As a trainee in science, you often have the chance to attend
talks and meetings where you see world-renowned experts in the field. Similar
to a person who spots their favorite celebrity (movie/tv/music star) IRL, you
can’t help but be #startstruck. Here are a few of my #startstruck moments when
I got to see amazing researchers and science communicators:
1) Rebecca Skloot – I remember attending a talk
by Rebecca Skloot, the author of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” as an
undergraduate at Hiram College. I was so excited to see an author who changed
the way both scientists and the public think about medical ethics (including
informed consent and patient privacy) and the history of cell culture. I can
remember her talking about sitting in a biology class where she learned about
HeLa cells, where she wondered, “Who did these cells come from?” She is one of
my role models, since my career goal is to be a science writer.
2) Tracy Kidder – The common reading for Hiram
College one year was the book, “Mountains Beyond Mountains,” which was written
by Tracy Kidder. The book describes the work of Dr. Paul Farmer, who improved
the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in under-served areas throughout
the world. Based on the use of his book in the curriculum, Tracy Kidder came
and gave the opening convocation. It was cool to have the chance to see a
Pulitzer Prize-winning author and famous literary journalist in person. Looking
back, I wish I had recorded his inspirational speech.
3) Peter Barnes, MD – As a graduate student
studying inflammatory lung diseases, I remember reading a lot of reviews and manuscripts
by Dr. Barnes. He is a respiratory researcher in the U.K. who is an expert in
the areas of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The first
time that I saw him was at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) Annual
Conference in Philadelphia, where he gave a talk about non-smokers with COPD. I
can remember just being in awe of him since he is such a leader in the field.
This past May, he actually introduced me at a conference. I may have looked
calm and collected as I walked up to the podium, but I definitely did an
internal #startstruck squeal.
4) Stephen Gordon, MD – I was able to attend
great talks by Stephen Gordon at ATS conferences, and even got to meet him in
person. He is a respiratory researcher who studies respiratory infectious
diseases and the health effects of household air pollution from cooking fires.
He is one of the world’s experts on lung diseases related to biomass smoke
exposure and cookstove interventions in low-and-middle-income countries. He
also received the World Lung Health Award from the ATS for his research and
training efforts in Malawi.
John Balmes, MD - I was able to meet Dr. Balmes at ATS conferences. He is a well-known respiratory researcher who studies outdoor air pollution, household air pollution, asthma, and cardiopulmonary diseases. He has received many awards throughout his career, including the ATS Public Service Award in Recognition of Outstanding Contributions in Public Health in the area of Respiratory Disease and Medicine, The John M. Peters Award in Appreciation of a Lifetime of Leadership, Research, and Devoted Service to the Pursuit of Respiratory Health from the ATS's Assembly on Environmental, Occupational and Population Health, Rutherford T. Johnstone Award for Exemplary Contributions to the Field of Occupational Medicine, and more. He also likes to support and promote trainees. I can remember feeling a good type of shock when he recognized me at an ATS assembly meeting.
5) Joe Palca, PhD – I took a graduate school
course called “Careers in Science Communication.” Different speakers in science
communication would come and tell us about their jobs. One week, Joe Palca, a
science correspondent for NPR came to our class. He gave really good examples
and tips about communicating science to the public. Later that evening, I was a
part of a small group from the class who got to join him for dinner. It was a
great experience to hang out with a nationally-recognized science journalist.
6) Enid Neptune, MD - The keynote speaker for the University of Rochester's Lung Biology Research and Trainee Day in January 2017 was Dr. Enid Neptune. I was able to see her present her research on Marfan syndrome and inflammatory lung diseases, specifically COPD. I also had the opportunity to attend a career development round table with her, where she gave advice to graduate students, post-docs, and clinical fellows about planning for the future. I'll never forget that she said, "It's your life. You have to do what's right for you." It was helpful to learn the experiences and perspective of an important translation researcher in pulmonary medicine.
7) Dinah Singer, PhD – As a science writing fellow, I was able to meet Dr. Singer, the director of the Division of Cancer Biology at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). She is also a Senior Investigator and Chief of the Molecular Regulation Section of the Experimental Immunology Branch of the NCI intramural research program. She is a well-known scientist, serves on various advisory and scientific boards/committees, and an important leader at NCI. As a woman in STEM, I look up to her as a role-model. Further, even though she is this amazing and accomplished researcher, she is very down to earth. For example, when I met her, I said, “Nice to meet you Dr. Singer.” She quickly replied, “You can call me Dinah.”
7) Dinah Singer, PhD – As a science writing fellow, I was able to meet Dr. Singer, the director of the Division of Cancer Biology at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). She is also a Senior Investigator and Chief of the Molecular Regulation Section of the Experimental Immunology Branch of the NCI intramural research program. She is a well-known scientist, serves on various advisory and scientific boards/committees, and an important leader at NCI. As a woman in STEM, I look up to her as a role-model. Further, even though she is this amazing and accomplished researcher, she is very down to earth. For example, when I met her, I said, “Nice to meet you Dr. Singer.” She quickly replied, “You can call me Dinah.”
8) Douglas Lowy, MD – I was able to sit in
during a meeting that was led by the (then) acting NCI director, Dr. Lowy. I
was in the same room as one of the scientists who won the 2017 Lasker-DeBakey
Clinical Medical Research Award. His research led to the development of the
human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, which help prevent cervical
cancer.
9) Diana Galbadon, PhD – I was able to go to
the National Book Festival this year with a lecture by Diana Galbadon. She is
the author of the “Outlander” series, as well as a PhD in Quantitative
Behavioral Ecology. I am a huge fan of the “Outlander” books and T.V. show, so
it was a great chance to see her in person. Since I am interested in science
communication, it was interesting to hear her perspective on science and
writing during her talk. According to her, in both science and writing you are
trying to draw out patterns from chaos. The only difference is that one is
external (science) and one is internal (writing).
Feel free to share your own science-related #startstruck moments in the comments!
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