
Chapter 16: Leaving a Legacy in Research, Education, and MD Anderson Culture
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Description
Dr. Hung begins this chapter with comments on how happy he has been at MD Anderson during his twenty-eight years at the institution. He is gratified to know he is “really part of a team” and that he has been able to sustain his basic-science focus while working on patient-related issues. Dr. Hung next notes that he would like to be recognized for his research that has yielded patient outcomes. He also notes the challenges that have come with running a large laboratory of forty to fifty people, and how he also is very active training and educating members of his laboratory. He talks about the importance of training the next generation of scientists –for MD Anderson and to apply knowledge at other institutions and in other scientific arenas. He also talks about how important it is for researchers to “learn science and how to behave.” He notes that the Department’s Ph.D. program is second in the nation.
Identifier
HumgMC_03_20140421_C16
Publication Date
4-21-2014
City
Houston, Texas
Interview Session
Topics Covered
The Interview Subject's Story - View on Career and Accomplishments; Contributions to MD Anderson; Career and Accomplishments; Professional Values, Ethics, Purpose; MD Anderson Impact; Institutional Mission and Values; MD Anderson Culture
Transcript
We’ve got about 15 minutes left and, you know, I want to ask you what --- what you would like to say at this point. I mean
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
Well…
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
We could probably sit down for another hour or so, I don’t want to
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
Sure. I..
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Impose on your time.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
--- I first I will say thanks for coming and then I do enjoy my --- you know, talking to you and because a lot of stuff, as --- as you said, when I talk to you I don’t prepare. I just inform you, my friend.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Sure.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
You know, re --- right away I say. And at the very beginning we talk about it all day --- I almost forgot it --- its --- its very touching for me to think about that. And if I’m thinking about our --- our future, I personally have to say that I say this because I do feel it. I was benefitted by working at MD Anderson so long. At the time when I looking for job --if I came to Anderson or if I went to other place, if you asked me do I regret coming to Anderson, no. I’m so happy I accepted the job and I’m so happy I’ve stayed here 28 years. And because I have been benefited by this great institution and all the colleagues here --the best doctors in the cancer area --and by knowing them I feel honored. And by knowing them I can pick out the important clinical questions so that we can use our basic science knowledge to help --- to contribute. And by no means directly cure a patient per se, but contribute to that direction. And we do have a significant contribution. And I feel I have been very honored to be able to do that. At the time when I was student as a basic scientist --I’m thinking about remember I talked _____ ____ . I mean thinking about that, but thinking is one thing and here I --- make me feel I am really part of team. I’m the Moon Shots Women’s Cancer leader, right? I’m part of team too. I’m --- the patients, say I’m not a physician. I’m not --- I cannot see pat --- patients but the stuff we’re doing does help them. And I feel this is very meaningful. And as a basic scientist I can enjoy my basic science and still have this kind of a --- a impact on a patient. And well, I watched my mom pass away, but when --- I told you when my mom stayed with me I talked to her about basic science. She doesn’t understand, but when I talked to her while my preclinical trial de – development drugs, devel --- animal tumors and then curing the animal and then we are going to move to humans, then she understands.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Yeah.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
And she thinks that’s important. And I feel the same too. And the nice thing in --- this institution, is not only is it all cancer oriented, even for fundamental sciences we --- we don’t forget our fundamental sciences. The last story I share with you, this nuclear EGF receptor which is totally out of box which is, how do you say that? Yeah it’s out of box because it’s --- it’s anti-science dogma. But science is science and when we see that we can stay and we can continue to do it and contribute to the understanding of nature. I just feel this place is a wonderful place. And I’ve been so lucky being in this place for 20 years and then I’m going to continue to stay and I will probably not retire because if I retired, I don’t know what I’d do. But, if I --- I was forced to retire I would retire but not retire. You know what I’m saying.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
What --- What legacy do you feel --- would you like to be known for? How do --- How --- when you finally do retire, if ever, how do you want people to think about you and what you’ve done at this institution? 0:07:07.8]
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
I actually never thought about that. It’s a good question. So I have always been thinking about how to move ahead, move ahead, move ahead, move ahead. But I never thought about the legacy issue. Say, by the time I’m at the end of life, what I want to be recognized. I wish our research outcomes indeed not only contributed understand nature but could really benefit cancer patient. And that’s the hope of what MD Anderson is about. And on top of that I --- I run a ____ ____ lab. Running a la --- very large lab is much more labor intense, much more --- yeah, you have to do fundraising and certainly you have to spend time. And part of the reason I like to run a large lab is not just because I want to run --- run the large lab. When I say large lab of 40 to 50 people. It’s for scientific productivity. It may not be the most productive way in terms of your personal recognition. But part of the reason to run such a lab, big lab is because I want to do a couple things. In teaching the research, I feel education is important. And I do not just say, people come to my lab, just come to do research, publish good papers, publish good --- good outcomes. However, if somebody, for example some physician who doesn’t have research experience, they want to come here to train. They may not be the best scientist but they train. After they, after a couple years they gain the knowledge. When they back to their clinical work --it’s either inside the United States or they go back to other countries, their knowledge helps them be able to apply the --- the knowledge to the patient or to interact with other scientists to develop some other stuff. So for the education purpose that’s important. And for me to train PhD students, train post doc fellows --it’s probably my personality. I just enjoy it. And also I think, to train the next generation of scientists. It’s critical for --- ____ which field not only cancer. I told my trainee that today you are working in the lab because we are all focused on cancer but you are young. They are 20 or so year old kids --- well not kids. But in the future they may not work on cancer. They may work on aging. They may work on Alzheimer’s disease, they may just work on, you know, whatever. But that’s how science develops. And the --- the knowledge you learn from cancer re --- related research certainly can apply to something else.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Right.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
And so I enjoy a lot of that. So I h --- I like to see I myself , my lifetime contribution to science not only being --- our research outcomes to benefit patients and then to advance cancer science and certainly basic science. And I also feel very honored to train a lot of young, you know, scientists and the --- and the clinicians. Because I --- at the very beginning, they come to learn but at the end I learn from them. I learn from them both in the science and how to behave.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
To behave.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
And this institution is a great institution. At the time when I came here in 1986, MD Anderson wasn’t the number one Cancer Center --- but --- nu --- number two. But num --- number is not just number two per se. MD Anderson was not as well known. But after 20 years we are number one all the time and even our PhD program, I told you, right? Our PhD program --- our Cancer Biology Program was the number two in the nation. And you cannot imagine Texas has a num --- a PhD program that is number two in nation. And our number two was together with Harvard, Stanford, and Johns Hopkins. That’s almost impossible for me to believe 20 --- 20 --- 28 years ago. And of course certainly we are part of it and we contributed and we are proud of. And this institution continue to be a great institution.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Is there is anything else you’d like to --- to add at this point?
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
Not in particular. I just kind of enjoyed talking to you.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Yeah. I enjoyed talking to you too. Well, thanks very much. It’s been fun.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
Well. Thanks for coming.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Yeah.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
And I hope your --- if when you come out to do some of the stuff you want me to --- check --- check --- check accuracy, I will be happy to.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Yes. Yes. Well you’ll get a copy of your transcript so that you can check all that stuff.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
I --- I --- I can mention that the --- the stuff --- that come out either in the future will become a book or some sort of website in the institution.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Yeah, it’s going to be available on…
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
And it might turn out to be a book.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Yeah it could. It could.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
It might turn out to be a book.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Yeah. I’m sure will be used by scholar’s writing all kinds of things.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
Yeah.
T.A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Well I’m turning off the recorder at 11:57. Thank you again Dr. Hung.
Mien-Chie Hung, PhD:
Okay. Thanks for coming and I --- I enjoyed talking to you.
Recommended Citation
Hung, Mien-Chie PhD and Rosolowski, Tacey A. PhD, "Chapter 16: Leaving a Legacy in Research, Education, and MD Anderson Culture" (2014). Interview Chapters. 1168.
https://openworks.mdanderson.org/mchv_interviewchapters/1168
Conditions Governing Access
Open
