Susan Desmond-Hellmann

I think it's probably a reflection of my own personality and my own wish to be a physician, that my memories of those days are much more about sadness, about my patients and about people my age dying or being pretty clear they were going to die.

I think it's probably a reflection of my own personality and my own wish to be a physician, that my memories of those days are much more about sadness, about my patients and about people my age dying or being pretty clear they were going to die.

I mean, a story that brings it to life is many patients started selling their life insurance because they were sure they wouldn't live long enough and they wanted the money now. And then when the antiretroviral therapy came along, they wished they hadn't, which is a good thing to have. But I was just really sad. There were fears about the residents and about contagion.

I mean, a story that brings it to life is many patients started selling their life insurance because they were sure they wouldn't live long enough and they wanted the money now. And then when the antiretroviral therapy came along, they wished they hadn't, which is a good thing to have. But I was just really sad. There were fears about the residents and about contagion.

But in San Francisco, there was such a wish to help the patients and such a good spirit about playing a role in helping that we all persevered. But the first patients I took care of in the hospital, I remember very well in 1982, we were a gown, gloved, masked, had a cap on. It was like we were going into an operating room.

But in San Francisco, there was such a wish to help the patients and such a good spirit about playing a role in helping that we all persevered. But the first patients I took care of in the hospital, I remember very well in 1982, we were a gown, gloved, masked, had a cap on. It was like we were going into an operating room.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

I did a chief residency at the university hospital. And I think that was the first that I knew I really liked managing. I really liked interacting with people and helping people succeed. So I did that for a year and then went into my oncology fellowship after that year.

I did a chief residency at the university hospital. And I think that was the first that I knew I really liked managing. I really liked interacting with people and helping people succeed. So I did that for a year and then went into my oncology fellowship after that year.

Oh, to this day, I love oncology. If you love medicine, and I do, and you love patients, and I do, it's the combination of, you get to call on your compassion gene and your nerdy science gene. And when I was in Reno, at the Reno VA, I had an attending, Stephen Hall, and he was the oncologist who was teaching me about medicine, third year medical student.

Oh, to this day, I love oncology. If you love medicine, and I do, and you love patients, and I do, it's the combination of, you get to call on your compassion gene and your nerdy science gene. And when I was in Reno, at the Reno VA, I had an attending, Stephen Hall, and he was the oncologist who was teaching me about medicine, third year medical student.

And I loved everything about how he showed up. I loved his compassion. I loved his intellect. And after that, I had in my mind this bug about I wanted to be like him.

And I loved everything about how he showed up. I loved his compassion. I loved his intellect. And after that, I had in my mind this bug about I wanted to be like him.

That's really well said. I love that.

That's really well said. I love that.

Let me talk about breast cancer. That's a cancer that is such a good example. The common therapy that was used, cytoxan, methotrexate, 5-FU, were very old, decades old. There were no new chemotherapy drugs. Hadn't been in a while. The field was stifled, I would say, in terms of medical oncology. There wasn't a lot going on. I was really interested in cancer epidemiology.

Let me talk about breast cancer. That's a cancer that is such a good example. The common therapy that was used, cytoxan, methotrexate, 5-FU, were very old, decades old. There were no new chemotherapy drugs. Hadn't been in a while. The field was stifled, I would say, in terms of medical oncology. There wasn't a lot going on. I was really interested in cancer epidemiology.

That was something to me that asking the question, why did people get cancer and couldn't we do something about it, seemed really important to me. I wanted in the second year of my fellowship to study the relationship between hepatitis B and hepatocellular carcinoma and to understand that better and to think about the viral link

That was something to me that asking the question, why did people get cancer and couldn't we do something about it, seemed really important to me. I wanted in the second year of my fellowship to study the relationship between hepatitis B and hepatocellular carcinoma and to understand that better and to think about the viral link