Don ’ t despair in face of failure , Kim tells grads

Rather than focusing on his many scientific successes, Peter Kim, PhD, a biochemist known for his innovative work in developing and shepherding drugs to market, chose instead to tell the School of Medicine’s graduating class of 2016 about one of his key failures. “The greatest scientific failure in my career was when I had to stop a clinical trial of a vaccine for HIV/AIDS. And it came just as we thought we were on the threshold of success,” said Kim, the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Professor of Biochemistry, addressing the graduates and their families and friends seated under a giant white tent on Alumni Green on June 11. “When we ended the clinical trial, the hopes of literally millions of people around the world were dashed.” The key is not to despair in the face of failure, said Kim, the keynote speaker at the diploma ceremony. “As you know, science is, at its core, the pursuit of truth. ... That is what science is all about: discovering the truth and following it wherever it leads,” he said.