Clifford J Tabin

What are you most proud of about your work at HMS?
I have two roles at Harvard Medical School. One is that I am a Professor in the Department of Genetics.
In that capacity, I have two major responsibilities, both of which have been a source of pride. First, I am in the business of doing science. Through the extraordinary talents and efforts of the students and postdocs in my lab, I have been fortunate enough to have participated in advancing our knowledge of some of the great mysteries of life: How does an embryo miraculously form from a single fertilized egg? How do the genetic instructions for forming an embryo change in producing the beautiful variety of forms of life on earth? am certainly proud of the contributions we have made in these areas. Second, I am in the business of launching careers, a role that I take very seriously. I am extremely proud of my trainees and especially the achievements they have made since leaving my lab.

My other major responsibility at HMS is as Chair of the Department of Genetics. I am exceedingly proud to head one of the great life science departments in the world, equally notable for its collegiality as for the scientific accomplishments of its faculty.

Are there activities outside your job at Harvard that you feel enrich or inform who you are as an individual at Harvard?
My participation in outside activities has shifted during the 25 years I have been at HMS. For a long time, I engaged in various athletic activities, playing in the Men's Senior Baseball League as recently as 10 years ago. For the last 15 years, I have been involved, as Chair of an International Advisory Board, in an effort to develop a medical school geared specifically to the needs of the rural poor in Nepal. And, most importantly, I cherish the time I spend with my son and daughter of whom I am incredibly proud.