Name: PJ Maglione, MD, PhD
When did you start working with the JMF? I began working with the JMF at the start of Allergy/Immunology Fellowship at Mount Sinai in July 2011. The JMF has generously supported fellows-in-training at Mount Sinai for many years so that they receive top-notch training in clinical care and research in the field of primary immunodeficiencies. Now that I am at my early stages as an academic faculty member, the JMF has been absolutely pivotal in allowing me to have protected time to continue my research endeavors and apply for grants as an early career investigator.
Profession and Location: Instructor, Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
What inspires you? People who are passionate about what they do, in work and play. It is so easy to get into a routine, get by with the minimum, and let life and opportunities pass you by. When I see those who are really trying to be the best at what do professionally, whatever it may be, and try to get the most out of life every day, it wakes me up out of that easy routine and reminds me to try to be one of those people myself.
What aspect of JMF do you find most special? Speaking from experience, I can say that I think the JMF’s commitment to fellows-in-training is quite special. Not only has the JMF supported our fellowship training program at Mount Sinai for many years, but it has also made available research and travel grants to those who really need it. These grants are absolutely vital for fellows-in-training and early career faculty who have limited financial support to conduct research or attend conferences.
What’s your favorite JMF memory? I actually had the opportunity to sit next to Rochelle Hirschhorn at dinner at a JMF event this past year. Not only did she discover ADA deficiency, a type of severe combined immunodeficiency, but she also predicted that it could be treated with gene therapy, which we now have increasing optimism may become a reality for many children with this form of primary immunodeficiency. She is a real giant in the field of immunology and truly an inspiration when you consider that this work was done during a time when women physician-scientists were not common or eagerly accepted. I cherish the conversation I had with that night Dr. Hisrchhorn very much.
Favorite Quote: This might be silly because it is a quote from television, but one quote by Jean-Luc Picard (Captain of the Enterprise from Star Trek the Next Generation!), “Things are only impossible until they are not,” has always stuck with me. These words come into my head often when faced with difficult clinical or research scenarios that seem hopeless. We should believe that we will make new therapies and treatments for diseases that seem impossible to treat, because that’s all we have ever done. Similarly, when we think about research we have to remember to not be afraid to challenge scientific dogmas, because that is the only way we’ve ever moved forward. Jean Luc-Picard was an inspiring guy!
To Sum Up! I’ve had a longstanding interest in immunology, ever since I was introduced to it in high school biology class. I was so enamored with the topic that I picked a college because it had an undergraduate immunology major and wrote a research paper on B cells in the first semester of my freshman year. I pursued an MD/PhD because I thought it would give me the best chance to learn all aspects of immunology, both basic science and clinical medicine, and met with my current clinical and research mentor, Charlotte Cunningham-Rundles, years before I started fellowship in clinical immunology. I have been pursuing a career in immunology for quite a long time. It is so exciting to have finally gotten this far.