A legend of cancer biology

Welcome back!

My guest this week is Zena Werb, whose research has had a profound impact on our understanding of development, cancer, and the epithelial microenvironment. Her publication list is truly inspiring with >500 papers and counting, including multiple seminal manuscripts. Despite this rich history, I was struck by how deeply involved she still was in her active projects and her infectious passion for scientific discovery. As we’ll hear in Episode 5 from Dr. Bluestone, many senior faculty go the administrative route, spending more and more time leading large projects and campus initiatives. In contrast, Zena proves that it is possible to stay focused on the science and that there’s always something new and exciting to work on. Finally, Zena received the UCSF Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award in 2015 and shares her pro tips for how to train students and postdocs.