EP 65: Carl G. Hartman Award with Dr. Blanche Capel

In this episode of The Future Conceived, Dr. Victor A. Ruthig, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, sits down with Dr. Blanche Capel, Duke University. Dr. Capel is the 2026 recipient of SSR’s highest honor, The Carl G. Hartman award. Listen in as Dr. Capel reflects on mentorship, starting with her own journey as a scientific mentee. First as a graduate student with Dr. Beatrice “Bea” Mintz, then as a postdoc with Dr. Robin Lovell-Badge. This includes recalling what it was like to be a trainee in the Lovell-Badge Lab during the race to identify the male sex determining gene on the Y chromosome (SRY). The conversation culminates with Dr. Capel describing starting her independent lab, developing her own mentorship style, and bringing mouse and turtle genetics to Duke University.

To learn more about SSR, go to: SSR.org