My Story: A Doctor Becomes a Cancer Patient

“I am grateful for all the compassionate care I got at Mount Sinai,” says Shari Brasner, MD, who has been an obstetrician/gynecologist at Mount Sinai for more than three decades. She was diagnosed with a rare gynecological cancer, but her cancer is in remission and her life has returned to normal. Now she helps other cancer survivors through the Woman to Woman program.

Shari Brasner, MD, has been an obstetrician/gynecologist at Mount Sinai for more than three decades. She has always put her patients first, no matter what it took. But in the fall of 2020, she became a patient.

Unexpectedly, she was diagnosed with a rare gynecologic cancer, and even as she continued as much as possible to care for her patients, she turned to her colleagues at Mount Sinai for lifesaving care. It wasn’t easy. She wore a wig to cover her balding head, long sleeves to hide injection bruising, and she coped with feeling awkward about being on the receiving end of care.

In this first-person account, she describes her experiences as both doctor and patient and how, thanks to surgery and chemotherapy, her cancer is in remission and her life has returned to normal.

She’s grateful for the compassionate care she received at The Mount Sinai Hospital and has become involved with Woman to Woman, an organization at Mount Sinai that pairs gynecologic cancer survivors with patients undergoing treatment, so she can help others who are experiencing what she went through.

It was a shock to learn I had a rare gynecologic cancer.  We were in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, in the fall of 2020, so life was already turned upside down. But then my life became even more upside down.

At first, I thought I had an ovarian cyst. I’d been having abdominal pain and since I’d had ovarian cysts removed in the past, I thought this might be another cyst. An ultrasound suggested that might be the case and my doctor recommended having the cyst and ovary removed. Since I didn’t need to rush, I scheduled the procedure for a convenient time in mid-October.

At the beginning of October, I went Boston to spend a weekend with my son, Zachary. While I was there, I developed acute abdominal pain, and it became very clear that we were going to have to move up my surgery date. I asked my husband Jeff to drive me back to New York.

At this point, I’d worked at The Mount Sinai Hospital for more than 25 years. While we were driving down, I called all my patients with appointments for Monday and Tuesday and asked them to reschedule for later in the week. Then I called my surgeon, and I said, “I’m in acute pain. I think we need to do the surgery today.” Fortunately, he was available.

My husband dropped me off at the entrance of the Mount Sinai Emergency Department. He couldn’t come in because of the COVID-19 precautions. An ultrasound in the ED showed that I was bleeding into my abdomen, and they quickly took me to the operating room. The planned surgery was laparoscopy, a minimally invasive procedure, to remove the ovary with the cyst. But they found so much blood in my belly that they converted to an open procedure.

When they opened me up, they saw that there was a mass at the edge of my uterus, next to the ovary. The surgeon removed the ovary and mass and, because I was already postmenopausal, he also removed the uterus. There was no sign of cancer, but they sent the tissue to the lab for routine testing as always. I went home two days later.

A few days after I got home, my surgeon called, saying the pathology report showed I had a rare gynecologic cancer called choriocarcinoma. This disease is most associated with a recent pregnancy. I had not been pregnant in years; my twins were 24 years old. Choriocarcinoma’s tumor marker is the pregnancy hormone (human chorionic gonadotropin or hCG) and my tumor marker was off the charts. It was a bizarre diagnosis.

“I think it can be helpful and hopeful to women in the midst of treatment to interact with someone who’s on the other side of it, who can confidently say, “My life is not any different today than it was before all this happened.” It’s a nice way to pay it forward and do something with all my gratitude.”

The next step was look for any spreading, or metastasis. I called a radiology colleague; everybody bent over backwards for me, doing the testing the day I called. They did a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of my head and computed tomography (CT) scan of my abdomen and pelvis. I had several lesions in my lungs, including some blood clots. I started taking blood thinners to treat the clots.

One week later, at the end of October, I started chemotherapy. The first few chemo sessions were inpatient. But after a few months, when my hCG level wasn’t falling as quickly as hoped, my doctor changed some of the drugs. I then had outpatient chemo for several months, until early April.

When I look back, the pandemic was a very convenient time to have cancer. I am a private person and tried to be discreet with the patients and staff. Because of COVID-19, there were almost no on-campus meetings, and all our grand rounds were virtual. I was able to complete my treatment without the scrutiny of my peers. I felt fortunate that I was back at work, in a job that required me to be out of the house and engaging with people.

I also didn’t want my patients to think I was in any way frail or compromised, that I couldn’t take care of them. So I always wore a wig or two scrub hats to conceal my bald head. I was also self-conscious about my arms. The daily blood thinner shots made me bruise easily and every blood draw was obvious in my arms. I took to wearing long sleeve shirts under the scrubs to hide my arms. Masks helped too. When patients would say, “You look different,” I would tell them, “You do too, because of the mask.”

My doctors checked my hCG level regularly, and we watched it fall. When it got to zero, I did one or two more cycles of chemo to make sure it stayed there. My daughter Samantha called me her Zero Hero, and threw me a party to celebrate in June 2021.

I think for most doctors, being a patient in the hospital where you work is awkward. The nurses had to be respectful of my privacy while also taking care of me. They were wonderful. But I bet it was more awkward for them than for me.

After the initial post op visit, follow-up care was just blood work to monitor the hCG level. Sometimes, I had the blood drawn in my office and let my doctors know that it was still at zero. When my health care providers left Mount Sinai, I didn’t transfer my care to anyone else. I just do a blood test every few months to check that the marker remains at zero.

I am grateful for all the compassionate care I got at Mount Sinai. Now I am involved with Woman to Woman, an organization that pairs gynecologic cancer survivors with patients who are in treatment for gynecologic cancer. I think it can be helpful and hopeful to women in the midst of treatment to interact with someone who’s on the other side of it, who can confidently say, “My life is not any different today than it was before all this happened.” It’s a nice way to pay it forward and do something with all my gratitude.

Congratulations to the 2024 Mount Sinai Emergency Nurse Awardees

The Mount Sinai Department of Emergency Medicine recently hosted the annual Emergency Nurses Award Ceremony, celebrating 43 team members across six categories.

In harmony with the Emergency Nurses Association’s Emergency Nurses Week theme, awardees were voted for by their team and represent the “Shimmer and Shine,” the brightest stars among their peers and leaders in emergency care.  The event was held Wednesday, October 9.

Emergency Nurses Week is celebrated annually during the second week of October.

Rookie of the Year Award: The recipient for this category has eighteen months of less experience working in the Emergency Department and consistently displays confidence, initiative, and high potential in providing clinical care and contributing to the team’s success. From left: Brittany Horsford, RN; Eric Gunther, RN; Francesca Ferri, RN; Nataniel Fazilov, RN; Yvette Williamson, RN; Anthony Duncan, MBA, BSN, RN; Samantha Rodriguez, RN; Edward Joseph, RN.

 

Preceptor of the Year Award: The recipient for this category serves as a resource and mentor for team members and new hires by sharing knowledge and skills and exemplifying best practices in providing care to our community of patients. From left: Romina Condo, RN; Tracey Plaskett, RN; Tamar Cohen, RN; Geraldine Millington, RN; Daya Manmadhan, MSN, MHA, RN; Lauren McArdle, RN; James Hoeft, RN;;Sasha Stoney, RN.

 

Support Staff Member of the Year Award: The recipient for this category demonstrates support of and collaboration with Nursing staff through effective team-work, clear communication, focus on patient safety and enhancing the overall experience for patients and families.From left: Ilana Ortiz, PCA; Tyson Theogene, ERT; Gabriel Abreu, ERT; Jeofrey Gacad, UC; Allison Prince, PCA; Sabrina Jackson, RN accepting on behalf of Iesha Frazier, EDT; Debbie Hendrickson, PCA.

 

Resilience and Wellness Award: The recipient for this category serves as a role model for resilience and wellness by exemplifying healthy habits and lifestyle, also helps to promote Mount Sinai resiliency resources and engages others in healthy habits.From left: Judy Louie, RN; Shelly Ann Culzac, RN; Cathy Diaz, RN; Shirley Liu, RN; Talitha Nix, RN; Katrina Serrano, RN; Staci Madison, RN; Shari Weisburd, RN, BSN.

 

Emergency Department Clinical Nurse of the Year: The recipient for this category is a staff nurse who adheres to nursing standards of practice, consistently demonstrates exceptional patient care and professionalism. This nurse helps facilitate positive team engagement and high-quality patient outcomes.From left: Ledjan Halollari, MSN, RN; Tanya Murray, RN; Ophelia Beckford, RN; John Carlo Sahagun, RN; Lillibeth Pansoy, RN; Francena Bryan, RN; Yasmina Garcia, RN; Mary Anne Blanco, RN; Marlo Meehan, RN.

 

Emergency Department Nurse Leader of the Year: The recipient for this category demonstrates excellent leadership skills by serving as a resource through effective communication, working to inspire passion, and promoting professional development. This leader motivates, supports, and creates a high-performance culture for the team. From left: Kayla Buonadonna, Assistant Nurse Manager; Stephanie Rivera, Assistant Nurse Manager; Francelia Thomas, Nurse Manager; Casey Scott, Charge Nurse; Stefania Chiulli, Nurse Manager; Lauren Cain, Assistant Nurse Manager; Jill Frick, DNP, RN, CEN.

 

Mount Sinai Team Presents Research at World Professional Association for Transgender Health 28th Scientific Symposium

The Mount Sinai team at the World Professional Association for Transgender Health 28th Scientific Symposium in Lisbon, Portugal.

At the recent World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) 28th Scientific Symposium, “A Gender Diverse World in Global Unity,” Joshua Safer, MD, FACP, FACE, Executive Director of the Mount Sinai Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery, and others from Mount Sinai presented leading-edge research on hormone therapy for transgender and gender-diverse patients.

This presentation was one of 17 delivered by the Mount Sinai team, showcasing their commitment to advancing knowledge and promoting access, equity, and inclusion in health care.

The symposium, held from September 25-30 in Lisbon, Portugal, brought together medical experts, advocates, students, and colleagues from around the world to share insights and collaborate on advancing transgender and gender-diverse health care.

Mount Sinai’s Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery, alongside the Office for Diversity and Inclusion, played a key role in the symposium and hosted a reception that allowed participants to network and discuss important research, highlights, and best practices in the field.

Dr. Safer was a panelist in a discussion of adjunct agents, or additional therapies, used with estrogens for feminizing hormone therapy in transgender women. In addition, Daniel J. Slack, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine (Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease), presented important data suggesting that blood clots in transgender women might be connected to other medical conditions and health care access issues rather than the estrogen therapy that is often blamed.

Presentations by the Mount Sinai team also included substantial data regarding the benefits of specific gender-affirming surgical techniques and opportunities to address health care gaps for transgender people.

Together, we are pushing the boundaries of research and championing the health and well-being of all,” Dr. Safer says. “We look forward to continuing this vital work and building a future where everyone can thrive.”

Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing Marks Its 120th Anniversary and Its Commitment to Serving Society’s Need for Nurses

From left: Anne Ehrenkranz, Brendan Carr, MD, MA, MS, and Kimberly Glassman, PhD, RN, FAAN

A joyful celebration of the 120th anniversary of the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing took place on Wednesday, October 9.

The event, held at the school campus in East Harlem, was attended by senior leaders from Mount Sinai, including Brendan Carr, MD, MA, MS, Chief Executive Officer and Professor and Kenneth L. Davis, MD, Distinguished Chair, Mount Sinai Health System; Dennis Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and President for Academic Affairs, Mount Sinai Health System; David Reich, MD, Chief Clinical Officer, Mount Sinai Health System, and President, The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai Queens; and Beth Oliver DNP, RN, FAAN, Chief Nurse Executive, Senior Vice President, Cardiac Services, Mount Sinai Health System. Also in attendance were faculty and alumni and several students who provided tours to the guests, highlighting classrooms, study areas, and a state-of-the-art clinical simulation center.

Kimberly Glassman, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean, Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing, spoke eloquently about what makes the school so special.

“The Phillips School of Nursing can take enormous pride in its 120-year commitment to proactively responding to society’s urgent need for caring, knowledgeable, and skilled nursing professionals from all walks of life; to using and developing evidence-based research as the foundation for contemporary education and clinical practice; and to its leadership in nursing education,” she said. “Students graduate from our program ready to practice and willing to serve.”

Dr. Glassman added, “We are the only hospital-based nursing program in New York State that grants a bachelor’s degree. That is a very unique and important distinction. Unlike most nursing schools, which are embedded within colleges and universities, we have an integral connection as the academic partner to the entirety of the Mount Sinai Health System. This natural tie-in provides direct access to the vast resources across the Health System—all of the hospitals, all of the hundreds of community-based ambulatory clinics, all of which provide a rich, invaluable, real-world learning environment for every one of our students.”

Dr. Glassman noted the importance of the school’s location. “Because we are situated in East Harlem, a community that needs nurses, our nursing students have the chance to gain experience and practice in an underserved community, paying forward an opportunity to address persistent inequities in health care,” she said.

Dr. Glassman spoke about an exciting future for the school. “We have been approved to offer graduate programs, which means we not only will confer bachelor’s degrees, but also an opportunity for those alums to return to pursue a master’s degree as advanced practice nurses or nurse practitioners.”

The 75 guests in attendance watched a video that featured faculty, students and alumni and reflected the unique attributes noted by Dr. Glassman. A second video, featuring Janet Green, Chair of the Board and great great granddaughter of its founder, provided a brief history of the school with archival photos.

Mount Sinai Health System Joins the 55th Annual African American Day Parade

Mount Sinai proudly participated in the 55th Annual African American Day Parade, showcasing a vibrant display of support and unity. Held in Harlem, the event—celebrated on the third Sunday of September—is renowned as the nation’s largest parade dedicated to honoring African American culture, heritage, and community spirit.

This year’s parade, held Sunday, September 15, highlighted the critical connection between effective leadership and civic participation. The parade theme was “Good Leaders = Good Government…Vote.” In support of this theme, Mount Sinai Health System showcased its commitment to community engagement and health.

The Mount Sinai Emergency Department joined the procession with an ambulance, symbolizing the integration of health and community support. The parade route extended up Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, from 111th to 136th Street, drawing cheers and enthusiasm from the thousands in attendance.

Reflecting on the experience, Mount Sinai participants shared their thoughts about the parade.

“It was great coming together with other colleagues of the Mount Sinai Health System to celebrate our culture and contributions.  As a Mount Sinai employee, I was so proud to represent this amazing health care system as we marched in the community we serve,” said Ayrelynn Williams, Laboratory Client Services Representative at The Mount Sinai Hospital. “It showed the hospital is fully invested and engaged with the patients they serve. Together, we serve; we are stronger together!”

“Being a part of this celebration, honoring the rich contributions of the African American community, was truly special,” said Jazmin Rodriguez, MBA, Communications Manager. “It was amazing to see so many people come together to uplift our voices and champion positive change.”

Tiffany Keith, Program Manager, Office for Diversity and Inclusion, said she grew up in Harlem and always wanted to participate in the African American Day Parade.

“It brings me such joy to see how Mount Sinai Health System connects with the community we serve,” she said. “Sharing a day with colleagues is not just good for morale and culture; during these challenging times, it allows us to see beyond titles and connect with our shared humanity.”

The parade provided a festive atmosphere for employees, their families, and friends, all of whom enjoyed the lively celebration while advocating for positive change and community involvement.

How Did These New York City Teachers Spend Their Summer? In Mount Sinai Labs, Improving Their Science and Teaching Skills

New York City educators visited the Microscopy and Advanced Bioimaging Core facility with Glenn Doherty, Senior Core Research Associate, seated left, and Denise Croote, PhD, seated right.

New York City high school teacher Christine Chan, middle school teacher Elsa Rosario, and assistant principal Kathy Pham gained hands-on experience in science content, communications, and teaching at Mount Sinai as part of a Summer Research Program for Science Teachers. They recently returned to their classrooms energized with fresh ideas to inspire a love of science in their students.

Ms. Chan worked in the laboratory of renowned scientist Yasmin Hurd, PhD, the Ward-Coleman Chair of Translational Neuroscience, Director of the Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai, and Professor of Pharmacological Sciences, Neuroscience, Psychiatry, and Artificial Intelligence and Human Health.

Ms. Rosario worked in the laboratory of researcher Joel Blanchard, PhD, Associate Professor of Neuroscience, and Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, and a core member of Mount Sinai’s Institute for Regenerative Medicine, who is developing in vitro models of the human brain.

Ms. Pham worked in the laboratory of researcher Yizhou Dong, PhD, Professor of Immunology and Immunotherapy, and Oncological Sciences, whose research is focused on drug discovery and delivery.

Mount Sinai was among four institutions hosting teachers through a program that was founded in 1990 by the esteemed scientist Samuel C. Silverstein, MD, at Columbia University.

“This program has created a wonderful community of science educators and researchers who are eager to enhance science education in the United States and prepare the next generation for careers in science, technology, engineering, and math,” says Denise Croote, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience, and an instructor in the Center for Excellence in Youth Education at Mount Sinai, who oversaw the Mount Sinai program for The Friedman Brain Institute, which hosted the teachers.

Ms. Pham was completing her second year in this two-summer program, while Ms. Chan and Ms. Rosario expect to return next summer and continue building on their first-year experiences in the laboratories.

“We were thrilled to welcome New York City science educators to our labs, and we are excited to work together on outreach programs that support their classroom goals in the upcoming year,” says Dr. Croote.

In addition to their work in the labs, activities for all of the teachers included a small symposium and poster session, and Professional Development Days, where, at Mount Sinai, they presented a science lesson of their choice, learned about resources available to them, and toured the Microscopy and Advanced Bioimaging Core and the BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, interacting with faculty and staff.

“The experience was a perfect blend of collaboration, learning, and the joy of sharing knowledge with those who shape the future of science,” says Natalia P. Biscola, PhD, Associate Scientist in Mount Sinai’s Department of Neurology, who helped organize and develop the summer program at Mount Sinai. Adds Veronica Szarejko, Program Manager, Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, “As a mother of a high school freshman who is a science enthusiast, I am incredibly excited about the program’s ability to promote new ideas and help shape how the science curriculum is taught in New York City schools.”

For Ms. Chan, Ms. Rosario, and Ms. Pham, it was an extraordinary opportunity. Read on to learn more about what they learned and why they are passionate about teaching science.

Christine Chan, in the lab with Alexandra Chisholm, PhD

Christine Chan, ReStart Academy

Can you share a little background on your teaching experience?

I am starting my fourth year as a high school science teacher at District 79’s ReStart Academy at the Comprehensive Adolescent Rehabilitation and Education Service (CARES). I have taught biology, earth and space science, and environmental science. Our school collaborates with Mount Sinai to provide a safe space for students with mental disorders to simultaneously receive public-school education and outpatient psychiatry therapy.

Our student body is more diverse than any other school in the country. We have art school students, specialized high school students, special education students, LGBTQ+ students, and students from other minority groups. Although it can be challenging at times to have such a diverse group of students in the classroom, it does lead to unexpected perspectives and insights. Learning is bidirectional. I can inspire students and help them discover new aspects of themselves, while they introduce me to a broad variety of knowledge.

Who inspired you to become a science teacher?

I enjoyed my college science classes more than my high school science classes. While it was much more challenging, the content was much more relevant to my personal life. I found myself more easily drawn to science learning and asking more questions about the world around me. Science has enlarged my interests in health, scientific innovation, medicine, climate change, and sustainability.

I was inspired to become a science high school teacher because I think the excitement around science learning should be encountered earlier. I want to become a teacher who teaches science in a way that is relevant, rigorous, and fun for young students. I also want to inspire and motivate young people to care more and take action about major societal problems, such as health disparities, climate change, and the lack of diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.

I believe there are creative ways to teach rigorous and exciting science while also preparing students for standardized tests. For example, while we must teach fundamental concepts of the endocrine and reproductive system, why can’t we teach it in the context of our students’ real worlds? They are more likely to pay attention, care, and invest time in learning. Many of my students are transgender, so they have heard of or may be taking testosterone or estrogen shots. I can teach students fundamental biology and help them apply conceptual knowledge to understand real applications of medicine.

What did you learn through the activities, and especially working in the lab with a mentor?

My experience in the Hurd lab taught me that science and technology are advancing simultaneously. In the past, I was under the impression that people learn to code and program because they want to work in IT or make cool computer programs. As technology opens the door to large amounts of complex data, scientists need coding skills to use programs that can comprehend the information. Researchers in the Hurd lab write codes to make sense of and analyze large amounts of data from RNA sequencing. Scientists need to be flexible and lifelong learners to keep up with the latest programs and research methods.

In addition, I learned that a strong background in the biological mechanism of a research topic is essential. Without a fundamental background understanding, it is very hard to conduct literature searches, stay updated within the scientific community, understand methodology and results, and draw conclusions. Overall, the results of research projects are often very complex because the brain is very complex. There is still so much we don’t know about the brain.

What lessons will you take to the classroom?

My experience in the Hurd Lab, guidance from my lab mentor, Alexandra Chisholm, PhD, and professional development sessions have all inspired me. I plan to use some physical, interactive models acquired in my professional development sessions, to teach synapses. For example, I can have students throw balls (neurotransmitters) from the presynaptic neuron into the receptors (cups) of postsynaptic neurons. I can use this model to teach about neural communication and neuroplasticity.

I also want to encourage my students to learn coding via datacamp.com. I was enrolled in some courses during my time in the Hurd lab, where I acquired a great set of introductory skills. Educators can help students enroll in six-month coding courses that are interactive and project based. This is a great fit for my school because we don’t have a computer science teacher.

The Hurd lab also inspired me to create a bioinformatic poster project. Dr. Hurd is actively working to bridge the connection between the research community and the larger society, and she teaches her college interns the importance of this connection by assigning them a bioinformatics poster about prenatal exposure to cannabis. I think students can solidify their understanding of any topic by making posters to inform or educate local communities. For example, my students are very passionate about LGBTQ+ activism. I plan to have them create bioinformatic posters for trans teens about the mechanisms behind hormone replacement therapy.

Lastly, I plan to utilize some of the connections I built during this experience to coordinate field trips to science research labs or facilities to give students a better sense of where scientists work, what problems researchers are investigating

Elsa Rosario in the lab with Andrea Perez Arevalo, PhD

Elsa Rosario, Rachel Carson I.S. 237

Can you share a little background on your teaching experience?

I have been a middle school teacher for five years at Rachel Carson I.S. 237 in Flushing, Queens, New York. I teach sixth and seventh grade science, as well as Living Environment and Earth Science Regents Prep to eighth graders.

While middle school students have acquired a lot of skills by the time they get to me, they are still full of curiosity for the world around them. They are ready to identify problems and try to find solutions and get an allocated time for science every day in school. I also think it is the perfect time to get them interested in science through experiences, such as using scientific hands-on models to learn and answer questions. Experiences stay with us and help shape who we become.

Who inspired you to become a science teacher?

I attribute a lot of what I have accomplished to the educators who mentored and believed in me through different stages of my education career. Growing up, I never envisioned becoming a teacher, much less a science teacher. I wasn’t born in the United States, and in the country I am from, languages and math were the main subjects we focused on in middle school.

After I moved to New York City as a teenager I first got interested in science because of my Living Environment teacher talking so passionately about genetics and all the different possibilities researching genetics could lead to. This experience led me to college and a major in Biotechnology. I got the opportunity to do research as an undergraduate student, and my mentors at the time supported me to become a lab instructor, an experience that changed everything for me. It made me realize that sharing knowledge and empowering others to see the world in a critical way could impact more lives. We make choices every day, and the skills you learn in science class are very transferable to your everyday life. We just fail to see it through that lens sometimes.

What did you learn through the activities, and especially working in the lab with a mentor?

I truly believe no book or diagram can help you make a connection with something the way an experience can. I have gained an appreciation for the brain that no class in neuroscience could have ever taught me.

I have used all my senses to fully immerse myself into understanding the brain in this internship. Andrea Perez Arevalo, PhD, my mentor in the Blanchard lab, guided me through identifying a question of interest after doing research, carrying out hands-on qualitative and quantitative experiments to answer that question, and analyzing the result to make conclusions.

And, something else. I have also become a student again and that can really change your perspective, especially when you are being introduced to an unfamiliar topic. It’s the kind of feeling my students have when I stand in front of the class to teach. The internship was also a one-to-one experience, and my mentor addressed any misconceptions I might have had as I learned. That gave me a better understanding of how everything I was learning connected to my everyday life —and how I might use this experience to better teach my students how molecular interactions impact the way their brains work.

What lessons will you take to the classroom? 

One of the most important lessons I have learned from my mentor is that failure can also be a story of success in life and science! When you try something, and you fail, then you have learned what does not work. What matters is what you do with that knowledge.

Some of the experiments we completed did not give us the results we expected, and my mentor made sure we focused on taking that data for what it was and still analyzed what it meant. It is okay to have expectations when you do an experiment, that is what a hypothesis is, but focusing on that might narrow your field of view when analyzing your results. Not doing this might make us miss an opportunity to understand the process we are investigating.

I was also given the opportunity to create my own microscope slides with different types of brain cells that had different pathology. I plan to create a lab in which students collect data from these slides about how cells change in the brain when someone has a neurodegenerative disorder.

Kathy Pham giving a presentation

Kathy Pham, Bard High School Early College, Queens

Can you share a little background on your teaching experience?

I have been teaching for 12 years, primarily in Title I, low-income, and underperforming schools in the East New York and Bushwick sections of Brooklyn, where I focus on biology for grades 9 to 12. It has been a rewarding journey that allows me to engage with students and cultivate their curiosity in science. Many of my students continue to pursue their studies in the sciences as they advance to higher education.

Who inspired you to become a science teacher?

My inspiration originated from my seventh-grade science teacher who instilled in me a profound love for inquiry and discovery. We participated in science fairs, competed in science competitions, and conducted scientific research. The passion she exhibited for science was contagious, and I strive to ignite that same enthusiasm in my students.

What did you learn through the activities, and especially working in the lab with a mentor?

Working in the lab with a mentor has been incredibly beneficial. I have gained hands-on experience in the formulation of lipid nanoparticles using polysarcosine for mRNA delivery therapeutics, which has deepened my understanding of immunology and cellular biology. Additionally, this experience has underscored the importance of experimentation and critical thinking in science, reinforcing the necessity of fostering a similar environment in the classroom.

What lessons will you take to the classroom? 

I plan to create lessons that prioritize inquiry-based learning and collaborative projects. I believe that by emphasizing active learning and experimentation, I can cultivate a more dynamic and engaging atmosphere for my students.

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