Karen Oh, Research Assistant
At the Heart of the Scientific Adventure
NB: This series of encounters highlights the diversity of the members of the IRCM community, the variety of their expertise and the depth of their commitment to their respective roles
At the heart of Dr. David Hipfner's laboratory, in the IRCM's Epithelial Cell Biology Research Unit, research assistant Karen Oh has been deploying her expertise on a daily basis since 2006. A pillar of the laboratory, this youthful-looking woman embodies the competence and rigour that are so essential to research work.
“Science is exciting. Of course, there are more difficult and frustrating moments, when our research doesn't work, for example, but in general, it's very rewarding, and above all, it's never a routine. Every day is different.’’
Her attachment to the IRCM, where she has worked since 2000, is palpable.
“In the 25 years I've been here, I've always felt at home and at ease. I really like my lab team and director. There's a really good working atmosphere, an emulation towards excellence in a good way, because everyone is very human, and we all work in total respect. We often share good laughs.’’
A laboratory, explains Karen, is a lively, dynamic environment, whose members sometimes change, and where projects often take unsuspected tangents. The scientific adventure is always there.
“The work is constantly evolving, you learn new techniques and pass them on to others. Research often takes us elsewhere, far from our initial point of departure. You never get bored, you're always evolving... in this job, you grow both intellectually and socially.’’
She particularly enjoys the diversity of the teams that make up the IRCM laboratories, a joyful mix in which each and every one brings his or her own culture and ideas.
With a solid scientific background that includes a bachelor's and master's degree in science, Karen organizes, verifies and supervises the work of her unit.
Basically, we're a cancer research lab because enzymes are involved in proliferation, and excessive proliferation is a problem for metastasis in cancerWe work at a very basic, non-clinical level of research.’’
Basic science is often less well understood by the general public, Karen points out. But she reminds us that at the root of every concrete advance in healthcare lies the work and results obtained by scientists like herself and her colleagues.
Thank you, Karen, for your impressive and sustained work.
