FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
McGill UM NUSC UiO UofT
LookingBehindtheMirrorwithDr. MarianneKortizinsky
By: Sonya Elsaid
T
he journey is as equally important as the destination, echoed Dr. Marianne Koritzinsky, a Scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Center, and an Associate Professor at the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Toronto (U of T). Dr. Koritzinsky is also recently appointed Director of MSC 1010Y/1011Y Seminar Series in Translational Research course and the Member of the Institute of Medical Science (IMS). IMS Magazine interviewed Dr. Koritzinsky to learn more about her journey to becoming a successful scientist, community leader, and a mentor to many graduate students at the IMS. Even before enrolling in her undergraduate program at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in her native country - Norway, Dr. Koritzinsky has always known that she wanted to do research in radiation biophysics. Although at that time she was very fascinated by the laws of physics, the biological revolution that was happening in the 1990s— especially our growing ability to elucidate the relationship between genes involved in metabolic and signaling pathways in disease states, such as cancer—swayed her decision to refocus her research on molecular biology. Wanting to explore this field in greater depth and work with some of the best experts in the field, Dr. Koritzinsky traveled to Canada during her graduate training to spend six months under the tutelage of Dr. Nahum Sonenberg (Department of Biochemistry, McGill University). Dr. Sonenberg was one of the first scientists to study mRNA translation—a topic that very much intrigued Dr. Koritzinsky, and regulation of mRNA translation under hypoxia in tumor cells eventually became the theme of her research. After completing her
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doctoral training at the University of Oslo, Dr. Koritzinsky obtained a post-doctoral position at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, where she also received her first job working as a scientist. However, living in a small town in the south of the Netherlands did not feel quite at home. Although Maastricht was a beautiful European town and the Dutch culture was very similar to the Norwegian, Dr. Koritzinsky found it difficult to integrate into this very much ethnically homogeneous, Dutch society. This was one of the reasons that led Dr. Koritzinsky to immigrate to Canada in 2008. Knowing that the University Health Network’s (UHN) Cancer Centre was internationally recognized for its cutting edge research in tumor hypoxia and radiation oncology, the move to Toronto was a natural choice. For her, Toronto represented a place where people from different parts of the world came ‘to work in harmony and thrive together.’ It was in Toronto that Dr. Koritzinsky found her home, making it easier to become fully integrated into Canadian society. At first, Dr. Koritzinsky worked as a Scientific Associate at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre at the UHN. She also took on an Assistant Professor role at the Department of Radiation Oncology at the U of T. However, given that the Department of Radiation Oncology did not have a graduate department, and Dr. Koritzinsky wanted to supervise graduate students, in 2011 she pursued and obtained membership at the IMS, and later became an independent Scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. However, her successful career path did not come without having to
IMS MAGAZINE SPRING/SUMMER 2020 BEDSIDE TO BENCH
overcome adversity, seek advice from her senior peer scientists, and network with her colleagues. Besides having to communicate in English, which was not her first language, one of the main challenges for Dr. Koritzinsky was having to adjust to the Canadian culture of self-promotion. Unlike in Norway, where modesty and humility were very much valued, Dr. Koritzinsky had to get used to promoting her research and nominating herself for leadership positions. She credits her collaborators and mentors for helping her overcome this cultural difference. Some mentors and colleagues from Dr. Koritzinsky’s network included Dr. Richard Hill (Professor Emeritus at the Medical Biophysics Department at the U of T), Dr. Michael Milosevic (Vice Chair of Research at the Department of Radiation Oncology) and Dr. Mary Gospodarowitz (Medical Director at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre). These researchers supported for instance, Dr. Koritzinsky’s application for the Terry Fox New Investigator award, of which she was a recipient in 2011. This award is usually presented to a young scientist who works in a supportive environment and who is surrounded by an extensive network of senior peers that can provide mentorship. Similarly, Dr. Koritzinsky credits her mentors for winning the Michael Fry Research Award from the Radiation Research Society in 2016. Again, her mentors and collaborators nominated her and provided letters of support. They generously dedicated their time to promote her career. In fact, it is from her mentors that Dr. Koritzinsky learned to become a mentor herself to many students at the IMS. Graphics by Jennifer Barolet
