My Research Career: Lessons Learned

In these interviews, PIs talk about defining moments in their careers, including advice received and given, successes, mistakes, and challenges.

Professor of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine

Research field: HIV/AIDS; Drug and Alcohol Abuse

Affiliations: Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research, Section of General Internal Medicine, Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit; Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Services: Boston Public Health Commission, American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), American Board Addiction Medicine (ABAM)

1. How did you get into research?

When I was in school, I liked chemistry. I enjoyed medicine more, but I still liked the research I was doing with chemistry. And someone said to me, “You know, you can do medicine, and you can do research too.” Until then, it hadn’t dawned on me that I could pursue both.

2. What motivated you to get into your particular field?

Taking care of patients with alcohol and drug problems raised so many questions whose answers didn’t make a lot of sense or were very evidence-based. I said, “Wow, this is really interesting stuff.” And, in truth, it was a huge opportunity to investigate because we didn’t know that much about it.

This was in the ‘80s, and patients with drug problems were getting HIV infections. I was seeing a fair amount of that where I was — Boston City Hospital. And I found that really interesting too, mostly because it was a new phenomenon.

Then, about 10 to 15 years later, someone from NIH — who was doing work on better ways to take care of alcohol users — was speculating about alcohol/HIV overlap issues. And, based on my work, they asked me to look into it.

So they kind of put the idea in my head, and we started looking into it. And the research grew because it turned out to be a good idea. There were lots of questions about alcoholism in people with HIV and issues intersecting with alcohol use and the clinical care of HIV. And that work has just continued.

3. What was the smartest career move you ever made?

I’ve made the best of my academic home. I’ve been working at an institution where there was an opportunity to look at important clinical issues on patients I was actually taking care of. There were real, useful research questions to be asked.

And finding a terrific team of research collaborators who happened to be doing the clinical work turned out to be very productive, fruitful and enjoyable. So staying put and making the best of the local situation has been a good career move.

4. Can you name an exciting professional opportunity you’ve been given?

In 2000, someone at NIAAA (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) mentioned to me that there was a lot of alcohol use in Russia, and HIV was starting to affect the people there. So they asked me if I’d like to get involved, and I said “yes.”

That’s turned out to be a really interesting 10 years of work. We’ve been pursuing clinical research projects on Russian patients with our Russian physician and PhD collaborators.

We take an annual trip to Russia, the Russian collaborators come here, and we see each other at an international research meeting. So we have three crossroads a year, but we’re also on the phone every week.

5. Tell us about the best mentors you’ve had, and what they did for you.

Early on in my career, the people who started on faculty with me were just terrific. We were starting in a new area in a place that hadn’t had this type of research before. So we were kind of going out on a limb, but we did it together. We would meet regularly for peer mentoring, and those folks were very helpful.

There were also two people from outside my institution who are both incredibly talented folks. And we’ve stayed connected with a peer-mentoring relationship over many years. And they’ve been incredibly helpful.

I still call them when things get complicated or confusing. They understand this weird world we’re in. They’re thoughtful, and I trust their values and advice.

6. As a mentor yourself, what advice do you give post-docs joining your staff?

Follow your passion, and work hard. But don’t expect quick rewards. Perseverance is key. It’s a marathon, a long-haul. So keep your eye on the prize, and remember what motivates you.

7. Please name some personal principles that have helped you succeed.

Be honest and straight about your research, and you won’t end up on the front page of the newspaper [as part of a scandal]. I encourage people not to try and prove things with their research. You’re testing hypotheses, but the data will be what it will be.

You may care deeply about the issues, but, ultimately, you’re seeking truth.

Also, be generous because everybody’s trying to make it. It’s useful to connect with bright people, but you’re also helping their careers. So it’s a win-win.

8. What would you say is the most satisfying aspect of your work?

Aside from the people I work with and interactions with patients, being able to help improve the quality of practice. For instance, I spoke in front of a congressional group with the goal of getting needles available in pharmacies without a prescription. This would allow drug users access to clean needles. The group initially voted against it. But I went back and spoke about it again, and the measure passed.

So about five or six years ago, pharmacies began to have needles people could purchase without a prescription. And since then, there have been a few times when I’ve been talking to patients and asked, “Where do you get your needles from?” And they say, “The pharmacy. I always get them there.” And that’s been gratifying.

There’s usually a long road between doing something and having it affect practice. But this was something we could see.