Medicine Science and Dreams: The Making of Physician-Scientists

Description

Physician-scientists are unusual creatures. While we are drawn to the clinical challenges of our patients, we are also drawn to the opportunities that our patients’ medical problems bring to science. This book contains the unique experiences and encounters that drew 21 accomplished physician-scientists to this profession. These personal stories are those of people and circumstances that have had profound effects on our career decisions, our creative opportunities, and our lives. These stories also serve to highlight the lessons learned along the way and the distinct attributes of these women and men of medicine and science. Our combined hope is that our collective biographies will enhance the public understanding of our profession, will move people from medicine to science and from science to medicine, and will inspire those who are contemplating this extraordinary profession. Front Matter....Pages i-xxxix The Loneliness of the Physician-Scientist....Pages 1-13 Gamow, Guppies, and the Search for GOD....Pages 15-32 The Epigenesis of an Epigeneticist....Pages 33-44 A Delicate Balance: Science, Medicine, and Motherhood....Pages 45-57 …First Pick Good Parents....Pages 59-74 The Long Way to Somewhere....Pages 75-89 Sputnik, Slime Molds, and Botticelli in the Making of a Physician-Scientist....Pages 91-106 Success for the Whole Community....Pages 107-123 The Irony of Disease....Pages 125-141 Serendipity and Stamina: Staying the Course....Pages 143-158 Twists and Turns on the Road to Becoming a Physician-Scientist....Pages 159-180 Journeys from Bedside to Bench and Back....Pages 181-197 Life Comes to One....Pages 199-209 What Is a Guy Like You Doing in a Place Like This? A Physician-Scientist in the Private Sector....Pages 211-223 The Jock and the Doc....Pages 225-239 The Making of a Medical Epidemiologist....Pages 241-255 Curiosity, Hard Work, and Tenacity....Pages 257-268 Physician-Scientist: Linking Science, Medicine, and Public Policy....Pages 269-287 Pursuit of a Patient-Oriented Research Career as a Physician-Scientist....Pages 289-302 What Went Right....Pages 303-312 Back Matter....Pages 313-334