This interview is with Dr Kerstin Rolfe, Editor in Chief of Bone and Tissue Regeneration Insights and a Group Leader in Tissue Regeneration through the Restoration of Appearance and Function Trust (RAFT), Mount Vernon Hospital, in the UK. She is also an Honorary Lecturer on the subject at University College London.

Tom: What would you say is the primary focus of your research effort (and how do you refer to your 'sub-area')?

My area is on preventing scarring both dermal and in tendons. My main focus is studying why some human tissues can regenerate without the formation of scar tissue and this has involved studying a number of signalling pathways and how the manipulation of these can alter cellular behaviour.

Tom: What do you consider to be the most significant developments arising from research in your area?

Science moves on with such a pace and the new technological advancements has helped provide answers which before would have taken years if we indeed could actually answer the question.

Tom: What do you consider to be the most significant open questions and research challenges in your area?

To move from the laboratory into clinical practice.

Tom: Tell us about your collaborative research. Who else do you directly work with and what are the aims of your collaboration?

I work particularly with a number of clinicians who are both helpful in providing clinical samples but also ensure that my research could benefit patients in the long-term and they can have some interesting and novel ideas.

Tom: Is balancing all these activities challenging? How do you deal with it and what tools do you find useful in doing so?

I have a very supportive and understanding husband and circle of friends who are used to me working long odd hours. I also borrow the saying from Robert Collier ‘Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out’.

I also love technology and all the latest gadgets and the one that has revolutionised my life is my iphone and 3G!

Tom: When did you decide to be primarily involved in the field that you are now in?

I actually left school trained and worked as a nurse, which I really enjoyed but decided I wanted to play a different part in helping patients. So in the evenings undertook a part time BSc (Hons), I was luck enough after being awarded my degree and being awarded a fellowship to study for a PhD, which was actually in cancer. My first post-doctoral job started me off in this field and I caught the bug and so I have just continued.

Tom: What resources do you find indispensable for your research work?

Funding is of vital importance, the Internet and support from colleagues and friends.

Tom: What do you think about the development of open access publishing and open access development? How has it changed your perspective on research or development practices?

Open access is great as it allows scientists access to publications without the conventional boundaries. It also allows those long wait for publications to be reduced both for the authors and the science community speeding up the dissemination of vital information.

Tom: What books do you think should be required reading for researchers working in your area?

I dip in and out of text books and find that I use science papers in the main.

Tom: What books are current on your reading list?

I have just completed a LLM in medical law and ethics so for a break I have started reading history based books currently I am reading "Henry: The Virtuous Prince" by David Starkey (Amazon.com) and I love Sherlock Holmes so I am also reading "Sherlock Holmes: The Unauthorized Biography" by Nick Rennison (Amazon.com).

Tom: Do you teach any courses? Is so, which ones?

My current job does not involve teaching responsibilities as such but I have a role in teaching junior staff and supervising post-graduate students.

Tom: Which historical research figures do you think have most influenced you in how you think about research? Why are they significant?

Leonardo da Vinci whose ideas were so advanced for the time and his breadth of talents are to me both outstanding and inspirational.

Rosalind Franklin who contributed to the understanding of DNA structure but also she later worked in the college where I studied for my degree but sadly she died at only 37 years.

And of course I cannot miss out Darwin.

Tom: Which meetings do you attend on a regular basis?

Mostly European meetings involved in dermatological research though I also try to go to some clinical meetings which are useful for bringing me back to the clinical need and reality.

Tom: If you could change something about how research in your area is conducted, used, perceived, or resourced, what would it be?

It would be great not to have to worry about funding.

My thanks to Dr Rolfe.