YSMU adjunct professor Stella Aslibekyan is the head of the genetic epidemiology group at the company “23andMe” in Silicon Valley. Additionally, she is an adjunct associate professor of epidemiology at two universities: University of Alabama and University of Kentucky.<\/p>\n
We spoke with our compatriot, who has made great strides in the United States, about her motivation for choosing the hard path of becoming a doctor, the difficulties in the field of medicine, as well as her great desire to visit Armenia, her ancestral homeland. <\/p>\n
– <\/em><\/strong>Was that your dream to become a doctor?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n As a child, I certainly didn't dream of becoming an epidemiologist, because I did not even know such a profession existed! My mother was a practicing physician, and I have always been interested in medicine – but from a mostly theoretical perspective. I enjoyed thinking about patterns of disease distribution – why do people get sick? Who gets sick? In particular, I have long been interested in the question of nature vs. nurture. Do people really get sick because they have “bad genes” or is it more about lifestyle? It was these intellectual questions that led me in the direction of epidemiology and the type of genetic research I do these days.<\/p>\n It is important to note that I do not treat patients, I work on theoretical problems that are of relevance to public health. <\/p>\n – What kind of difficulties can you mention in the profession of a doctor?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The main difficulty for all of us in healthcare, and frankly in many other fields, is work-life balance. Many of us, especially women, have caregiving responsibilities at home. It is a cruel fact of human biology and society that our prime childbearing years coincide with a critical period in our careers. It is tempting to want to do everything, and I have certainly fallen into that trap, but it often comes at the expense of our mental health. This is a structural problem that does not have an easy solution, and deserves our full attention. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n – Please, tell a little bit about your career ladder.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n I grew up in a family that strongly valued education. As a child, I probably thought that university professors were the coolest people around! So that is the direction my career took at first. After getting my PhD in Epidemiology, I was a university professor for approximately 7 years. I loved conducting research in genetic epidemiology and teaching students. Yet in 2018, an unexpected opportunity came my way to lead the genetic epidemiology team at an up-and-coming startup in Silicon Valley. Having gotten my undergraduate diploma at Stanford University, I was very familiar with that environment and curious to see if my work can have a greater impact in the private sector. So, I made the switch from academia, initially as a sabbatical and then as a permanent position. However, I still enjoy teaching and offer online courses in epidemiology and biostatistics at two U.S. universities, as well as lecture on relevant topics around the world. <\/p>\n –<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>Please, tell a little bit about your family.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n We have school-aged kids, and my parents also live in Northern California only 15 minutes away from us. My partner and I both work long hours in our Silicon Valley jobs, so any time we can spend with family is precious. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n – Do you manage to relax? What are your hobbies?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n I try to relax as much as I can, otherwise I would burn out very quickly. I love hiking with my children and partner, and we volunteer at animal welfare charities. Most importantly, my soul gets recharged when I travel. Rumi once wrote, “travel brings power and love back into your life,” and I could not agree more.<\/p>\n Of course, Armenia has a special place in my heart, and I plan to travel to my ancestral homeland sometime next year. I am especially curious to see Dilijan, where my grandfather grew up – it may be the perfect opportunity to combine my hobbies of hiking and travel!<\/p>\n I have never actually lived in Armenia, only visited. But I still miss the mountains, the people, and of course the food.<\/p>\n I hope to visit Armenia in the coming year, if all goes well, and bring my son so he could experience his heritage for the first time. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n –<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>How would you describe the sphere of medicine in Armenia?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n I am amazed by the resilience and generosity of Armenian people, and that applies in the medical sphere as well. Armenia has been through so much; the recent war has broken all of our hearts. Yet Armenia has still risen to the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. My Iranian friends are still grateful that Armenia made COVID-19 vaccines available to foreign visitors too; that is exactly the resolute empathy that will forever remain our competitive advantage. <\/p>\n – As an experienced doctor with a rich professional path, what advice would you give to your future colleagues?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n I can share the advice that really helped me when I was working on my PhD: do not feel shy to ask for help. It is your mentor's\/professor's JOB to help you succeed. Remember that we are working on complex, life-or-death questions, and we cannot do it alone. <\/p>\n Author: Tatevik Ghazaryan<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" YSMU adjunct professor Stella Aslibekyan is the head of the genetic epidemiology group at the company “23andMe” in Silicon Valley. 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