By: S. Amanda Ali, ORT Times Science Writer
Throughout high school, I didn’t have a career plan in mind, and I envied those who did. I knew I wanted a University degree, but I didn’t know what to study. As the first person in my extended family to pursue higher education, I was given the gift and burden of choice. I decided to keep my options open and pursue a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Toronto—a Double Major in Integrative Biology and Health Studies and a Minor in Psychology.
Nearing the end of my degree, I faced the same challenge: what to do next? With my peers crafting resumes for jobs and preparing applications for professional schools, I took the advice of a teaching assistant and enrolled in a fourth-year research course. Studying plant biology with Dr. Herbert Kronzucker was my first exposure to research and the scientific method—I was hooked. I applied to the graduate program in the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto, and earned my PhD studying molecular mechanisms of osteoarthritis with Dr. Benjamin Alman.
At the end of my PhD, that old problem resurfaced: what to do next? But by this time, I knew more about myself. Though I was burnt out at the lab, I loved the learning environment that academia offered. I came up with a creative solution: I could continue to pursue research in osteoarthritis, but in the community, working with patients. From a strategic standpoint, I knew that expanding my research skill set would differentiate me from my peers. From a personal standpoint, I wanted to understand how our findings from the laboratory were translated into the community setting. I was fortunate to receive an award from the Bone and Joint Institute at Western University and to pursue my first Postdoc exploring osteoarthritis care in the community with Drs. Joy MacDermid and Marita Kloseck.
During my first Postdoc, I began to envision myself as a professor with an interdisciplinary research program in osteoarthritis. The thought made me giddy with excitement until reality hit: would this ever happen for me? I began applying to faculty positions in my field, but never heard back. I then pursued a second Postdoc in the Arthritis Program at the Krembil Research Institute, studying biomarkers of osteoarthritis with Drs. Mohit Kapoor and Rajiv Gandhi. This would complete my skill set in translational research, from the laboratory (PhD) to the clinic (second Postdoc) to the community (first Postdoc). It was here that I found the support and mentorship needed to build my research program and write the application that would ultimately make my dream come true. This January, I will go from postdoc to professor, starting as an assistant scientist in the Bone and Joint Center at the Henry Ford Health System.
I wish I could go back to reassure my high school self, but instead I reassure you: the pieces of your career puzzle may not be clear now, but one day the big picture will come together.
Editors’ note: We at the ORT would like to thank S. Amanda Ali for being an integral part of The ORT Times newsletter over the last two years. We wish her the very best in her future endeavours.