Meet the undergrad at the heart of campus “Heart Week”

Senior Honors College and pre-med student Lucas Menendez fell in love with the heart during eighth-grade anatomy class. Given his biomedical engineering major and fascination with physics, this tracks. “The heart has a big physics component because it’s mechanical, but it's also electrical and involves fluid dynamics,” he explains. “This combines all of my interests right here.” 

FIRST BEATS

Like the heart’s rhythmic pumping, Menendez has remained steadfast in seeking out opportunities to grow and develop his medical knowledge. He has volunteered at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and a community clinic that serves uninsured, low-income residents.

And with a few of his buddies, he even found time to host a medical podcast called “The Operation Room,” which features interviews with a variety of healthcare professionals, among them registered nurse Melissa Rojas (see video), who shared her battle with cancer, and cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Steve Xydas. The latter was so impressed by Menendez that he invited him to watch an open-heart surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center.

FINGER ON THE PULSE

At FIU, Menendez joined the team of researchers in the Cardiovascular Matrix Remodeling Lab during his freshman year. There, he conducts aortic valve research, specifically studying the effects of minoxidil—a drug typically used to treat baldness—on the heart. Of the heart’s four valves, the aortic, according to Menendez, is the most prone to disease, rendering his work especially vital.

“Research is fun, but it’s also very frustrating,” Menendez says. “[For] a lot of results, you expect to see one thing, and then you see nothing. Or you see the exact opposite of what you predicted.” When confronted with the unexpected or the baffling, Menendez turns to his mentor, Joshua Hutcheson, the biomedical engineer in whose lab he is working. “Having someone to ground you and be like, ‘You’re not going crazy. This does happen,’ is really important,” Menendez says. Often times, the two will review the methodology and go over results together so that the young scientist can make better sense of it all.

“Lucas is an incredible bright spot in the lab,” Hutcheson says. “He’s enthusiastic, and he’s driven by wanting to know more. He has an almost insatiable curiosity.” The latter has propelled the undergraduate exponentially. 

“He’s basically like my grad students now,” says Hutcheson, who has assembled an impressive team of master's and doctoral students at the lab. “He’s at the point now where he’s truly leading the research projects and coming up with his own ideas.”

CIRCULATING KNOWLEDGE & MAKING CONNECTIONS

Hutcheson’s mentorship has proven invaluable on many levels. Outside of the lab, he has offered Menendez compassion and solid advice about balancing personal and professional demands, for which Menendez remains grateful. “He’s really a role model,” the young man says. “I look up to him a lot. I really don’t know where I would be without him.”

In addition to Hutcheson, others have likewise stepped up to assist Menendez on his journey. “I’ve been very fortunate to find these amazing mentors that have always been very outgoing and very hands-on,” he says. “So many great professors, so many great mentors that are all here. And all of them are so eager to help you.” 

HEALTHY HEARTS

During his sophomore year, Menendez was inspired to take action on campus to help others prevent heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. 

Genetic and environmental factors can cause heart disease, but unhealthy behaviors—eating a poor diet, neglecting to exercise, smoking—are often at the core of cardiovascular issues. Menendez wanted to spread the word that individual decisions are important. “That’s when I started Healthy Hearts to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease and promote healthier life habits.”

The club hosts a variety of events, including guest lectures and 5K runs, to educate college students and others and inspire positive change through their messaging.

HEART WEEK AND BEYOND

That commitment is on display this week in Heart Week, Feb. 9-13, at FIU (see sidebar). He has worked behind the scenes to transform what was previously a single day on campus that featured an academic conference to a five-day event that includes CPR education, a dog adoption opportunity to encourage healthier lifestyle habits, a heart-health trivia contest and more.

“It’s really rewarding. Being able to see all these people that I know come together to form this giant, amazing week, it’s reflective of all my work.”

Menendez plans to take a gap year following graduation this Spring before pursuing a combined MD-Ph.D., which will allow him to continue conducting research in addition to seeing patients.

He credits both his accomplishments to date and his dreams for the future to his university.

“Coming to FIU was one of the best decisions that I’ve ever made.”