I know why the caged bird sings July 2014

                                            * Image credit wazoow.com

Over the years I've blogged and been actively involved in research positions, I've also thought about a category of blog posts which would address why I think URMs rarely stay in research careers/settings after earning a PhD. So in light of the dynamic of my current research group, I decided to start with a series of posts which will talk about the numerous challenges me and other URMs face in research and research like settings.

I chose the title of this series "I know why the caged birds sings" based loosely on the book by Maya Angelou (RIP) because it speaks to the things URMs often do to survive the often less than hospitable working environments in research settings.

So I begin with a list of what I've learned in my research position this summer:

1) Never work for an investigator that allows a member of the team to regularly insult you.

2) Never work in group where you're the only US born member of the team.

3) Never work on a project more than your paid for when #1 on the list is at play.

4) Don't ever expect anyone to support your professional goals until they have proven over time to support your professional goals.

5) Don't believe anything a PI tells you until you've known them at least 6 months and they've demonstrated an ability to be honest with other faculty and more importantly, other students.

6) And never EVER work for a PI that has publicly disparaged your department.

Looking over this list it would seem obvious that I should have recognized early on that I was not with the right group, but I always fool myself into thinking that if I outwork everyone around me and really know my stuff, I can overcome any obstacle put before me. And while having a very strong work ethic and knowledge base will eventually prove to be the right thing to do, it won't always work in certain settings, a lesson I should have learn after my stint in death pharma.

So I met with my other advisor yesterday and like my grandpa advisor, it's what she didn't say proved to be more telling that what she did say. She also mentioned me officially transitioning to the PhD program in the Spring of 2015. But given what I'm observing in my department now and the knowledge that I can do the exact same thing at another department of my university which is already in a joint partnership with the MD/PhD program, I'm just not sure any more that I'm in the best department for me. Yes, I'm still VERY committed to a PhD in Translational Informatics, I'm just not so sure staying in the department I'm in now will get me to that goal. But I thank God I've been blessed with other options. :)