Serendipity and purpose.

As a medical oncologist-researcher, I am often asked ‘How (or why) did you go into cancer?’ and ‘Isn’t it a depressing field?’ The answer to the second question is a resounding ‘no’, and this brief profile charts my path to answer the first question. Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, I am the daughter of two geologists, so ours was a scientific family. From an early age, my brother, sister and I spent many weeks each summer camping in remote areas of the western US as my father pursued field work for his job as a geologist for the US Geological Survey. Though none of us followed in our parents’ footsteps, we were exposed to the excitement and beauty of earth science from an early age. A pivotal event was my father’s transfer to serve as a consultant for the US Agency for International Development working with the Indian Geological Survey. Our family of five moved to New Delhi, India, when I was ninth grader, a life-altering event for all of us. For me it was the year I studied high school biology with Mr Warren at the American International School (New Delhi, India). After a year of international adventure, my family settled in the suburban Washington DC area where my parents served as career geologists for the US Geological Survey for several decades before their retirements. This circuitous route led me to a weekend program on biology at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, USA, which cemented my interest in biomedical science, and I struck off for Wellesley College (Wellesley, PA, USA) with a tentative plan to study biology. After 2 years of course work, I decided to extend my experience into the research laboratory through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA) to which I had access through the Wellesley–MIT partnership. Uncertain about how to proceed, I turned to the fraternity brother of the man I was dating who let me know of an opening for an undergraduate researcher in the laboratory where he worked. Armed with this connection, I showed up for an interview with Gerald Wogan whose work in aflatoxinrelated liver carcinogenesis would ultimately bring him into the National Academy of Sciences (Washington DC, USA). Despite my minimal fund of knowledge, Wogan welcomed me into the laboratory and assigned me to work with a PhD student who was just beginning his thesis on glucocorticoid effects on aflatoxin-induced liver carcinogenesis. I worked part time on that project for the next 2 years. Here I learned about the highs and the lows of science – many hours of time points in the cold room, my lack of rat surgical skills, the camaraderie of the laboratory team, and the thrill of contributing to data that led to completion and publication of a scientific story. This experience galvanized my interest in biomedical research and in cancer and led to my decision to go to medical school to maximize my career opportunities – the concept of an MD–PhD program was never brought to my attention. Enrolling in the Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA, USA) allowed me to stay in Boston to pursue my training. Like all medical students, I was economically challenged, and after my first year, I returned to Maryland N E Davidson Serendipity and purpose