BBI Member Dr. Jay Sarthy is an assistant professor of pediatrics in the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Starting July 1, he will serve as an investigator at the Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, and Affiliate Investigator, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch Cancer Center.
BBI: Can you tell us about your journey to medicine?
Dr. Sarthy: I did my undergraduate studies at Northwestern, studying biology and biological anthropology, and became interested in aging across cultures. I also had an interest in molecular biology and genetics. To try and merge those interests, for graduate school I chose to study telomere biology. Genes involved in telomere maintenance are involved in the normal aging process, as well as in diseases like Progeria with accelerated aging. At first, I thought I would complete a PhD and be a researcher, but I also saw an opportunity to apply the scientific method to clinical problems, and so applied to medical school. Because I liked telomere biology and molecular genetics, I wanted to work in a discipline that used those methods in clinical practice. Hematology/Oncology was a natural fit, and I found Pediatrics to be extremely rewarding.
