My Story

I’m a clinical pharmacist with specialized training in health services research. When I started my career 25 years ago, few pharmacists were involved in federally funded research. This was, and still is, a perspective that I felt was desperately needed, especially given how many scientific advancements revolve around medications. I was fortunate to receive a Career Development Award (K08) from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. This grant was crucial for my research career, particularly in studying medication safety and the impact of pharmacists in helping patients manage their medications. With the growing complexities of health care—more diseases, more treatment options, and more insurance hurdles—federally funded research is essential to discover the best and safest ways to manage medications. 

Amanda Kennedy, Pharm.D., BCPS 
Professor of Medicine

This story was originally published on the United for Medical Research website.

My Story

I chose a career as a biomedical researcher because I want to help people through science and contribute to developing new treatments for people who suffer from joint pain. NIH support has been critical in my career—not just for me and my own research, but also for the dozens of trainees I’ve mentored who have gone on to technical careers in industry and academia.

Niccolo Fiorentino, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation

This story was originally published on the United for Medical Research website.

My Story

I am an NIH-funded researcher who studies how viruses that infect the respiratory tract highjack the host cells they require to grow. By understanding how viruses such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infect human cells, we can discover the Achilles heel of these viruses and identify new ways of developing antiviral drugs. Studying the fundamental science of how viruses infect cells also teaches us a lot about how our cells function on a molecular level, which can reveal information that is important for a range of new discoveries and treatments. A large part of my job also is to train students how to conduct scientific research so they can be equipped with the skills and background to succeed in science, medicine, or a range of other jobs.

I am a scientist because my AP Bio teacher arranged for a small group of students to spend a week at our local college campus conducting research in a university lab. It was the first time I realized that science is not memorizing a collection of facts, or reciting formula someone else put in a textbook—it is a process for discovering new knowledge and finding out something about how the world works that no one else knows (until you share your discovery!).

Emily Bruce, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics

This story was originally published on the United for Medical Research website.

My Story

My family, and those dear to me, certainly have their share of syndromes for which biomedical research has made impressive and often unexpected gains toward treating. However, as an academic physician, and, importantly, as one who has not personally participated in biomedical research, I feel that my voice is unique here.

During my time as the Director of Pediatric Psychiatry for the Solid Organ Transplant Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, I was lucky to spend every week with brilliant researchers in organ transplant services, infectious diseases, gastroenterology, and psychiatry. The story I remember most was the incidental finding that children who were immunosuppressed to prevent the rejection of their organ transplantation would sometimes contract serious viral illnesses such as Epstein-Barr virus. These children would be admitted, and we would quickly withdraw their immunosuppressants. Thankfully and remarkably, many of these children recovered from the virus—and despite having had the immunosuppressants removed, their transplanted organs were not rejected. This led to a series of experiments in which animals were deliberately infected with the Epstein-Barr virus and then transplanted, leading to tolerance protocols that to this day have allowed people who have received transplanted organs in life-saving procedures to also forgo immunosuppressants. I remember the palpable excitement as the studies went forward.

Though much remains to be learned, it remains the case that this incidental finding opened up an incredible body of research, and thus hope for people receiving immunosuppressants for a variety of reasons. The incidental finding at Massachusetts General Hospital required quick mobilization of labs around the country, as well as funding opportunities, to explore how best to create protocols that would induce tolerance of transplanted organs.

Steven Scholzman, Ph.D. 
Chief of Child Psychiatry and Associate Professor of Psychiatry

This story was originally published on the United for Medical Research website.