Susan Erdman, DVM, MPH,  Dipl ACLAM

Principal Research Scientist and Assistant Director
MIT Division of Comparative Medicine (Retired)

Dr. Erdman and her laboratory study microbe triggered inflammatory processes and their interplay with oxytocin in human health and wellness.  Susan and her team collaborate with world-leaders pioneering research in gut microbiome, immunology, and neuroendocrinology in systemic health and disease.

Research Interests

Over the decades we have worked with a synergistic team of scientists of diverse experiences and institutional environments with the unified goal of targeting inflammatory processes in disease and in health. My background in Comparative Medicine at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and postdoctoral training from Harvard School of Public Health provides unique expertise in immunology and cancer integrated with a global perspective on human health.

Work History

1988 - 1991          Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Comparative Medicine, MIT, Cambridge, MA 
1992 - 1993          Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Cancer Research, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 
1991 - 2006          Research Scientist, Division of Comparative Medicine, MIT, Cambridge, MA 
1999 - 2024          Chief of Clinical Resources/Assistant Director, Division of Comparative Medicine, MIT, Cambridge, MA 
1999 - 2024          Member MIT IACUC Committee on Animal Care (CAC) 
2007 - 2024          Principal Research Scientist, MIT, Cambridge, MA

Education

  • Lehigh University, PA B.S. Biology, 1981
  • Mississippi State University, MS DVM Veterinary Medicine, 1988
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge MA Post-Doctoral Fellow, Comparative Medicine, 1991
  • Harvard School of Public Health, Boston MA MPH Public Health, 1992
  • Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA Post-Doctoral Fellow, Cancer Biology, 1993

Open
Questions

  • What is Good Health? Modernized living including antibiotics, sterile births, and processed foods have saved countless lives but at the same time depleted our microbes, immune systems, mentality, and potential to thrive. Will creative compensatory scientific strategies boost our native gut-brain axis to unveil latent yet potentially powerful human brilliance? 
  • Who is Driving this Bus anyway? How we define ourselves and choose our paths in life, from everyday food choices to our social ambitions for harmonious existence. What gives life connectedness and a sense of purpose?
  • Multigenerational Impacts of Early Life. The critical time at the beginning of a person’s life exerts a powerful influence on what they become, ultimately shaping and nurturing the next generation. We postulate that mechanistic targets involving not only microbiota and immunity, but also microRNAs, epigenetics, and neurological activities, will present huge opportunities for positive psychosocial change. Do tractable targets exist for our lives to have deeper meaning, increased compassion, empathy, altruism, gratitude, and impulse control?
  • Meaningful and Joyful Lives. We have discovered that aging offers hidden opportunities for more vibrant and potent living. Our Healthful Longevity research challenges the boundaries of human existence, transcending mental acuity and agility, for more dynamic living with downstream benefits to families and societies. Could maturity offer unsurpassed joy through deeper connectedness and sense of purpose?