Reflections on My Life with Taxol

When I was finishing up my graduate studies at Brandeis University, my plan was to pursue the field of enzyme kinetics after I received my PhD in biochemistry. But after giving birth to twins 5 days after defending my thesis, I decided my plan required a short-term adjustment. My thesis advisor, professor Nathan O. Kaplan, helped me to find a position that would accommodate a flexible schedule while my boys were young. As a result, I began conducting research in the Department of Pharmacology at Tufts UniversityMedical School, with the expectation that I would move back into my intended field in a few years. But I was hooked. This was my serendipitous entry into the world of pharmacology and natural-products research.