
Chapter 11: How Research Has Changed; the Future of the Division of Cancer Medicine
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Dr. Hong next comments on how the environment and requirements for conducting research have changed, creating “an unprecedented time for translational research.” He observes that one must be opportunistic to survive in the current research landscape. He sees his role as one of inspiring the faculty to open up to the new era of science and research. Dr. Hong then observes that faculty need access to resources to implement their research. With grant monies shrinking, competition is keen, though the NCI and NIH are both encouraging multi-investigator studies more now than in the past.
Dr. Hong observes that he is nearing retirement, and he looks ahead to what is next for the Division of Cancer Medicine. The Division needs a person with passion and great intellectual capacity, he says.
Dr. Hong notes that he continues with his work on chemoprevention and personalized therapy. He uses a football metaphor to explain how he sees his research accomplishments: “I don’t want to take the credit,” he says. “I brought the ball to the 50-yard line.”
Identifier
HongWK_02_20131016_C11
Publication Date
10-16-2013
Publisher
The Making Cancer History® Voices Oral History Collection, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
City
Houston, Texas
Interview Session
Topics Covered
The Interview Subject's Story - Overview; The Researcher; On Research and Researchers; Understanding Cancer, the History of Science, Cancer Research; The History of Health Care, Patient Care; MD Anderson in the Future; Career and Accomplishments; Professional Values, Ethics, Purpose; Character, Values, Beliefs, Talents; Portraits
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Disciplines
History of Science, Technology, and Medicine | Oncology | Oral History
Transcript
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
Yeah, you seem it. I’m interested again—I mean, you mentioned raising the bar with research as the first thing you mentioned when I asked about the accomplishments that you felt you’d been able to affect. I have a two-part question. The first part is, how has doing research changed in the last fifteen years? Which would include, of course, the period in which you’ve been division head. How is it different from the 80s, the 90s?
Waun Ki Hong, MD:
Well, I think obviously it’s more high technology, and there are more tools, and it’s more sophisticated. There’s more science-oriented research. I think, in my opinion, this is an incredible time—just an unprecedented opportunity to do the research, because we know more science. We know more biology and challenges as to how you can translate a basic understanding of biology to cancer genomic medicines to the patients through the translational research. So that’s exciting.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
Now I can see from that snapshot that you’ve painted—I mean, obviously the need for multidisciplinary research is critical. How have some of those other elements, though—the need for more technology and more tools—how has that influenced the way that you’ve developed research within the division?
Waun Ki Hong, MD:
Again, the research—the landscape of research is changing constantly. So you have to be opportunistic. If you don’t capitalize on opportunities, then you become outdated. Part of my job is to inspire the faculty to open up to a new era. But for them to implement that kind of new, exciting research, you have to have the funding. You have to have tools and researchers. So that’s challenging.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
How does the division provide support to the faculty in getting funding and getting tools?
Waun Ki Hong, MD:
We have to get the funds. I don’t have much money, so I had some philanthropy fund. I used it without hesitation to help the young people to do some basic groundwork to generate some primary data. Then I helped them to get some peer-reviewed grants. That’s all I do.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
Are there shared resources? I mean, shared technology. And give me some examples of that.
Waun Ki Hong, MD:
There is NCI—the National Cancer Institute—that’s a comprehensive cancer center. We have about fifteen or sixteen of us that share the resources for cytometry and genetic shared resources. You can name anything—imaging, et cetera, biostatistics. People can use that kind of sharing of the resources.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
Was there—has there been a change? I know sometimes people can be very proprietary about their tools and their resources. And part of collaboration is sharing.
Waun Ki Hong, MD:
That’s a constant battle, sharing resources. Again, you’re right. Some people hesitate to share something. That’s human nature. Tacey Ann Rosolowki, PhD With the faster pace of research, is there also a sense of competitiveness that sort of works against collaboration at times?
Waun Ki Hong, MD:
That’s in everyone. That happens. Especially in some basic research areas there is some degree of competitiveness leading to lack of collaborations. I think that’s getting better now nationwide.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
Why do you think that’s the case? Waun Ki Hong, PhD Even NCI and NIH are promoting more and more multi-investigator initiative research. It used to be sole investigators, and now it’s multi-investigators. They recognize each individual with equal credit. Even a paper will have two senior authors—two first authors—equal, fifty percent, they shared it. It wasn’t like that in the old days, it was first author—single author. But now they are sharing some more credit.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
What’s next for the Division of Cancer Medicine? What are your plans?
Waun Ki Hong, MD:
I think I’m getting older. That’s true. When the time comes, I will have to step aside. I think they need some new blood—a young person. Ultimately, they need some person who has passion and intellectual property and experience and commitment, and who promotes research-driven patient care and promotes more translational research to make some impact. I think they have to find that in their leader. I’m getting older.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
Do you have firm plans to retire at this point? Do you have a date?
Waun Ki Hong, MD:
Of course, yes.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
Oh, you do? Can you share that? You’re not going to share that, all right. I understand. Fair enough. What do you have—what projects or initiatives do you have in progress right now that you want to see finished?
Waun Ki Hong, MD:
My research?
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD:
Or administrative projects that you have underway.
Waun Ki Hong, MD:
Basically, I am helping other people’s research projects and the continuation of personalized cancer therapy, continuation of chemoprevention research. You have to understand that a lifespan is like footballresearch is like playing football, and the research that I developed will take a longer time to make a touchdown. So I feel like I brought that some certain yards, and the next generation will pick it up. I don’t want to take credit from whoever comes after me to succeed in the project. I took credit. I brought up the ball to the fifty-yard line. So I don’t like to be stalled, but somebody can carry on. You understand what I’m saying?
Recommended Citation
Hong, Waun Ki PhD and Rosolowski, Tacey A. PhD, "Chapter 11: How Research Has Changed; the Future of the Division of Cancer Medicine" (2013). Interview Chapters. 1104.
https://openworks.mdanderson.org/mchv_interviewchapters/1104
Conditions Governing Access
Open
