Lena Batoon
Dr. Lena Batoon is a Senior Research Fellow at the Mayo Clinic, specializing in macrophage and bone biology, with growing expertise in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. She completed her PhD (2017–2021) under the mentorship of Professor Allison Pettit at The University of Queensland, Australia, where she defined the roles of osteal macrophages in postnatal bone growth, postmenopausal osteoporosis, and fracture repair. As a postdoctoral fellow with Professor Laurie McCauley at the University of Michigan (2021–2023), Dr. Batoon investigated macrophage efferocytosis of apoptotic osteoblasts and its role in promoting bone formation. She is currently training with Associate Professor Megan Weivoda and Professor John Hawse at the Mayo Clinic, where her work spans the fields of cellular senescence and ER+ breast cancer. In parallel, she is independently exploring how macrophage function becomes disrupted in the aging skeleton. Dr. Batoon's long-term goal is to lead an independent research program focused on understanding how age-related changes in macrophage biology contribute to skeletal decline and increase susceptibility to diseases such as osteoporosis and bone metastasis. Her recent NHMRC Investigator Grant (2026–2031) marks the first step toward realizing this vision.
Abstracts this author is presenting: