Stephanie Gomez, PhD graduated from the IBS program in Fall 2022 from the Microbiology and Immunology track. She now works at Children’s National Hospital as a Staff Scientist. Her main roles include developing and testing cellular immunotherapies for the treatment of pediatric cancer. She noted that her time in the program prepared her for this position: “I found that there were a lot of failures in translating bench research to the bedside, causing a bottleneck due to the limited number of people translating new discoveries and therapies to patients. I wanted to be at an institution where I could be working on cancer immunotherapy (especially cellular therapies) and be closer to impacting patients.”

Her role varies from day to day. Some days she is booked with meetings, seminars, or computer work, while other days she is hard at work in the hood generating CAR T-cells or staining cells for flow cytometry at the bench. Dr. Gomez works closely with clinicians and clinical research coordinators, as well as the cell therapy lab. Additionally, she provides mentorship and training opportunities in the lab and prepares grants and presentations. 

When asked how she chose to pursue this career, she said:

“I knew that I wanted to stay in academia due to many pre-PhD opportunities that I had explored, but other than that, honestly, the universe decided. However, there were things that I realized were practical constraints that would be conditional to me staying on the academic trajectory (career trajectory prospects, salary).

I have always tried to keep an open mind throughout this journey, and to be open to any opportunities that have arisen. Clinical/translational research is a strength at Children’s, so I also learned how I could align my strengths with the institution’s strengths. I had a lot of latent skills that I hadn’t utilized for a long time (pre-PhD), and I’ve had opportunities to explore and develop those skills more (as well as learn many new things). I did not realize that I would be able to get this close to the clinical side of translational research and clinical trials, so I will admit that I had a bit of a mind block there that I needed to overcome. Writing a grant that I never submitted was what initially got me to change my frame of mind. Presenting at external conferences and attending workshops have also been critical input towards my career path post-PhD.

 Ultimately, my postdoc mentor, Cath Bollard, is the reason that I am still in academia, and she is the reason that I am at Children’s National. Cath is a role model and inspirational leader in the cellular immunotherapy field, and she is highly dedicated to mentorship. I think it is reasonable to say that Cath played a primary role in determining what career path I pursued post-PhD.”

Stephanie mentioned that she cast a wide net when reaching out to PIs and applying to postdoc positions, starting the process about a year before defending. She does mention though that it may have been better to focus on defending and staying to wrap up and loose ends during a brief post-doc in her lab, as a lot can change between accepting a postdoc offer and when you defend. More than anything, she stressed the need for networking especially as conferences and symposia are more accessible post-pandemic, which was not the case for a chunk of her PhD. 

Stephanie also gave advice for those going through the PhD journey. “Take it one day at a time. Know what your limits are and just take the time to rest when you need to. Realize that there are different kinds of rest and invest in self-care that renews you. Surround yourself with a community (or cats). My experience as a postdoc has been much more isolating unfortunately, but I have been reinvigorated by speaking with patient advocates and volunteering in the hospital by visiting the kids and remembering why I’m doing this in the first place. My problems pale in comparison and it really puts things in perspective. Just remember that it is a marathon, not a sprint. Be mindful and intentional.”

Finally, Stephanie emphasized that your PhD is your time to “play”. She highlighted that you should not be afraid to fail during your PhD as those experiences are where she learned the most. Dr. Gomez said she is happy to speak to students, so please take advantage of this awesome opportunity to connect with her! Her contact info is: sgomez@childrensnational.org