scientist profile
“ My move back to UAB has been extraordinary and has afforded me opportunities that I couldn ’ t have foreseen .”
I grew up in Bombay , India . I was always interested in biology and the functioning of the human body and knew that I wanted to have a career in this area . Cancer caught my attention when I was an undergraduate . I read an article in Scientific American , which puts most of these concepts in lay language . The more I read , the more I wanted to know about cancer – what causes it and how can we best treat it . Ironically , I lost my father to cancer around that time . That ’ s when I made a commitment to cancer research and pursued a Ph . D . in cancer . For my Ph . D . I trained in the area of cancer immunology , specifically in innate immunity in breast cancer . When I decided to do a post-doctoral fellowship , I wanted to broaden my horizons but still stay in the general area of breast cancer . With a Ph . D . in cancer immunology , I knew the very important role our immune system plays in cancer development , progression and metastasis . What I didn ’ t have was a “ know-how ” of the tumor cell biology per se .
I did my post-doc training at the Hershey Medical Center at Penn State University . Coming to Hershey was interesting because it was a very small town , with only around 5,000 people . I got off the plane expecting to see a vibrant downtown and tall buildings , and there were none in Hershey . I think the tallest building was seven stories . I still have wonderful memories of Hershey , because I lived not too far from the college of medicine and the Hershey chocolate factory . I ’ d walk to work daily , and depending on which way the wind was blowing , I could smell chocolate or roasted almonds or peanuts .
Coming to UAB
I moved to UAB for the first time in 2002 as a junior faculty member with my mentor Danny Welch , Ph . D . Of course , I had my doubts about moving from Pennsylvania to Birmingham , and I was quite vocal about those concerns . I arranged to come down to UAB and check it out . In Pennsylvania , the notion was that there are no highways in Alabama and people have no teeth here . I asked myself , “ Is this going to be a smart move ?” I knew UAB had a comprehensive cancer center , as well as a top-ranked pathology department . I interviewed with the chair of the Department of Pathology and met with several of the faculty and was convinced that this was going to be a good move .
While at UAB , I was fortunate to receive pilot funding through an American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant and the Cancer Center ’ s Breast SPORE ( Specialized Program of Research Excellence ). Those were extremely instrumental in allowing me to start and grow an independent line of research .
Around 2004 , I had the opportunity to contribute to the building and growth of a new cancer institute at the University of South Alabama in Mobile . This was a fantastic opportunity that allowed me to get my independent research program up and running , and I was able to actively contribute to the structure of the building that is now the Mitchell Cancer Institute . During this time , I was successful in securing extramural funding through multiple sources , and my research program began to evolve . With that , I realized I needed to go to a more evolved environment . I always carried those fantastic memories of my two years at UAB . When I was thinking of an evolved environment , the first place I thought of was of course UAB ! So , I returned in 2012 .
My move back to UAB has been extraordinary and has afforded me opportunities that I couldn ’ t have foreseen . I knew it would be a good environment , but I didn ’ t know just how good it would be . UAB is so friendly and collaborative . I have yet to find a door that I ’ ve knocked upon that has not been answered . I feel very fortunate to be here .
Being back at UAB allowed me to continue a great collaborative relationship with my husband and colleague , Rajeev Samant , Ph . D ., also a faculty member in the Department of Pathology
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