Amy Barczak, MD, has been a physician-scientist at the Ragon Institute since 2015, where she is both a Faculty Member and the Director of the Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory for Special Pathogens. Barczak’s lab investigates at the cellular level the fundamental interactions between TB pathogens and the human immune system that could lead to breakthroughs in preventing and treating TB. While her dream is to help develop an effective vaccine for TB, Barczak is equally devoted to mentoring others so as to “make a generation of people who come after me passionate about the problem of tuberculosis and about the intersection of infectious diseases, social justice and equity, so they will go out and pursue these questions — because, ultimately, it takes a village to solve these problems.”

Barczak’s belief in the importance of mentoring others is influenced by her own life experiences. She recalls that becoming a scientist was not on the “menu of career options that were put in front of me” as a girl growing up in rural Connecticut.  While she credits her high school teachers in chemistry, math and biology for inspiring her love for those subjects, it did not occur to Barczak that she could build a career in those fields. Instead, she decided to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a doctor. While at Amherst College, an organic chemistry professor became a pivotal influence in her life when he wrote her a note encouraging her to think about a career in research. That suggestion made Barczak realize she could possibly have a greater impact as a researcher than as a practicing physician. Looking back, she recalls that as a young woman at that time, she questioned her own abilities and now feels extremely fortunate to have been somewhere where someone important “saw things in me I did not see in myself and really encouraged me to continue in science.” 

Barczak wants to pay that forward to others coming up behind her. At the moment, her lab is mostly staffed by women, and Barczak is driven by “this awareness of how important it is that we set the right tone for them and all the women in this field and provide opportunities for them to be treated as equals to their male counterparts.” Barczak recently started the Ragon Women in STEM Empowerment (WISE) group for employees in order to develop a sense of community and to “be responsive to the needs of the women at whatever stage they’re at.” Noting that she has “sat through too many symposia where no one on the stage looked like me,” she is determined to help change that imbalance. Yet, Barczak is an equal opportunity mentor, believing it is just as important to mentor men as women so that everyone begins to see women in leadership positions. We at the Ragon Institute honor Amy Barczak for all the ways she is making a difference in society, the scientific community and the Ragon Institute itself.