Follow Your Passions, Be Assertive
Alex Pyronneau is one of the two pre-med students from Brooklyn College recently awarded 2008 Salk Scholarships, eight of which are bestowed annually by CUNY as a tribute to Dr. Jonas E. Salk, the 1934 City College alum who developed the Polio vaccine in 1955. Candidates must be nominated by pre-med advisors at each CUNY college based on the student’s qualifications and research work. Alex will attend the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University in the Bronx. Monday Morning invited Alex to share his views about career choices with his fellow BC students.

Follow Your Passions, Be Assertive
“When deciding on a career path there are two main questions you must ask yourself: ‘What am I passionate about?’ and, ‘What activities can I perform well?’
     These questions, along with my life experiences, made me realize that I wanted to be a medical researcher. For this you need an MD/PhD, a double degree, because, as a medical scholar, your job is to do biomedical research and translate your findings into effective therapies.
     My path to this career choice started when I first got involved in minor clinical experiments in high school. My dream was to become a doctor but it was only in college that I was able to continue my clinical experiences.
     When observing sick patients, I could not help but ask myself, ‘What is the cause of this condition?’ ‘Why has no one found a cure yet?’ ‘Why do we know so little about this disease?’
     My curiosity grew over the years as I saw more of people with different conditions. At that time I did not have a clear grasp of research and its connection to medicine, however, I just knew I wanted to learn more about these matters. It was in my sophomore year that I heard about the MD/PhD program that allows students to fully train in both medicine and research. Once I realized this path was available to me, I pursued rigorous biomedical research training at various institutions in my attempt to become both a physician and a scientist. Two years ago I became a member of the Minority Access to Research Careers program which is geared to helping underrepresented groups in making headway in biomedical research.
     Once you have a clear understanding of what you want to do you must be assertive at all times – and you must be an active learner, willing to look into the career, or careers, that you think can answer your questions. Search for opportunities within Brooklyn College campus and beyond for ways to train yourself. My training has helped me tremendously as preparation for my future endeavors as a physician-scientist. But it was only the beginning.