Susannah Calhoun, PhD
“Try to ignore the haters and those who doubt you. They'll always be there, [but] you know you're in the room for a reason.”
I'm usually one of the loudest people in the room and am a hardcore extrovert. I am a big advocate for social justice. I love dancing to hip-hop, afrobeats and latin trap/reggaeton. I'm an amputee and wear a prosthesis on my right leg. I design experiments to analyze how well a cancer drug is working. I am a Molecular Immunologist.
There are many different forms of cancer, and that means we need many different forms of treatment. Researchers have developed powerful therapies for some cancers, but there’s a lot of work left to do to tackle them all. As a Molecular Immunologist, I look at how our immune systems function in connection to particular diseases, including cancers. My current projects focus on particular types of cancerous tumors that we don’t yet fully understand or have great medications for. Basically, our bodies’ immune cells (the ones that should be working to kill off cancer cells) can’t get into these tumors to do their job, so I’m working on figuring out how we can fix that. I help understand how these new medications function in individuals with these types of tumors. My goal is to find ways to support the bodies’ immune system, so that it can help fight back against cancer.
I'm an amputee and wear a below the knee prosthesis on my right leg. The root of my interest in science likely sprung from wanting to understand my own congenital birth defect, as well as the medical field that treated me and designed my prosthetics. That was my gateway to seeing the real world impact that science could have on people’s lives. Now, as a scientist, I look for ways that I can help others. There are a lot of diseases out there that still go untreated, from parasitic diseases to cancer. While right now I’m focused on cancers, I’ve built a set of knowledge and skills that can help discover treatments for a wide range of diseases. Science had a huge impact on my life growing up, and now I hope to use it to make that same impact for others.
I grew up in Brooklyn, where I got to experience vibrant foods, cultures, and people. I was always very curious – my family actually nicknamed me “Ms. Question” because I was constantly asking questions about the world around me. That curiosity led me to want to better understand my own condition as an amputee, so in high school I did a project for the Intel Science Talent Search. I put together a questionnaire to explore the difference in body image between congenital and non congenital amputees. It was my first serious experience doing research, and convinced me to pursue science in college.
I went to a liberal arts college, but I was particularly excited about my genetics and microbiology courses. When I took a Parasite Biology course during my study abroad program, I was hooked. I realized that there were all of these understudied diseases caused by parasites, like malaria and African sleeping sickness, and that some were quite common in other parts of the world. It felt like a meeting point between my interest in science and my commitment to building a more equitable society that supports health for everyone. I could pursue studies that might help treat diseases that had been relatively neglected by scientists, because they weren’t as common in the places where the most resources were available.
I spent graduate school working hard in the lab and spending a lot of time understanding parasitology and genetics. After earning my PhD, I knew I wanted to do work that took the research a step further and played a role not just in understanding a disease, but in developing drugs to treat it. Transitioning into drug development, I wanted to work in a disease area that had alot of opportunities and starting a postdoctoral fellowship at Novartis in cancer immunology allowed me to build my skills in translational research. That experience led me to the work I do now.
I’m very social and love going out dancing, trying new restaurants, and entertaining friends. I love interacting with others, which is why I like working in a lab instead of at a computer all day. I also really enjoy being outside in nature, horseback riding, cycling, and boxing. I still love reading, and also enjoy a good British drama, crime show or action movie.
Despite being successful in science, I know what it feels like to have “imposter syndrome” or feel not smart enough at times. As a woman of color in science, it's hard and frustrating to not see yourself represented widely in the field. There’s still this stereotype around what a “typical scientist” looks like, and that can feed a culture where those who don't fit that mold are second guessed and doubt themselves. I’ve always been a big advocate for building community and supporting others. In high school, I founded the Mixed club with friends as a community for students of biracial and multiethnic identities, and was the president of MISC (Multi-racial Interethnic Smith College) for two years in college. I’ve also mentored several students in my lab throughout my career, as well as through my grad school's minority society summer scholars research program. Now, I try to do whatever I can to support diversity and equity in STEM, so that everyone can feel a sense of belonging.
Scientific skills are often very transferable, so building your expertise can set you up for a lot of different career options. You don't have to study in one field and stay in it for your entire career. I started out in parasitology, and pivoted to cancer immunology, and that sort of transition is common. Many fields are interrelated, and you can use the transferrable skills you have gained from your scientific training to pursue a new path if you are looking for a new challenge or different opportunities.
You also don't have to go to prestigious research universities in order to do well and get a job in science. I went to public high school in NYC and a liberal arts college where I didn't do independent research, but I did pursue internships. They’re a great way to explore different parts of STEM and see what you connect with. My internships at NASA and Merck in college were a great launching pad and learning opportunity for the career I have now.
