Meet Sejin “Sej” Chung of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies! The postdoctoral fellow in Dannielle Engle’s lab is taking part in the virtual Workshop in Pancreatic Cancer. This is her first course at CSHL, and she will soon be among the 130+ researchers who have trained at this workshop since it the first class in 2011.
Tell us about your research.
My research focuses on finding early detection markers to improve current pancreatic cancer survival rates. I am also interested in understanding how bacteria can influence the immune system and affect pancreatic disease progression.
How did you decide to focus on this area/project?
I studied pancreatic cancer therapies during my graduate school, and wanted to continue to tackle this aggressive cancer. Part of the big issue is that pancreatic cancer is difficult to detect until it is late stage. Figuring out a way to detect the disease is thus a critical unmet need and I wanted to work on a project that would directly address this. I was also interested in stepping out of my comfort zone, and wanted to dive into the microbiome and immune system to better understand this disease.
What and/or who is the inspiration behind your scientific journey?
My mom has been an inspiration behind my scientific journey. We moved to the US when I was young, and she raised my sister and me while she simultaneously learned English and obtained an education. Through her example, I have always been motivated to be compassionate to others and to give back to my community. She is a constant motivation in my scientific aspirations.
What impact do you hope to make through your work?
I really just want to be able to help move the field forward in any way. Whether that be through new models or new mechanisms, I want to be able to increase this current momentum that we are seeing in the pancreatic field. There is a lot to be done, and working together will allow us to help the patients.
What do you love most about being a researcher?
I love that there is always more to learn and that there are many ways to find a solution. Research can be difficult but the satisfaction of learning new things and being able to contribute to the community makes it all worth it!
What drew you to apply to this workshop?
I wanted to learn more about pancreatic cancer in various aspects. It is easy to fall into and stay in your own research field, but it is important to learn about the other research that is going on within it. I knew leading experts in the pancreatic cancer field would be lecturing during the workshop, and I wanted to have a chance to meet them and learn about their work.
What is your key takeaway from the Workshop; and how do you plan to apply it to your work?
There is so much awesome science going on! This workshop opened my eyes to new avenues of collaboration and new ways to answer my research questions. I hope to keep making collaborations with the people I met in the workshop. I also feel inspired to include in my upcoming experiments the lessons I learned here.
What feedback or advice would you share with someone considering to participate in this workshop?
I’m not sure if I was the only one who felt this way, but I was nervous to meet the instructors in the course because I had read so much about their work. However after meeting them, I realized they are very down to earth and here to help the next generation of scientists move forward. I would like to advise the next participants to feel free to ask any questions because everyone is there to help you!
What’s the most memorable thing that happened during the Workshop?
I really enjoyed the student presentations because of the feedback that we got. It was great to be able to present some of my ideas and get constructive feedback and suggestions. I also loved seeing everyone’s pets and backyards on Zoom.
Thank you to Sej for being this week's featured visitor. To meet other featured researchers - and discover the wide range of science that takes part in a CSHL meeting or course - go here.
Image provided by Sej Chung.
