I was born and grew up in a small town in northern Italy. After my degree and almost 6 years of experience working in cancer research, I moved to the US 12 years ago with my husband. I worked in academic institutions and a family foundation and I am currently working for a private company. We have two kids who are 10 and 7 years old. What was supposed to be a few years’ experience turned into our life and we are now settled in NY.

Set boundaries. Especially now during the pandemic when we are all working from home it is important to set limits. We all want to excel, we want to shine and have a bright career but that doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice our personal life to it. It is important to learn when it is time to stop and dedicate time to a hobby, to our family, to our friends. It seems obvious and straightforward, but it is not especially if you feel the pressure of your colleagues working long hours. Our value will be recognized even if we do not work 24/7 and if the workplace is not recognizing it, then it is time for a new adventure.

In my life, I was always very lucky, and I was never put in the positions of having to choose. All my mentors and supervisors were extremely supportive, but I can see how starting a family could be a challenge for women not as lucky as I was. I think there is not a solution to that. Women will always face a bumpier path, but I do believe that if we keep believing in our dreams, we will eventually find people around us who will believe in us and support us in our growth. Mentors and colleagues who value our expertise and skills will not ask us to choose. Finding that environment will not be easy, but we should not give up our dreams of starting a family, but rather we should focus on finding that workplace where we are valued even more because we have a family. And I can say these places totally exist.

Follow your dreams, do what you like, do not be discouraged by difficulties and seize the opportunities. You will never find the perfect job, but you need to focus on what makes you happy, keeps you excited and curious. No matter what your job is, it takes a lot of your time and you do not want to be bored or struggle because you do not like it.

I moved to the US with my pets in 2012 and joined Dr Ron Duman’s lab at Yale University as a post-doc fellow. There, I quickly became interested in rapid-acting antidepressants and other topics that were new to me. In summer 2015, I started to look for jobs and thought I would need to go back to France since I was on a J-1 visa here. I wanted to work outside academia. By chance, at that time there was a job opening at a biopharmaceutical company that fitted with my skills. Long story short: I applied even though I was not feeling ready and it worked out: the company even sponsored my visa and later on my green card.

During the PhD and post-doc, it is expected to work long hours, even on weekends. I would say that work-life balance is more reachable at a later stage, beyond the post-doc. And one of the best ways to maintain it is to have clear boundaries while remaining flexible and willing to help our colleagues.

Having nice colleagues with good team spirit is very important and motivates to come to work. That makes a huge difference at the end of the day. I am otherwise always looking for improvement in all sorts of areas, buying new books, watching inspiring shows or documentaries. During the pandemic, we all had to rethink our schedule. I stopped exercising for a while and I realized I’d better move more if I want to feel well.

I wish I had learnt transcendental meditation earlier as it has been making a difference compared with other meditations I had tried. Meditating regularly helps me remain grounded. I get a clearer mind and am able to focus better, which helps during experiments. I would encourage anybody to find an activity that helps them reset on a daily basis. It can be activity-based like running, yoga, or more art-focused… but TV does not qualify!

Interview and words by Rinki Saha
Edited by Laurie Herviou and Lucie Yammine

How is BCH spreading awareness in the US & India?
Well, to be transparent with you here, in the US, we do not provide financial support. Rather I try to visit shelters to do screening and direct patients towards a care facility where they can get a free mammogram and treatments if needed. In terms of outreach programs in the US, our organization primarily focuses more on dense tissue complications in the detection of breast cancer, but also on the occurrence of breast cancer in men and cancer prevention. I am conducting global virtual seminars and ‘outreaches & awareness’ sessions in various communities in the US. Our Chapter Directors are getting involved in various community outreach. You can read about it here.
We also recruit school student volunteers, conduct mentoring workshops, and make them BCH ambassadors. Those student volunteers organize outreach events and speak about the early occurrence of breast cancer and preventative measures in the outreach program within their network or neighborhood. Therefore, the volunteers not only deliver a service to their community but also can acquire leadership skills. I also conduct Young Scientist Cancer Meet and mentor students to help with their career and inculcate the art of scientific thinking & thought leadership. BCH Scientific writers is another program where I mentor the students to write research articles on different topics of breast cancer or other types of cancer, bringing into limelight the scenario not only in the developed but also in the developing countries. We are about to publish 18 articles on breast cancer by BCH scientific writers this year on our website.

In 2018 & 2019 in India, I have conducted in person more than 140 outreaches covering cities, towns, villages, tea-gardens, hospitals, colleges, universities, research centers in urban and rural sectors. I am thankful to our collaborators who helped organizing these sessions. During the screening outreaches, I usually share my contacts with anyone with concerns and I guide all suspected cases towards the healthcare system, I provide scientific counseling, education, advocacy & treatment aid when needed, with proper followups. You can read more about it here.

Besides, I am mentoring our BCH India ambassadors & we are building lifesaving Early Detection Cards for all types of cancer. We produced Breast Self-Exam Cards for both women & men in 20 different local languages, and the translation was done with the help of our worldwide BCH Ambassadors.

Join us in two weeks to learn more about the long-term mission of Dr. Lopamudra Das Roy about this
non-profit organization.

Interview and words by Rinki Saha
Edited by Laurie Herviou and Lucie Yammine
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‘Success is a journey, not a destination’ – Meet Dr. Lopamudra Das Roy who started her career as a cancer research scientist, later diverted her path, and founded a non-profit organization called Breast Cancer Hub (BCH). She gave a motivating interview to INetNYC about her novel cause of breast cancer awareness. Her story is a perfect example of how the journey can change the destination and how you can leave everything behind to devote your life to cancer patients. Let’s hear about her incredibly fascinating journey.

Lopamudra, can you tell us about your background?
I was born in Assam, the North-Eastern part of India. Since my childhood, I was always inspired by my father who was an eminent pediatrician and I wanted to achieve a career in the field of healthcare. I earned my Ph.D. in Genetics from Assam University, India in 2007. Later I did a Postdoctoral Fellowship in cancer immunology & metastasis focusing on breast & pancreatic cancer at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. After this training, I joined the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) as a Cancer Scientist and Research Professor. I was awarded grants as Principal Investigator from the Department of Defense cancer research program & National Cancer Institute to investigate targeted therapies and signaling pathways in metastatic breast and pancreatic cancer. I also received my MBA from Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management. In brief, my scientific career was more than a decade in the making and I was later working as an adjunct Associate Professor at UNCC and Research Director at OncoTab, Inc; Cancer Diagnostics & Therapeutics, a UNCC spin-off.
 
What motivated you to create this non-profit organization?
Over the years I witnessed the real-time suffering of cancer patients and how breast cancer can ruin one family in just a few months if not detected early. I realized that there is a huge lack of awareness regarding breast cancer even here in the US and I already knew the situation in India where nobody wanted to talk about breast cancer and there was a huge taboo behind it. In my mind, I could already imagine long-term sustainable plans which can bridge this awareness gap and help millions of cancer patients lives and their family.
During my time at Kellogg, I pitched my long-term dream project of how to merge breast cancer awareness in the developing and developed world. The idea was well appreciated and also, I got some kind of confirmation that this plan could materialize. Finally, in 2017 I decided to change the direction of my science career and invest all my effort and time to serve as a volunteer for the awareness program for breast cancer and formed a non-profit organization named Breast Cancer Hub.
My decision to leave my research and start this foundation was because I knew from the beginning that it’s going to be a full-time involvement and I would never be able to devote my entire effort if I have continued in my scientist position.  To start with, I did an online survey to see how awareness stands in both developed and developing countries. The survey was an eye-opener and indicated that irrespective of socio-economic conditions & education, women are reluctant to take breast health seriously. The survey also revealed that people are not at all aware of many crucial facts about breast cancer, such as

• Mammograms can miss the existence of breast cancer.
• Men can also have breast cancer.
• You should already do a self-breast checkup when you are 17-18 years old.

 
Worldwide lot of women are not going for breast cancer screening even after 40 years of age as there is a misconception that it can only be genetic, so they do not have to worry if it doesn’t run in their family. This survey helped me build the statistics of the current awareness status and provided me the rock-solid thought process to proceed to the next steps. The overarching mission of this organization is to organize health care programs, sustainable goals of helping cancer patients across developed and developing countries.

How can a mammogram miss the existence of Breast Cancer?
Because some of the women have very dense breast tissue made up of fibro glandular tissue, the current mammogram resolution makes it difficult to pick up the cancer cells. For those women, breast ultrasound and other additional tests can help detect cancer. Because of this misdiagnosis, many patients remain untreated. You can read more about this issue here.
 
Would you please elaborate on this village adoption program?
We adopted villages to penetrate deeper, going to each member, each household, maintaining database & follow-ups, for cancer screening, treatment, management, palliative care & epidemiological research study. We take accountability for each patient. During that process, if we find someone who is suffering, we immediately take the suspected cases to the local cancer hospital for further diagnosis, treatment, and provide end to end support. We focus on breast, oral (anti-tobacco campaign), cervical as well as other types of cancers. We provide them with all the economic and mental support. You can read more about village adoption here. I am also very glad to say that many organizations in India, Indonesia, and Africa are now reaching out to us for collaboration or guidance to replicate this village adoption model for their community work.
 
Join Us in two weeks to hear more from Dr. Lopamudra Das Roy about how BCH organizes its awareness program across the world. H H
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Interview and Words by Jenny Schneider. 
​Edited by Jessica Sharrock.

A conversation with Dr. Sumru Bayin, Senior Postdoctoral Fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), New York. See parts one, two and three here.
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PART 4: TIPS & ADVICE

JS: Any advice for international scholars on applying for funding?
SB: The website GrantScoop is a great search engine for funding opportunities. In addition, talk to your PI about it and contact your institute’s grants office (most big institutes have them). They can help you get more information that is specific to your field of research and nationality.
In terms of timeline, it is advisable to start looking for grants as early as possible because most of the grants have a specific window of eligibility (e.g. you can apply within 1-2 years of your PhD defense date). I think applying for grants is a great exercise even if you don’t need the extra funding or if you don’t get it at the end. It is beneficial for your CV, especially if you want to stay in academia, and it allows you to understand your own project from the start.

JS: Overall through your scientific experience, were there moments where you thought to yourself “I wish I knew this before”?
SB: I definitely wish I knew I had to contact PIs about rotations before my first day at the PhD program. I also wish I was more aware of the politics and competitiveness of science when I started my PhD. It can be brutal and unfair and it would of help to be ready to face it. Now I am used to it but during the first stages of my PhD I took it very personally, to the point where I thought I didn’t want to be in science anymore. If I had been prepared, I could have been more pragmatic and cared less about adverse reactions to my science.

JS: Looking back on your science path, would you do anything differently?
SB: I would say “no” to science more often. I still sometimes make the mistake of taking on too much. Overworking becomes a habit and if you don’t learn to make time for yourself from the start it is very hard to change later. I am a bit of a workaholic and I think that now it’s too late for me to change my habits. I wish I had set a better work-life boundary and remembered that science can wait sometimes!

JS: What is one piece of advice you would give someone starting their PhD or postdoc?
SB: Be realistic about your expectations, make sure that you really love science and that you are willing to spend the overtime on it. Definitely don’t go into grad school or a postdoc as a default; it’s the worst mistake. I am not saying you won’t be successful, you just might be miserable. Get into it because you want to do it, not because you don’t know what to do next. Also, if somewhere along the way you realize that it is not for you, it’s okay to get out and reconfigure your career path. In short, know yourself and know your limits.

JS: Moving from turkey to the US; what was the best, worst, and weirdest experience you have had?
SB: The best part was definitely New York City. Maybe I watched too much TV but NYC felt like home even when I first moved here. It felt so familiar, like I’d lived here all my life. It is multicultural and much more influenced by other world regions. As a foreigner, I think New York is very welcoming because of its diversity, no one treats you differently because everyone is a foreigner here. It is also one of a few select places in the world where you don’t have to define who you are.
The hardest part, scientifically, was dealing with the first round of disappointments from your project not working as expected in the lab. I also had to deal with some fallout from Hurricane Sandy, I think from my 8 years in the US; it was one of the hardest, most emotional experiences that I had to deal with. NYU got hit very hard and that put our lives on hold for a very long time. In retrospect, this experience strengthened relationships with my peers and eventually we bounced back.
The weirdest parts are the doors and locks opening the opposite way, and having to walk everywhere instead of driving. On a more serious note, seeing the amount of homeless people in NYC was difficult for me. I think in general, coming to a new country without knowing anyone is challenging. We put up brave faces but it can be hard at times. It helped that I acquired an extremely supportive group of friends during my PhD at NYU.
 
We would like to thanks Dr. Bayin for taking the time to INet NYC about her life in the science world.

Interview and Words by Jenny Schneider.
Edited by Jessica Sharrock

A conversation with Dr. Sumru Bayin, Senior Postdoctoral Fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), New York. See part one and part two here.

PART 3: POSTDOC LIFE
JS: Did you consider doing a postdoc outside of the US?
SB: I did and I decided against it. People might disagree, but my personal perception is that once you get out of the US-science-niche it is very hard to get back in. A postdoc is the time to set up your network and create connections, whatever your future career may be. Since I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay in the US long-term, I decided a postdoc in the US would keep the doors open.

JS: Did you consider doing a postdoc outside of academia?
SB: I did, though I considered it a bit too late. Industry postdoc applications usually have specific timelines (unlike academia). If I could do something differently, I would definitely look more thoroughly into industry postdocs. There are great programs (e.g. Novartis, Regeneron, and Genentech) in industry labs run by very successful PIs. Talk to people and ask questions about the lab publication record and get a feel regarding the level of autonomy you may have, if that is something that is important to you.

JS: How did you go about the process of looking for a postdoc? When did you start and what were your first steps?
SB: I started looking about a year before my graduation. Since positions at high profile labs get filled fast, it is good to apply about a year in advance, or at least send “feelers” out to the PI at that point.
I started searching for labs by reading papers and marking names of PIs whose research I was interested in, I also consulted my PhD committee members about my interests and asked their advice. I looked for open postdoc positions through Nature Jobs and I did get a few interviews from there, but the most successful applications came from personal e-mails I sent without knowing if they had a vacancy or not.
I think the e-mail you send to the PI makes a huge difference. Keep it concise and make it personal, don’t copy-paste a template. I stated why I was interested specifically in their lab as well as my general scientific interests. I attached my CV, references, and a short cover letter detailing my previous experience. I would suggest going to interviews even if it is not in your dream lab or subject, you never know what the lab really does and what the future projects will be until you talk to the PI.

JS: What are the most important questions to ask during the interview?
SB: We tend to focus on the fact that we are being interviewed by the PI and the lab, but it is also important to remember that a big part of the process is you interviewing them. Consider your future goals and ask how supportive your mentor will be with your career aspirations.
For me, it was important to ask if the PI assigns more than one person on a project as a competitive move- it’s a hard question to ask but it was a deal breaker for me. The second question I asked was can I take my project with me when I leave to start my own lab. This conversation needs to be established from day one if opening your own lab is in your thoughts.

JS: How did you pick your postdoc lab?
SB: More than my interest in the research subject, I looked into what I can learn from the lab, technique- and methodology-wise. I wanted to do something different to my PhD to develop new skills and get out of my comfort zone.

JS: Did you encounter any bureaucratic challenges in your transition from your PhD to your Postdoc institute?
SB: If you do your PhD in the United States, this transition is very structured and the school will usually guide you through your transition from an F1 visa to an OPT visa. However, you should definitely be aware of the process and monitor it to make sure everything is being done according to plan.

JS: In your opinion, what is the biggest difference between being a grad student and being a postdoc?
SB: The scale of responsibility! In grad school your mistakes are allowed. The expectations are high but when you do well the level of praise is commensurate. As a postdoc, even if you accomplish something very challenging it is usually met with… “Yeah, it’s your job”. You are expected to take charge which is not a bad thing, it is just an adjustment.
The relationship between you and your PI is extremely important (even more so than during your PhD). The success of your postdoc can definitely rely on the strength of your relationship with your PI because you don’t have the backing of grad school and your committee anymore. I am lucky that I have a great relationship with my PI but I can see with others how easily you can get lost in your postdoc without the proper support. 
On that note, when you apply for postdocs try to pick institutions that have a strong postdoctoral associations and administrative support for postdocs. Though in most cases things work out well, it is good to have backup and people to turn to if things get rough. Both my PhD and postdoc institutes (NYU and Memorial Sloan Kettering respectively) have a strong institutional support system for postdocs.

JS: Did you have any expectations from a postdoc and were they met?
SB: I had fairly realistic expectations, so the day-to-day life in the lab was what I expected. I also came from a lab where I was very independent and I had a lot of responsibility; in a way I was trained well for the postdoc. That said, I left my PhD program knowing everything there was to know about my work and my lab, and I entered my postdoc lab not knowing anything. Despite my independence and training, it caught me off guard but you get over it very quickly; it is part of the learning curve in any new job.
Also, I did not expect that I would be poorer than I was in grad school (says jokingly). You definitely don’t starve and your overall quality of life is higher, but your net salary after taxes, rent, and bills is slightly lower. This is also partially because we live in NYC where everything is more expensive. Lastly, one of the major adjustments for me was the social aspect. In grad school, you have classes and plenty of socializing opportunities within reach. As a postdoc, you go straight to the lab in a completely new institute where in most cases you know no one. I found it a bit difficult to make friends and build a community like the one I had at NYU during my PhD. MSK specifically has a slightly more “distant” feel to it since it is not a university environment. If you are the type of person who feeds off of other people’s energy, you should consider the overall dynamics and culture of the institute when deciding to join a lab.

JS: If you sum up your postdoc experience so far, what is the best and worst part about it?
SB: The best part is the science; I love what I do. My mentor knows my career goals and she is doing her best to prepare me for the next steps in my career. We have mentoring discussions that are preparing me and I appreciate that.
The worst part is the overall struggle of figuring out what I want to do next. Up until now it was fairly set, finish a PhD and start a postdoc. Once you get to the postdoc part questions start arising: Academia or not academia? If academia, what am I going to work on in my own lab? How am I going to handle it all? Even knowing I had years to think about it during my postdoc, I had those thoughts and questions about my next steps from day one; it is definitely a stress I put on myself.

Join us next week for Part 4, when Dr. Bayin will give us some tips and advice about being a graduate student and postdoc in the US.