Internships: Danielle Miranda

How did you choose your career? Was this an easy or hard process for you? If you struggled, how did you overcome these struggles?

I have always been interested in the medical field since elementary school. At first, I had wanted to be a medical doctor and spent a lot of time volunteering at the hospital and working at an orthopedic surgeon's practice while in high school and part of college. After my freshman year at New Mexico State University–Alamogordo, I had the opportunity to participate in the program Summer Community College Research Experience (SCCORE) sponsored by New Mexico Alliance for Minority Participation (NMAMP) at New Mexico State University. I first worked with Dr. Jinfa Zhang on the segregation of mapping population in cotton detected by ATG-anchored AFLP markers. I then transitioned into the Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) program and began working in Dr. Charles Shuster's lab on the titration of spindle assembly checkpoint in embryonic cells. I completed two summer internships at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC) on projects more related to the clinic and human application. Dr. Denise Galloway was my mentor at the FHCRC and gave me the opportunity to work on looking at the prevalence of Merkel Cell Polyoma virus in the population and in cancer samples of Merkel Cell Carcinoma Patients.

What kind of training, both formal and informal, did you receive to prepare you for your career? If applicable, how did you select where to attend graduate school? How did you choose your postdoc? How about any additional training? How did you choose what additional training to pursue and how did you choose where to do it?

The writing workshops and the experience of preparing the required scientific reports for my undergraduate research projects have contributed to preparing for graduate school. Symposiums and conferences are a great opportunity to meet and interact with young scientists with similar goals. My formal training includes a Bachelor's Degree of Science from New Mexico State University, majoring in Microbiology and minoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

How competitive and/or rigorous was the training for your career?

Fortunately, I have had great research mentors and projects. The programs I have applied to were impressed with the experiences I have had and recognized that I was interested and dedicated to pursuing a research career. One of the most important additions to my application was the publications for which I had been named as an author from my undergraduate internships. I chose the Mayo Clinic's Center for Translational Science Activities because of its unique nature — bridging the gap between clinical and basic research. I was attracted to the program's training component in which you rotate amongst laboratories in three different aspects of research such as basic science, patient-based, and epidemiology. The idea is to integrate all three of these aspects into your thesis research dissertation.

In general, how much did the training cost? Was the investment worth it?

I was very fortunate to always be covered under academic scholarships, so I did not have any excessive expenses for college.

How long did it take you to train? Was it shorter or longer than anticipated? If you had any setbacks, how did you deal with them?

My undergraduate training took four and a half years. I had begun taking introductory college courses in high school which helped me get an early start. I am now in the second year of my graduate school training.

What was the process like to apply for your first job after your training was over? Was it easy or difficult? How did you cope with any difficulties? Did that differ from subsequent jobs you've had?

I am still in training and feel that there will always be opportunities to continue learning and working. Since I am in my second year of graduate school, I have about three and a half years left depending on my project and then will continue my training in a postdoctoral position. I will have a career focused on the combination of research and clinical care.

What advice would you give to someone interested in following a similar career path?

Find mentors and get advice about different processes and programs. Also, the best way to learn is to ask people who are in a position that you may want to be in someday.

What would you have done differently in preparing for your career?

I think it is very important to participate in as many research experiences as possible so that you get a variety of different topics and will be better prepared to choose a research field you truly are interested in.

How much do you like what you do? Why? Is it what you imagined it would be? If not, how have you adapted?

I am very appreciative of the opportunity to work with brilliant researchers that are world renowned experts. The environment at the Mayo Clinic is very professional and provides a lot of support. However, a Ph.D. degree doesn't come without lots of hard work, long hours, and a few tears, but you become a stronger person.

How do you achieve career-life balance? Is this easy or hard to do? How many hours do you typically work per week?

Yes, career-life balance is extremely difficult to achieve. I feel, as a graduate student, that you are constantly being pressed for time and results. As a graduate student, you are expected to work about 72 hours a week. It is very important to take care of your physical and emotional health.

What strategies have you figured out over time to help you succeed?

I have had constant support from my family and mentors from New Mexico State University, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and the Mayo Clinic. Time management, prioritizing, physical fitness, and sleep are all very important. You need to be at your best performance when working so that you can optimize your time and be able to take some time for yourself.

How do you see your field changing in the next 5–10 years?

I think the field will be directed and more focused on clinical research and applications. The best way to do clinical research is through developing collaborations between different sites as well as professionals from different backgrounds such as physics, biology, engineering, and psychology.

Anything else you would like to share?

Take time to do the activities that make you happy. Have a support group that you can share your struggles with and encourage each other. Always try to maintain a balance in your mind, body, and soul.