My interest in biology and chemistry began in high school and has never waned over the past 40 years. I graduated summa cum laude from Clemson University with a BS in biochemistry, and faced the difficult decision of continuing in basic science research while pursuing a graduate degree or putting my people- and decision-making skills to the test by going to medical school. I ended up doing both, graduating from Yale University with a PhD in molecular genetics and cell biology and then completing medical school and my pediatrics residency at Duke University Medical Center.
I love teaching whether it's showing children how to sail or play volleyball or within the classroom watching their eyes light up when they master something like Mendelian inheritance. I have informally tutored elementary-age children during after-school programs, helped my classmates through organic and physical chemistry in college, led round table discussions with college students about the intricacies of cell biology, and acted as a sounding board for my fellow medical students because of my science background.
I am a strong proponent of STEM for girls starting in elementary school. I was fortunate enough to have a father who told me I could be anything I wanted to be when I grew up, and he often helped me with word problems in math and science fair projects. I truly feel the future of our society depends on advancement in education for both women and men in science.
After practicing pediatrics for only 10 years, science stepped into my life in a huge way in the form of an inherited problem with my immune system, forcing me to retire from my most favorite job in the world as a pediatrician. Now I'd like to give back in a small way some of all the science and medical information that still rattles around in my brain.