Lessons Learned: From First Gen Student to Chief Scientific Officer

• September 23, 2024
• Nationwide Children's

Joanne Turner, PhD, chief scientific officer at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, shares what it’s like to go from first gen college student to academic leadership. 

What inspired you to go to college and pursue a bachelor’s degree in science?

When I was in school, college never came up as an option. No one in my family had been to college. It just wasn’t something we knew about. My dad wanted me to run his business (a fish and chip shop) and my mum preferred that I work as a bank teller (for a good mortgage rate). Either were great safe options for them and within their own realm of experience.

Instead of continuing to two more years of higher education, I left school at 16 (this was not unexpected in my family) to find a job in a lab because I enjoyed biology class. I worked in a variety of labs as a technician, both in research and industry, some good and some bad, for the next six years. Fortunately, all my employers supported and paid for part-time education in technical college, so I did continue my education.

My final job before college was as a lab technician at Cambridge University studying parasitic infections. When I asked the department chair if they would support my part-time education, he gently told me no. He explained that it was because he thought I should go to college. He also helped me understand how to apply, because I had no idea where to start. I wanted to study blood cells and be an immunologist because my technical career had always been in that discipline. I was accepted to Kings College in London to get my undergraduate degree in immunology.

In college, I learned that my dissatisfaction with being in school was the requirement to know something without understanding it. In college, we got to understand the why. That was rewarding to me.

Why did you decide to keep going — earning your doctorate and pursuing a career in academia?

My career path wasn’t ever planned. I said yes to opportunities that came my way or leaned into the suggestions of others. My college advisor suggested I apply to graduate school, so I thought I would try that. I didn’t realize that I was considered a strong student, and I only applied to a few places. I had no other big life plan.

I was awarded a prestigious Medical Research Council fellowship at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine London and joined a lab studying immunology of leprosy infection in humans. My doctoral advisor would probably describe me as strong-willed because I changed my doctoral project to study tuberculosis (TB) — a more exciting topic and a highly competitive research area. I am grateful she let me do it, and for making connections for my next career move. During my doctoral work, I also had the opportunity to work in The Gambia in West Africa for many months, studying TB patients. The experience was humbling.

Then, I took a postdoctoral position at Colorado State University using mouse models to understand mechanisms of TB infection that we could not examine in humans. I moved to the United States without really considering how big a life-changing event that was. I had one suitcase and no idea where Colorado was — I just knew it was an incredible career opportunity.

As a postdoc, I published very well but hadn’t considered being faculty. However, I was again surrounded by people who saw something more in me than I did and encouraged me to move up. My postdoc advisor requested a research faculty position for me because he thought I should take that career path. After two more years at Colorado State, I moved to The Ohio State University as an assistant professor where I had a successful academic career studying TB in mice and humans.

As I look back, I see that my career has been driven by scientific curiosity and the good work ethic bestowed on me by my working-class background. But it’s been guided mostly by an abundance of people who saw talent in me that I did not yet recognize.

When did you begin your move to leadership?

A couple of things made me consider moving into leadership. As my academic faculty position matured, I was invited to join a variety of institutional committees. I loved to see what was on the other side of the (administration) fence. In general, these experiences reminded me of my past dissatisfaction with school. As faculty, things happened at OSU but I didn’t always know why. Being around leadership taught me the why and I enjoyed that — a recurring theme.

I also took on a biocontainment level 3 (BSL3) director role that made me think about billing, building controls, and biological safety. The practical and compliance side of managing a facility gave me a new and very different challenge. Similarly, as I managed my lab, I found myself more interested in mentoring. I realized that I found people and problems more interesting than the science. I didn’t wake up as excited to do my science as I did to solve a problem or help someone. That’s when I realized that I could have a bigger impact on the academic environment from a leadership position.

What role did mentorship play in your career?

I have been fortunate to have had many mentors or advocates who provided opportunities to progress or helped me work through a career decision. Some have been my direct supervisor or employer, and others are colleagues or friends. I have go-to colleagues who always show up for me when I need them, and they are often from unexpected connections. I value them all so much and try to pay it forward. I get a great sense of pride in seeing my own mentees be highly successful.

What advice would you give to students navigating academia as first-gen scientists?

Use your life experience as a strength. You will have experienced life differently compared to many others competing with you for the same opportunities. Balance expressing what makes you different and unique with just enough alignment to the norms to fit in. I talk about my background as an asset, as it brought different creativity to my science. Now working as an administrator, that background also allows me to relate to the experiences of others in a more meaningful way. Finally, accept the support and mentoring of others. There are wonderful people around you who care about your happiness and development — let them help.

Image credit: Nationwide Children’s