Home Grown in B.C.

As Doug mentioned, I am the Provincial Program Leader for Prostate Cancer Research at the BC Cancer Agency, in Vancouver.

Before I dive into talking prostate cancer research, I’d like to share a bit about me. I’m from B.C., and I grew up in Kamloops but also lived in Kimberley for a while. So you could say that I’m “home-grown,” and I love British Columbia. It’s a beautiful place to live.

From the time I was little, I have been interested in discovery and in creative things. In university, I didn’t really know where to start , so my career goals weren’t exactly a straight line. It wasn’t until I took biochemistry that I really found something that interested me. For me science is an avenue for creativity where I can explore new frontiers and hopefully help people. After my undergraduate degree, I worked in a West Vancouver research facility with Fisheries and Oceans, studying the effects of pollutants on fish. There I met Harold Mahood, who became a mentor to me. He believed in me and my work even before I did at first. He encouraged me to pursue my PhD and believed I would run my own lab one day. He really supported and pushed me. I did pursue my PhD in a joint program overseas, between the UK and Sweden. It was a great experience and parts of Sweden reminded me of home – green and beautiful.

Later on, when I returned home and was lucky enough to become a scientist at the BC Cancer Agency with my own lab, Harold would become a champion for BC Cancer Foundation fundraising.

Thank you for reading,

Marianne