. So that was something that really motivated him to bring his butt to work every day," Townsend said.
And he's thankful for the support from Vanderbilt to take risks.
"There are very few places like Vanderbilt. Nobody's ever told me 'no' when I've come with a request or an idea. And I think just that willingness of Vanderbilt people to collaborate and do something that they may've never even thought about-something that could be bigger than themselves-is just phenomenal," he said.
Townsend takes Vanderbilt's motto of "dare to grow" to heart.
"There's this rapper who died a couple of years ago, Nipsey Hussle, who had this rap that said, 'How long should I stay dedicated? How long 'til opportunity meet preparation?' And the second I heard Daniel Diermeier talk about 'dare to grow,' I thought of Nipsey Hussle's rap," Townsend said.
"I'm going to push boundaries with my research, especially with so many knowledgeable people here at Vanderbilt," he added. "With all the support I have here and at home, I'm going to swing for the fences."
By Amy Wolf
