Carol Podlasek

What inspired you to work in sexual medicine?

When I was a postdoc, one of the professors gathered all the trainees in a room and played a video about prostate cancer patient survivors. It really impressed me, early in my career, that as difficult as it is to survive cancer, living with the treatment side effects can be debilitating, and have severe impact on patient quality of life. The video instilled in me that research is a privilege, and we should strive for excellence because the research we do can make a difference and help patients.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your career?

I’m fortunate in that every day is different. I get to come up with ideas and plan and do experiments to see if those ideas are worthwhile. Being able to satisfy that curiosity and at the same time do something that I enjoy and may lead to improved treatment options for patients is very rewarding.

What is something most people don’t know about you? 

I’ve been an avid runner and cyclist most of my life. I used to run marathons for fun and still run most days to keep balance between my professional and personal life.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

The best advice I was given was during an interview. I was considering leaving academia to pursue industrial research. The interviewer recognized my passion for research and discouraged me from giving up on an academic career. He told me I wouldn’t be satisfied participating in only one small aspect of a study. Being able to visualize the “big picture,” coming up with novel ideas, planning experiments to test the hypothesis, and seeing the studies through to the end, was the interesting part of things for me. This helped me make a critical career choice.

What would your ideal vacation be?

I don’t often take vacations because I like what I do, but the ideal would be visiting somewhere with beautiful scenery where I could hike and run.