We continue our conversation with David Calianese on his journey to teaching, research, and academia. David’s interest in biology and helping people started in high school with an opportunity to work as an emergency technician basic (EMT-B) providing care to patients in ambulances. It sounded exciting, but nothing could have prepared David for his first call responding to a woman in active labor in her living room. There wasn’t enough time to take her to the hospital, and he and his colleagues jumped straight to work helping the new mother have a safe and successful delivery. While this experience was a shocking eye-opener for then 16 year old David, it really ignited his ambition to study biology with a focus on pre-med. “It was luck and happenstance, truly,” David explains as he reflects on his first laboratory experience at Providence College. Very unexpectedly, during his first few days as an undergrad, David was approached by a friendly and eager professor to join his research lab; and even quicker than he could blink, David found himself deeply immersed in academic research. From his journey to high school and college and even graduate school at Rutgers University, David had a variety of mentors who helped guide him down his path and open up doors for a number of new experiences, including the big move to Japan. David’s adventure in Japan started with the daunting thought, what the hell did I get into, but he credits the support of his wife and the new friends they made to an unforgettable and rewarding experience in the new country. The best advice David would give his younger self, looking back at his very adventurous journey, is to have patience because we often have more time than we think. In his spare time, David enjoys playing board games like Dungeons and Dragons, or Wingspan; and bird watching with the Merlin app. 

If you missed it check out the previous episode

Check out the latest episode on the website: https://welovesciencepodcast.com 

Tune into this episode to hear David’s perspective on:

• Why he joined the EMT service as a teenager
• His first experience at a scientific research conference as an undergraduate student 
• The transition from life in the US to working as a post-doc in Japan 
• What has been the thorn and bud along his journey so far

Reach out to David on

• LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidcalianese/
• Seaton Hall website: https://www.shu.edu/profiles/calianda.html 
• IG: @DCBiolab

If you enjoyed this episode, also listen to:

Ep 27: From Post doc to Assistant Professor - The Journey

Ep 14: Estrogen Heals Both Sexes - The Journey 

Visit our store: WeLoveSciencePodcast.com
Suggest a guest

Reach out to Fatu:
www.linkedin.com/in/fatubm
Instagram: @thee_fatu_b
and [email protected]

Reach out to Shekerah:
www.linkedin.com/in/shekerah-primus
and [email protected]

Music from Pixabay: Future Artificial Intelligence Technology 130 by TimMoor
Music from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes: Hotshot by ScottHolmesMusic