In this episode, we interview Nobel Laureate Dr. Robert Lefkowitz. Dr. Lefkowitz is an internist and cardiologist who is best known for his novel work in the discovery of GPCR’s. This discovery has led to the production of numerous life saving medications. He is currently an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a Professor of Medicine at Duke University. 

We hope you enjoy this episode where we discuss the serendipity of life, pursuing excellence, the importance of mentorship and more. 

Welcome to Leading the Rounds! 

Questions we asked: 

• What do you mean when you call yourself an “accidental scientist”? 
• How do you balance enjoying control vs. recognizing the serendipity of life? 
• What do you ask yourself to live a meaningful life? 
• What does it feel like to be a Nobel Laureate? 
• What is the real value of rewards? 
• How have you been able to pursue excellence while still holding other aspects of your life together? 
• How do you approach building relationships? 
• When experiencing struggles, when do you decide to keep persevering vs. moving onto something else? 
• What are your favorite books? 
  
  

Ideas: 

• The Road Not Taken 
• “Try as you might, you can’t control everything.” 
• “Serendipity blesses each of us… the question is whether you recognize it at the time and take advantage of it.” 
• “Every day… I have the sense that something big is coming.” 
• IKIGAI 
• “I never felt like I was going to work, I was just doing what I do.” 
• “I love the challenge of finding out how to motivate and mentor a trainee.” 
• “The goal for my trainees… is to have them experience what it feels like to work right at their potential.” 
• “If you look at any really successful scientist, they trained with successful scientists.” 
• “Mentoring is about transferring ways of working and values that can’t be written down in a protocol book.” 
• “If half of everything I’m trying to do is working, I’m not working on challenging enough projects.”

Books: 

• A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Stockholm: The Adrenaline-Fueled Adventures of an Accidental Scientist by Robert Lefkowitz 
• The Splendid and the Vile by Eric Larson 
• The Language of God by Francis Collins 
• Plato's Republic 
• The Citadel by A. J. Cronin
• Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis