changing the course of stroke - New Jersey Medical School ...

laboratories to study how cells—and
their component parts—function and
malfunction. The physician-researcher
brings the two together—taking observations
from patient care to the laboratory
for investigation and more quickly
“translating” the discoveries of the lab
into actual therapies to combat disease.
For Wilusz, the reasoning behind the
MD/PhD trend is crystal clear. “Dual
training means that future
research will be guided by the real
clinical issues,” he explains.
The desire to do original translational
research is often the driving
force for those committed to
the long haul; and there are two
distinct roads to get there. The
MD/PhD track takes students
through two years of medical
school, three to four years of PhD
training, then two more years of
medical school, followed by residency
training. Students earn the MD
degree after completion of medical
school and the PhD either after completion
of the PhD training or when they
receive the MD degree. The physicianscientist
track takes a fully trained physician
with an MD degree, and trains him
or her to be an independent researcher,
culminating in the acquisition of the
PhD.
Houghton spent two years in the lab
of mentor Harvey Ozer, MD (then the
NJMS chair of microbiology and molecular
genetics, and currently the NJMS
Senior Associate Dean for Research),
participating in his investigation of
“gene expression in immortal human
cells.” Meanwhile, she began her PhD
studies at UMDNJ’s Graduate School of
Biomedical Sciences (GSBS). Back to
school was her motto: At age 31,
Houghton was sitting in the classroom
with students 10 years her junior, many
of whom had just graduated from
college.
“She was a ball of fire—very dynamic,”
recalls Wilusz. “We had an MD/
PhD program, but no program for
physicians who get their research calling
later. We modeled the program to fit
Jean.”
But even for someone so motivated,
the terrain was rough. “I hated it my
“I’m very stubborn,” says
JeanMarie Houghton. “If I start
something, I don’t let go.”
That seems to be the stuff of
success in research.
first year,” she admits. “I went from
being in charge to being a first year student
sitting in a classroom again, and
from being relatively independent to
working on my mentor’s project.” She
thought of dropping out of the program,
but then “it all started to click.”
After two years of work in Ozer’s lab,
she created her own project focusing on
the host response in Helicobacter infection.
“It gave me autonomy and forced
me to take charge of what I was doing,”
she said.
How did she finally know she was on
the right track for herself? “I’m very
stubborn—exceptionally tenacious,” she
explains. “If I start something, I don’t let
go. And if I don’t get an answer, I’ll try
15 more ways.” That seems to be the
stuff of success in research.
Houghton says the educational
process was long and sometimes painful.
But she also uses words like “fantastic”
and “phenomenal” to describe her
classes and the faculty, and credits
Wilusz with being a great advisor.
He in turn calls her a “pioneer,”
saying that it takes guts
and stamina to blaze the trail.
The dual degree programs are
flourishing now, with 15 students
enrolled and five or more beginning
in the fall. “We’ve made the
leap into being a major national
program,” he says. “The applicants
are all high quality and
some have amazing credentials.”
Houghton very happily earned her
PhD in May 2001 and was recruited to
the University of Massachusetts, where
she has new grants, conducts research in
her own lab with three people working
for her, teaches classes, cares for patients
and is involved with the MD/PhD program
there. “It was all that training that
got me here,” she states.
Would she do it this way again?
“Yes,” she concludes. “Getting the clinical
training, then the entire PhD training
is the best. You get the experience,
knowledge and skills of both.”
Along the way, Houghton even managed
to find the time to marry fellow
NJMS alum Kyung Kim, MD, whom
she met during her second year of medical
school, and to have three children,
Nicole, now 7, and twins, Ashley and
Amanda, age 5. ●
NEW JERSEY MEDICAL SCHOOL 37