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Testimonial - Irina V. Kaplan, Ph.D.

Photograph of Irina Kaplan

Irina V. Kaplan, Ph.D. (1997)

These days when I feel on top of the world with my new position as Director of Clinical and Research Laboratories at the state-of-the-art clinical research facility Pfizer is building in New Haven, CT, I cannot help but glance back and appreciate that the training I received in the Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology at the University of Louisville is what brought me here.

Of course, there were many stops on the way to the job of my dreams. After my PhD defense in 1996, I chose what was perceived to be less traditional route for postdoctoral training. I wanted to take advantage of my previous medical school training back in Russia and find something that would combine my research skills and my education background. My long-term goal was the career with biomedical industry. And Clinical Chemistry Fellowship program with the Department of Pathology and University of Louisville Hospital was just the answer! With its focus on rigorous clinical training, top-notch research and opportunity to interact with diagnostic industry, it will be no exaggeration to say that this training defined and gave momentum to my entire career!

My further professional steps included being a technical director with Laboratory Corporation of America here in Louisville, followed by three years as Scientist with Bayer Diagnostics in New York focusing on biochemical markers of disease. I came to Pfizer in 2002 as a Clinician for Phase I studies in Neurology and Psychiatry. Thus, all these previous positions have naturally contributed to the interests I have and the work I do now. Yet none of this would have been possible without the years I spent at the University of Louisville.

One can say that my studies there served as a blueprint for my future. The skills that I acquired during my years at the Department and Dr. George Mower's laboratory are the skills that I am applying every day. It is amazing how much you learn during graduate school that turn out to be indispensable in your "grown-up" life. Don't dismiss anything… like the course you thought you would never use in the future…or the ever-dreaded presentation of the Seminar….or writing reports on Journal Club presentations and articles. Trust me, there will be the time when you are given two hour notice to prepare and present a one hour teleconference update on your projects to Seattle, London and Singapore and you will be glad that all the beatings you took back in graduate school have prepared you to ace that!

Some of the strategies I started to develop while in school and kept polishing as I went along, which help me stay afloat (feel free to use/critique/edit them!):

  • find a right balance between bench research and writing - allot at least an hour every day for writing (can be a summary of your results, protocols, part of the future paper, couple of slides for presentation, even make up a schedule if needed) - it helps! Few paragraphs here and there as you proceed with your project will come in handy when it is time to write a research paper, or present at the seminar.
  • polish your social and oral skills. Go to conferences, present papers, meet new people - not only will this enhance your CV but your circle of contacts in your professional field as well!
  • keep in mind that the world of academia is not your only choice - cast a wide net for jobs related to your field of interest; follow the news - it is useful to know what is going on in politics and industry, since it affects you too!
  • and now the most crucial one. Remember to breathe! Your twenties ARE the best part of your life and (trust me on this one) you are NOT getting them back. So don't spend them shut in the lab. You can work out a system of rewards - for each two hours spent on research, you can have an hour of fun, whatever your definition.
  • be kind to strangers and animals

My scientific career is still at its very beginning, and I am poised for more exciting and challenging experiences. Yet seven years later and several states away, I am still boundlessly grateful to the Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, its chairman, Dr. Fred Roisen and, most of all, my wonderful mentor Dr. George Mower for the opportunities I was given and wholeheartedly recommend this program to future graduate and postdoctoral candidates!

Irina V. Kaplan, Ph.D.
(1997) Pfizer