In this exclusive IMPACTT interview, Dr. Kathy McCoy shares personal and professional insights, from the start of her career to what inspires her.Read more for insights on how she became a leader in her field.
Where are you from and what was your journey up to the University of Calgary?
I grew up on a farm in northern Alberta about 300 km north of Edmonton. I moved away from Canada to New-Zealand where I did my BSc, BSc(Hons), and PhD. I then moved to Zürich in Switzerland to the laboratory of Nobel Prize Laureate Rolf Zinkernagel where I did my postdoctorate. I stayed there and started as a junior group leader, which led me to stay there for 8 years. In 2006, I took up my first faculty position at McMaster University as an Assistant Professor. In 2010, I moved back to Switzerland as an Assistant Professor at the University of Bern, where I also set up their germ-free facility. Six years later in 2016, I was recruited to the University of Calgary to lead their developing microbiome program. I felt they had an amazing vision regarding the development of a microbiome research program. As an added bonus, moving to Calgary allowed me to move closer to my family. This is how, in 2016, I started as a Professor at the University of Calgary.
How would you define your main topic of research and why do you cherish this topic in particular?
Overall, my main topic of research is to understand the interplay between the microbiome and the immune system and how that shapes the development of our immune system, notably in early life. I find it fascinating that during early life there is a critical period of time where the microbiome has a large impact, potentially setting the stage for immune responsiveness throughout life. Having the correct interactions and signals from the microbiome during this time will have an impact on maintaining health, as well as effecting the pathogenesis of diseases and their treatments.
The implications of our microbiomes are continuously expanding, whether in relation to our environment or health and disease. Do you have a favourite area?
Not being biased here, but I am really excited about how the microbiome impacts the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. I feel it is one area where we might be the closest to harnessing the power of the microbiome to promote the treatment of diseases.
I am super excited about many other areas of our microbiome, but I feel the recent discoveries in this field being the closest to be translated into therapeutical outcomes. Moving forward, understanding the role of the maternal microbiome is fascinating and I believe of great importance. I am also interested in all microbiome-host interactions: microbiome-immune system, microbiome-brain, microbiome-liver.
What inspires your work?
Harnessing the power of our microbiome to develop treatments to prevent and treat diseases.
– THE INSPIRATION –
I am inspired by harnessing the power of our microbiome to develop treatments to prevent and treat diseases. Understanding why and how the microbiome impacts the immune system is key. To do so, we need to discover the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which microbes interact with the immune system. With this knowledge, we will be able to harness the power of our microbiome and develop microbial strategies as well as therapeutics that will improve health and treatment of diseases.
What are the biggest upsides and downsides of research?
I would say that the best thing in research is discovery. It is thriving and inspiring to be able to go down a path and make discoveries that will move science forward and help our world. The biggest downside, I would say, is paradoxically also tied to discovery. To acknowledge that every little step on the way is part of the discovery process. After all, there is no failure in research, but one can easily go down the wrong path, although these are also learning experiences. Nevertheless, making discoveries that will move science forward is a big investment and an important challenge.
You are the Director of both IMPACTT and the IMC (International Microbiome Centre), a group leader, a mother, and a wife. All these responsibilities are incredibly time demanding and can be challenging but you are doing a phenomenal job at it. How do you manage, and how do you keep your balance?
I would say that key points are, first, trying to set priorities, then trying not to get caught up in the details, accepting and asking for help. I also have an incredibly supportive husband who is also a scientist, who understands and supports me. I can say that I would not be able to do all that without the support of my family. Also, I believe that no one is an island, science always involves a team, and both my personal and professional teams pull me up. Surround yourself with fantastic teams and you will accomplish what you want while keeping your balance.
Did you want to be a scientist when you were a child?
Yes, as long as I can remember I loved science! I had a science teacher through junior high and high school who was absolutely inspirational. He had a way of making scientific problems fun and interesting. I did not know what research was, but I was always intrigued by scientific discoveries.
Something we did not ask you, and you would like to share?
Life is a journey – if you don’t know, go with the flow but don’t get lost in the waves.
– CAREER AND LIFE ADVICE –
A thought on career management. Although I always wanted to be a scientist, I did not know what it meant. I did not really map out a career plan. I took quite a meandering path to figure out that I wanted to do research. Before that, I took a year off to travel the world, worked as a technologist for a while, and then figured out I wanted to do research. Now, I feel like it worked out for me, so if you are in science and feel like you don’t know what you want to do, even if you are in a PhD program, I don’t think it should be a source of stress. Life is a journey – if you don’t know, go with the flow but don’t get lost in the waves, don’t let circumstances or people knock you down, be your best advocate, guide your path and you will get there.
