Women in Science Celebration: Interview with Dr Jill Bargonetti

Please tell us a little bit about yourself:

My name is Jill Bargonetti and I am a native New Yorker. I went to Hunter Elementary School and High School and the transferred to the Bronx High School of Science. I earned my B.A. at SUNY College at Purchase and my Ph.D. at New York University and did postdoctoral work at Columbia University. I serve as chair of the Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology subprogram of the Ph.D. Program in Biology at The Graduate Center of CUNY and as professor of biological sciences at The Graduate Center, Hunter College and Weill Cornell Medical College. Since 1994, I have been running the Bargonetti Lab cancer biology laboratory at Hunter College, where my team is using genetically engineered tools to research breast cancer and other cancers.
I have published my research in prestigious scientific journals including Cell, Nature, Genes and Development, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Cancer Research. I served as a standing member of the Tumor Cell Biology study section grant review panel for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from 2012 to 2018. I have received research grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the American Cancer Society, and the Department of Defense. I have been honored by the U.S. government as an innovator in the education of minorities in science. My awards include the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, from President Bill Clinton; the New York City Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Science and Technology; the New York Voice Award (given to those who have made a significant improvement to the quality of life in New York City); the Kathy Keeton Mountain Top Award from the New York branch of the NAACP; the Outstanding Woman Scientist Award from the Association for Women in Science; the NYU Graduate School of Arts and Science and SUNY Purchase Outstanding Alumnae Achievement Awards and I have been named to the Bronx High School of Science Hall of Fame. I was profiled by Working Mother magazine as one of the nation’s “Stellar Moms.” My scientific work is currently funded by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. I also do work on integrating science education and movement and have developed a Hunter College course called “Choreographing Genomics”.

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"Science careers do not have to be all or none."

In your opinion, what is the best way to maintain work-life balance?

I always recognize that prioritizing helps me to manage my many responsibilities. I also practice saying no at work so I can keep time for things at home.

What are your thoughts on the pressure that women face in having to make a choice between starting a family and progressing their career?

People think it is alright to ask women about their choice of having, or not having children. Not all women want children and/or families. Women must remember that their personal life is personal. When you leave work, it is up to you what you do. I think we need to start having conversations about how people manage this. Sometimes husbands think the wife is available to take care of children or manage family (sometimes staying at home) so the men rarely discuss family choice. Women think it is a choice rather than a given and tell about the juggling. I think this is alright but sometimes when women do tell their stories they are judged as “less than”. This is the pressure that I think we need to have stop. Women do not have to share all the details about their personal choices. Be that the choice of marrying or not, having children or not, working all the time or not. Science careers do not have to be all or none.

"Do not be shy about being smart. Trust yourself as much as you see the men around you trusting in themselves."

What are the things that keep you motivated in your everyday life? Do you have any daily ritual that helps you stay consistently motivated and balanced?

I exercise every day and I drink lots of water. When things start to bother me, or when life and work get challenging, I try to take a step back. I wait to see how I feel, and what I think, the next day. I have learned that my work and scholarship are happening even when I am taking a walk. During my moments of just thinking quietly new motivations and ideas emerge.

What advice would you give yourself if you were starting your career today? What would you say to encourage other women to persevere in their career path?

Do not be shy about being smart. Trust yourself as much as you see the men around you trusting in themselves.