Background: Medical Degree from Russia
Stem Cell Internship: Muench Lab, Vitalant
Current Career: Scientist, Stanford
Renata, who worked as an M.D. previous to coming to the USA, was hired as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Muench Lab at Vitalant. She is now a Scientist at Stanford.
Muench and Fisher lab members and alum at the CCSF Biosymposium with Renata (second from the left).
What was your life like before the CCSF Biotech program? What was your biggest concern before entering the program/starting the internship?
As an international medical graduate (the person who finished med school outside the US) I had a hard time finding my place in this new environment once I moved to the US. I wanted to try working in science but did not know where to start and how I can implement my medical background into it.
Why did you enroll in the CCSF Biotech program?
I had heard about the program from one of my friends. She highly recommended the program saying that it has a lot of hands on classes which would be a great way to understand whether this type of work is for you.
What specifically did you like most about the CCSF Biotech program? Was there a specific moment in the classroom or during your internship where you knew you were on a path to your future career?
The best part of the program is the curriculum being set up in a way that even the hardest concepts are easy to digest and understand through actually performing the cell culture experiment/PCR/ELISA or fluorescence microscopy. Very attentive instructors make sure that everyone in class is keeping up and are always ready to explain one more time or give extra help to those in need.
The program helped me to build a skill for laboratory work, so when I started my internship, I was confident that I knew the basics and am now ready to solidify my knowledge and polish those skills. Flow cytometry course, harvesting/plating cells, staining cell for fluoroscopic microscopy – all of that I used weekly in my internship work. Even now, working as a postdoc fellow, I find myself going back to my CCSF notes.
The most impressive part for me was the moment when we had cell culture class and were setting up a cardiomyocyte differentiation experiment and when I looked into the microscope and spotted a group of beating cells for the first time. Realizing the power of science was very inspiring.
What surprised you the most or made you the happiest about completing the CCSF Biotech program/internship?
It made me the happiest to learn that I can use my full potential in the scientific field. If not for this program, I would have not met awesome mentors and PI’s who believed in me, taught me and guided me to my first employment in the US.
What is life like now after the CCSF Biotech program? How have you specifically benefited from the Biotech program?
I was extremely fortunate to land a position at the lab where I had my internship, so I can say that I’m specifically benefited from the Biotech program.
What advice would you offer to current and future students? What would you tell them to expect as a student of the Biotech program?
If you are uncertain about your career choice, the CCSF biotech program is a great way to try yourself in the field and learn from personal experience whether working in science is what you want to do in life.
Prepare yourself to work hard - that will definitely be rewarded at the end.
