Conversations with Laureates

"I think passion is everything... the work is interesting and exciting and absorbing. You can hardly call it work." - Phil Leder

There are people—some might call them lucky—who are fully engaged in their life's work, and bring to that endeavor a sense of fascination, centeredness, and vision of purpose. Phil Leder is one of those people. But more than luck is involved. A dose of optimism to withstand the inevitable moments of disappointment and frustration in the daily life of a scientist. A high level of self-confidence to accept professional risks and endure criticism. And perhaps the most important ingredient of all, dedication to the betterment of the human condition, which is the underpinning of all of Leder's scientific contributions.

Leder trained first as a medical doctor, graduating from Harvard Medical School, and following his internship delved into research at the National Institutes of Health, in part to fulfill his military obligation. As it turned out, he had found his niche. Working in Marshall Nirenberg's lab, Leder made major contributions in the field of genetics and went on to establish his own NIH lab for the study of immunology, later returning to Harvard, where he remains to this day.

Leder has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the prestigious Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award for his studies of the genetic basis of antibody diversity and the role of genetic rearrangement in carcinogenesis. He is noted for his role as a mentor, particularly in his support of women in scientific research, and is highly respected as a leading figure in cancer research today.