Dr Ruchira Jha

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What inspired you towards a career in science?

The ‘physician’ side of wanting to be a physician-scientist started early. Both my parents are surgeons, and when I was about 7 years old, I witnessed my father (a neurosurgeon) rescue a man from the side of the road in Bombay after a motorcycle accident. There was no time for an ambulance, so he carried the man into our car and drove him to the hospital/operating room. All I remember was the amount of blood coming from the head injury. The man recovered and remained in touch with my father for several years. The whole experience profoundly impacted me and is probably when my journey began. In medical school, I discovered my love of science /discovery - and the wonder, specifically, of neuroscience. My mentor, Dr David Cardozo, nurtured this inspiration, who simultaneously also fostered in me the belief in my ability to pursue scientific discovery since I did not come from a classic undergraduate biology/research background. As I advanced through a medical residency in neurology, I increasingly appreciated how much remained unknown, and the huge opportunity for scientific discovery.

What did you study and where?

Medicine (MD), Harvard Medical School.

What was the topic of the first thesis you wrote?

Multipotent cells in the human and rat filum terminale. 

Why did you choose that topic?

During a medical student neuroscience class, I became fascinated by the embryology of the filum terminale- a vestigial structure in humans that would have provided innervation to our ‘tail.’ During development, cells in this structure undergo differentiation and subsequently de-differentiation. This led to our hypothesis that these cells may be a source of expendable multipotent progenitor cells in humans.

Which role do you have right now, and what are you investigating?

Principal Investigator- Clinician-Scientist. I am a practicing attending neurointensivist at the Barrow Neurological Institute/St Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in my clinical role. My translational research focuses on secondary injury (like cerebral edema) preclinical models of traumatic brain injury and studying these processes in human patients (genetics, biomarkers). 

What are the most enjoyable and the less enjoyable aspects of your daily routine?

Most enjoyable: constant new challenges: new data to make sense of, new questions being asked, never gets old/redundant!  Least enjoyable: administrative paperwork that is often redundant and sometimes unnecessary! 

What is the most important lesson you have learnt during your career so far?

To invest in people. Technologies change, techniques change- but if you have a good team- anything is possible!

What was the most challenging moment of your career, and how did you go through it?

I have had the good fortune of working with truly phenomenal people- both clinically and in my research endeavours – and at all levels, from student to mentor. However, over the past >10 years there has been one individual who was incredibly challenging for me to work with- he was a constant source of stress/negative energy- and almost every interaction was contentious and extremely unpleasant to the point where I would start to doubt myself and avoid all interactions which were probably not in the best interest of productivity. To be honest, I still do not know how I got through that – I think a lot of it was with the support of other people (professionally but also my friends and family). I found ways and worked around, and tried to have most of my interactions be in a group rather than an individual setting. I also realized that while I could not change his behaviour, I could control/modify my reaction, so I tried not to take things personally. 

If you could travel in time, is there a career decision you would like to change and why?

None yet; maybe I would also pursue a formal PhD and the MD instead of the MSc. 

Do you have any regrets career-wise?

No. I have made plenty of mistakes- but each one has taught me at least one, if not a more valuable lesson. 

Who are your role models?

I admire the different attributes of several different people- mentors, friends, other scientists, historical figures. However, my true role models, as cliched as it may sound, are close to home -  my parents, my husband, my grandmother. 

Do you have a mentor?

Yes, I have several; however, two have been most influential in my development- Dr David Cardozo (Harvard Medical School) and Patrick Kochanek (University of Pittsburgh). 

What did the mentor(s) teach you?

How to think critically, especially of my own work, how to be a good collaborator, the importance of good science rather than fast science, how there is no substitute for hard work and being excellent. They both taught by example.

Which advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?

-Be fearless in your pursuits and believe in yourself. While there is always a role for reflection and thought, it is easy to overthink many decisions.

-Do not spread yourself too thin trying to do everything- pick a few things you think you will love, and develop them with depth/meaning.

-Find people who inspire you and spend as much time with them as possible.

-Read more.

-Dance more. 

What is your advice for young students who are unsure/undecided about their careers?

-Find good mentors in different fields- people who inspire you and who will selflessly invest in you/give advice that is best for you. Spend as much time with them as you can- and talk to them about their journey.  

-Don’t be hesitant to explore a variety of interests.

-Think beyond school/education/experience to the kind of job you envision enjoying when all the ‘training’ is done.

-Try not to be bound by a ‘checklist’ that you think you might need for the next step (e.g., getting into medical school or graduate school), but to follow a passion of a subject that you love – the rest will fall into place with a little bit of luck. 

-Doors are never shut permanently- even if you make a decision that you realize was not the best for you, you can always revisit it. I have several colleagues in medicine who did 1-2 years of research training grants and realized it was not for them- but they almost all say the experience was valuable- not just in terms of skills/development but also in that it helped them realize what their true passions were.