Brigid L.M. Hogan, PhD, FRS

Dr. Hogan became the first female Department Chair in the Duke University School of Medicine. She is currently Chair Emeritus and Research Professor in the Department of Cell Biology at the Duke University School of Medicine. Dr. Hogan is a pioneer and leader in the field of developmental biology. She applied modern advances in genetics and molecular biology to address a wide range of basic questions at the forefront of mammalian embryology and developmental biology, and more recently to attack clinical problems in airway disease and regeneration. She has trained a generation of scientists in the application of these molecular techniques, and today almost every study that involves mouse genetics—cancer, neurobiology, or disease modeling—starts with manipulating the mouse embryo. Dr. Hogan is a recipient of numerous honors and awards. She is a member of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine and a Fellow of the Royal Society of London.

During my postdoctoral training in the Hogan laboratory at Vanderbilt University, I benefited from Brigid because she guided and nourished me to become a better scientist. She taught me how to tackle key biological questions, design research projects, and explore new ideas. I particularly remember having stimulative discussions about my new data with Brigid in her office or at my desk/bench so many times. She was always excited, kept an open mind, and was eager to generate new ideas. These opportunities were indeed precious to me and strengthened my critical thinking skills. It was probably the third year of my postdoc training in her lab. When I was in her office probably discussing my data, I mentioned to her that I was not sure about my future career. She then encouraged me to stay in academia in the US. That meant a lot to me, and I still appreciate it.

Submitted by Tsutomu Kume