By Julie Chan, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan
What inspires a female physiologist based in Taiwan to take on the responsibility as the President of International Union of Physiological Sciences (IUPS) and Reviewing Editor of The Journal of Physiology? A quick answer is “to aim high and turn challenges to opportunities”, and this motto has guided my career development for more than 40 years.
Aim high and be prepared
I received my Bachelor’s degree in life sciences in the late 1970’s. As a graduate from a top university in Taiwan, I could have easily landed a reasonably well-paid job as a high school science teacher or a research associate in a university or research institute.
An opportunity during my junior year sparked an alternative idea. Considered a top student in my class, I was selected by my physiology professor to join his research team as an intern. It was during my internship that I recorded for the first time in my life an action potential from the hypoglossal nucleus of a rat. I was captivated, and this experience prompted me to decide that I should strive to become university faculty, a far-fetched career path for most of my classmates. To prepare for this goal, I left Taiwan in 1979 to receive my postgraduate training in the US where I acquired the essential skills for becoming a competent scientific investigator.
Attending national and international conferences during my master and doctoral training infused another career idea. Watching how officers of professional societies conducted themselves in non-academic businesses alerted me that service of this kind to fellow scientists should be part of my professional goal in the future. I have since taken every opportunity to prepare myself for this goal.
Adopt a positive attitude towards challenges and turn them into opportunities
Upon returning to Taiwan, as a junior research fellow in the research unit of a hospital and an adjunct assistant professor in a university, I did everything that is required of junior faculty. Right from the beginning, I took the challenges of establishing my laboratory, securing research grants, preparing lecture notes, leading student laboratories, and recruiting graduate students as tests of the training and experience acquired during my postgraduate study. In addition, while many of my peers shied away from administration and service, I undertook these services in stride, particularly as I climbed my career ladder.
Looking back, the additional experiences have broadened my professional skills above-and-beyond my scientific knowledge and research skills.
Career benefits of serving as Reviewing Editor
I am a big believer that the key to advancement in science is rooted in publishing new discoveries. My association with The Journal of Physiology was first as an author and then a Reviewing Editor since 2013. Serving in the latter capacity offers me two opportunities. First, it allows me to reciprocate the scientific advice my fellow colleagues gave me as an author.
Second, I find my service to The Journal of Physiology stimulating and rewarding. In particular, as the discipline of physiology has evolved to embrace molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry, biophysics, and immunology, I am offered the unique opportunity to witness this progress. Handling manuscripts that are outside my research expertise is challenging at times, but is a wonderful opportunity to learn from inputs of the other reviewers.
Serving the global physiological community
My goal to serve the global physiological community was realized when I became the Vice President and then President of the Federation of Asian and Oceanian Physiological Societies.
One opportunity leads to another, and I now serve the international physiological community in my capacity as the President of IUPS. When I was asked for consent to nominate me for the position I asked myself if I was ready to step outside my comfort zone (as a scientist) to take on this challenge? The answer was that I know what I can do for the community and I am prepared to do a good job!
Given the diverse social, economic and ethnic background of our members from 78 countries and regions, meeting all their expectations could be an especially daunting task. However, using “to aim high and turn challenges to opportunities” as the guiding principle, I have been able to work with colleagues in the executive committee, council and the board of general assembly during the past three years to initiate new tasks, launch new programs, and refurbish the website to provide broader services to physiologists worldwide and promote physiology research and education globally. From those experiences I realize that to reach for the stars turns out to be an attainable goal.
To learn more about the IUPS and the next IUPS Congress to be held in May 7-11, 2022 in Beijing, China, click here.