Women in Science Celebration: Interview with Dr. Karuna Ganesh

Please, tell us a little bit about yourself:

   
​ I am Dr. Karuna Ganesh, a physician-scientist at MSKCC. I am a medical oncologist and treat patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancers.  In my lab, we study tumors removed from patients undergoing surgery to learn how cancers spread (metastasize) to different organs, and how to make better drugs that can target and reverse the aggressive biology of metastatic cancers.  I grew up in India, where I first learned about physician-scientists in a medical thriller novel, and became excited about the idea of using science to make a difference in people’s lives.  Since this career did not exist in India, I left aged 15, and moved to the US, UK and back to the US to train as a physician-scientist, and eventually started my own lab at MSKCC in 2019.



​ "I became excited about the idea of using science to make a difference in people’s lives."

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?

Believe in yourself and ignore the naysayers. You may be the first person who looks like you doing something, and people may be surprised by this, but don’t let that put you off.  Perseverance is often the most critical quality for achieving something in any field.  If you keep doing something that you care about, you will eventually be recognized for that.  

                           "Believe in Yourself and Ignore the naysayers."

What do you think the roadblocks are to representation of women in science? How can we improve women’s visibility in science?

Studies show that women are stymied at every level in science.  Girls are steered away from STEM due to social pressures and the lack of role models.  Early career female scientists experience subconscious and sometimes conscious discrimination in access to the best projects, resources, opportunities for visibility and promotion, often due to the reality or perception of imbalanced childcare responsibilities.  The shortage of women higher up the scientific career ladder restricts peer networks, mentorship and unconscious bias where women are not seen as a ‘good fit’ for leadership positions or high-powered scientific collaborations.  I am enthused by recent efforts across science to raise awareness among both men and women about unconscious bias, and to actively identify, mentor and promote women at all levels. However, a more sustained and concerted effort will be needed to achieve gender parity in science.   

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

I don’t see this as an either/or.  Life involves choices and trade-offs.  My advice is to be deliberate about decisions related to career and family.  Don’t let circumstances make decisions for you instead.  Make purposeful decisions about what kind of career and family life you want, what compromises you are and are not willing to make on either front. Engage the people in your life who would share caregiving responsibilities fully in this decision-making process.  There is no one right answer for everyone, and your answers may change over time.  But in my view, having a clear idea about who you are and what you want out of life upfront increases the probability of achieving your goals.  And of course we need to keep advocating for policies and social norms that support gender parity in both work and family life.   
 
        "Don’t let circumstances make decisions for you instead."

---