Pulling Back the Curtain: Laurie Sehn, MD
her entire future will unfold, which
only adds to the stress level. So,
my main advice would be to take a
step back and focus on the present.
While it’s important to have longterm goals, it’s impossible to see
your whole future from where you’re
standing. Think about what you can
accomplish today and the future
will unfold from there. It would be
boring if we all knew the end of the
story. Look out for and be open to
opportunities at all levels, because
you never know when a new
experience may take you down an
unexpected and exciting path.
pieces of advice I ever received was
to only say yes to things you have
the time to do well. For me, it ’s a
matter of prioritization. Without
question, my family always comes
first. I have three teenage daughters
who seem to need me more now
than they ever did. My husband is
an academic neurologist, balancing
both clinical duties and a busy lab.
I try to limit my commitments so
that I’m able to create the right
balance between my personal and
professional life.
However, it’s not only the
amount of time you devote
that degree of dedication, and I
try to achieve that same level of
giving. My brother and I selected
very different career paths; he is
a Chief Financial Officer for a
company in the United States, but
we remain very close despite our
different interests and the distance.
In a typical day, what is your
rose and what is your thorn?
The rose in my day always relates to
human connections.
The time I spend with my family
is the best part of my day, but I also
value the time I spend with my
It would be boring if we all knew the end
of the story. Look out for and be open to
opportunities at all levels, because you never
know when a new experience may take you
down an unexpected and exciting path.
During an interview, what is
your interview tactic to learn
the most about a candidate?
When I interview a candidate, I
have already spent a fair bit of time
beforehand researching his or her
academic credentials. So, I think
the most important thing is to
understand who he or she is as a
person, which really comes down to
basic character traits and integrity. I
like to ask about what he or she does
during his or her free time, what he
or she values most, and who his or
her role models are. Most of what
we do on a daily basis is done as part
of a team, so it’s very important to
select colleagues who share a similar
philosophy while bringing different
strengths to the team.
How do you keep a healthy
work/life balance, and what
makes maintaining that
balance difficult?
I think this is my biggest and most
important challenge; we all have
so many obligations and limited
time to get them done. I used to
think that my years in training
would be my busiest, but it seems
that each year gets busier than the
last. It’s hard to turn down new
opportunities, or to say no when
asked to contribute. One of the best
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ASH Clinical News
to each, but the quality of the
time that matters. As you get
bogged down with deadlines
and numerous work-related
commitments, it’s very easy to
spend time at home thinking
about what you should be doing
at work. I have learned to try to
separate the two, so that when I’m
at home I can be in the moment.
Once again, it comes down to
focusing on the present. I think
it’s also important to continuously
evaluate how to improve your
efficiency to maximize your time.
I’ve had a long-standing goal to
improve my typing skills, but
unfortunately there is still room
for improvement.
I credit my parents for
instilling me with strong family
values. I grew up in Montreal,
Canada, with one brother. Both
my parents prioritized family over
career. My father was a corporate
businessman and my mother
was a homemaker. She sacrificed
her own career for family and
was a very important role model
for me. It was very important to
my parents that my brother and
I have all the opportunities we
could – especially with respect to
education. As I move forward in
my own life, I have never forgotten
patients and their families. As an
oncologist, it is an absolute privilege
to be able to support people through
very stressful times. Progress in
oncology has led to many more
success stories; there is nothing
more rewarding than hearing those.
The thorn in my day is
excessive emails. When I first
started working at the Cancer
Agency, email didn’t exist. People
either spoke face-to-face, spoke
directly on the phone, or solved
their own problems. While email
has made communication more
efficient, it has also made it less
personal. I particularly dislike the
“reply all” feature.
What do you like to do
outside of work?
After years of living in major cities
along the East coast, moving to the
Pacific Northwest has converted
me into a nature lover. Most of my
hobbies tend to revolve around
the outdoors. I live one block
away from a nature park. At the
end of a stressful day, running
along the paths of this stunning
rainforest immediately relaxes
me. I also enjoy cycling, hiking,
or simply beach-combing. Living
close to Whistler Mountain is a
real luxury. I transitioned from
skiing to snowboarding later in
life and must admit I have become
somewhat obsessed with it.
I also enjoy Bikram yoga. One
of my proudest accomplishments
was that during a recent sabbatical,
I completed the 30-day challenge:
30 yoga classes in 30 days. I think
this was the peak of my flexibility.
Another one of my favorite
hobbies is cooking. The Food
Network has turned my children
into food critics, and we all enjoy
the challenge of cooking together.
What superpower would you
like to have, and why?
Time travel. I would want the
opportunity to go back in time and
experience some historical events
firsthand – and perhaps have the
opportunity to change some of
them. Of course, I’d also all love
to jump forward to see where
everything is headed.
If you won the lottery, what is
the first thing you would do?
When you ask people that question,
I think it’s really a question of,
“Would you still be doing the job
you’re doing now?” That’s a question
I have thought about over time,
and, undoubtedly, I would keep
doing what I’m doing. I have been
fortunate enough to find a career
I really love. Obviously, I would
alter some of my work obligations,
and probably only focus on the
things I like to do best. I would
definitely take some time off to
reflect on my priorities and spend
some concentrated family time.
Perhaps we’d spend a few months in
Nantucket, which has always been
one of my favorite places.
This might seem superfluous
given your response, but is
there any other career you
could see yourself in?
I think there are many careers I
could have considered, since we
all have multiple personalities.
Photographer for National
Geographic, professi onal hockey
player, and a food critic for The New
York Times would be great jobs.
In addition to these, I have always
been interested in the field of
advertising. Television advertising
is something that I would have
wanted to pursue. I see advertising
as a reflection of our society, as well
as a medium to change it. I’m still
fascinated by it. ●
May 2015