Emily

Emily:

Post-doc Researcher

Lammerding Lab

Do you have a personal connection to any of your research?

“It’s hard to find anyone who hasn’t had family members and friends [that have been affected]. I had a friend when I was 14 die [of cancer]. I think a personal connection to cancer in general is one thing, but I think when it comes to research I would approach it less emotionally to be more clear headed, and to be more productive, to be honest. So I would say I don’t have a personal connection to my own research in that way, because I think you would put a bit to much pressure on yourself. And I came here to do more basic science and cell biology…in my previous position, you are constantly bombarded with ‘This is the death rate…’ ‘This is the diagnosis…’ ‘This is the treatment…’ I found that to be quite difficult, every single day, you're trying to bring those numbers down and have what you do matter. And that’s a lot to put on yourself when you're trying to go through grad school and just get a publication and make small step forward in any field of science.”

What’s the most rewarding thing about your research?

“The most rewarding part to me is the sense of discovery of research in general. It’s finding things that no one has ever seen before. We are lucky. We get a lot of fast-paced projects here so we get to experience that quite often.”

What’s the hardest part about your research?

“Balancing the different aspects of it. You’re presenting, and you’re writing. You’re someone else’s supervisor but you’re also doing research. It’s finding the balance.”

How has your research changed any of your viewpoints about cancer?

“The importance of the whole research system is something that I would say I appreciate more. Understanding the role for basic science. Understanding the role for translational research. Understanding how the funding for a clinical trial actually comes about … I think just understanding the system more. And [understanding] the importance of clinical trials too…getting to see what goes into a patient’s treatment options. Clinical trials are so important to give people that had zero chance, some chance. And I think that is something I would want anyone to understand about it. It’s not risky and experimental. It’s this is your shot and if you have a shot, you should take it.”

What is your stance on public engagement in science in cancer research?

“The burden is really on us to communicate what we do to the general public. I mean you see that too in some of the grants that we write. We write an abstract that is a public abstract and should be understandable by anyone, but a lot of [researchers] struggle with that because it is not day-to-day what you are used to doing. It’s a skill for sure to be able to communicate your research to anybody.”