Name: Lucile Adams-Campbell
Job Title and Description: Georgetown University Medical Center:
Associate Dean of Community Health & Outreach
Associate Director of Minority Health & Health Disparities Research
Professor of Oncology
College/Major: (Undergraduate and Graduate) Drexel University/ B.S in Biology, M.S in Bio-Medical Science; Ph.D. in Epidemiology at University of Pittsburgh
What does your current job entail? Is there such a thing as a typical day?
Lucile Adams- Campbell: It includes training students (high school, undergraduate, graduate and medical students) as well as the junior faculty in the field of cancer prevention and control. My job also includes establishing cancer research programs and serving as an ambassador for Georgetown University.
What is the best part of your job?
LCA: Training future minority students and faculty [members] in cancer research focused on prevention and health disparities.
What was your first entry-level job in your field and how did you get it?
LCA: My first entry-level job was senior research scientist at New England Research Institute in Watertown, Massachusetts. I obtained this position from a very successful post-doctoral training at the University of Pittsburgh.
What is one thing you wish you knew about your industry when you first started out that you know now?
LCA: If I had known about public health, I would have studied this field in the beginning of my undergraduate education.
Why did you decide to focus on minorities?
LCA: I am very interested in the health of minorities with an emphasis on the African diaspora because of the poor health and outcomes of those populations.
Who is one person who changed your professional life for the better?
LCA: Dr. Baruch Blumberg, a Nobel Prize winner, was a senior investigator at Fox Chase Cancer Center when I was an undergraduate student. I had the opportunity to learn about epidemiology from working in his division while doing my co-op studies at Drexel University.
What words of wisdom do you find most valuable?
LCA: “Just Do It” – Nike
What is one mistake you made along the way and what did you learn from it?
LCA: I studied chemical engineering for my first four years of college before realizing that I preferred working with people and populations than pipes and fluids.
What do you look for when considering hiring someone?
LCA: The biggest thing I look for is for someone who has potential and is committed to doing what is necessary in order to be successful.
What advice would you give to a 20-something with similar aspirations?
LCA: Set milestones that you can accomplish over many years. Focus on short term, mid-level and long-term career milestones and stay on task.