Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/646815
t m c » p u l s e | m a r c h 2 0 1 6 24 TMC SPOTLIGHT Q | Tell us about your formative years. A | I was born in North Central Ohio to a family that valued hard work. It was a rural part of Ohio, and my childhood was dominated by farm life and playing in nature. It was a working farm, although my father had a full- time job. With the encroachments of suburban Cleveland, the land was sold and there are now people who literally live on the farm land and commute WORLD-RENOWNED GENETICS RESEARCHER ERIC BOERWINKLE, PH.D., THE NEW DEAN OF UTHEALTH SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, SAT DOWN WITH WILLIAM F. McKEON, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF STRATEGY AND OPERATING OFFICER OF THE TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER, TO DISCUSS THE EXCITING FIELD OF GENOMICS AND HOW COLLABORATION THROUGH THE TMC GENOMICS INSTITUTE WILL PLAY A KEY ROLE IN DEVELOPING FUTURE CLINICAL APPLICATIONS. to Cleveland every day. When I was a child, we went to Cleveland once a year at Christmastime wearing white shirts and ties to look at the window displays. My brother now farms in Central Ohio, and my mother's side of the family farms in Indiana—some of the best agricultural land in the world. I feel very fortunate to have grown up with a farm background. Because I was very busy with everyday life on a working farm, I was not the best student in the world. I recall spending about 15 minutes selecting a college, which is a huge con- trast with my own children who toiled for years, accompanied by professional counselors, guidebooks and visitation weekends. I didn't want to go to Ohio State because it was too big. It was, unfortunately, right after the Kent State event, so that was out of the question. I picked the University of Cincinnati, which was a great choice because it was my first experience living in a city and it is a great school. Q | What led you to select biology? A | When one grows up in a rural setting, you are surrounded by life and nature, and I was just fascinated by it all. I was one of those kids who picked up rocks and looked at the