This post was triggered by a chat I had last week with my mom and my old-time friend Nelson Souza.
When people ask your parents what you’re doing with your life, all they can muster is “I’m not sure exactly. I think it’s something with computers?” Especially now, after working remotely for a couple of years, she sees me working long hours in front of the computer.
While it’s true that I spend a considerable amount of my time working on a computer, that’s not all it is. I’m choosing to use my gifts and passion for what I believe will make the world a better place.
I’m an Oncologist Medicinal Chemist and Project Manager. I’m responsible for planning, organizing, and directing the completion of specific projects for an organization while ensuring these projects are on time and on budget. To me this is pretty straightforward. To my mom, not so much (especially the phrase “chemist” 😄) not so much.
I notice that this also happens when I introduce myself as a medicinal chemist and project manager, people will often ask me: what do you actually do?
This is one of the most common questions that I get when I meet someone new. After giving a quick response, I usually pause and ask them what they think a Medicinal Chemist does. Usually, they say something like “I don’t know; you find new drugs?”
🧪 In a nutshell, As a medicinal chemist and project manager in the pharmaceutical industry, I like exploring life’s unknowns by transforming molecules into drugs. In my spare time, you might find me eating gelato to prevent palpitations induced by stress.
So, next time my mom asks, I’ll simply answer: I change the world, one molecule at a time.
And you? What it is that you do?
