Women’s History Month – Jamile Shammo, MD

Dr Jamile Shammo  is a Professor of Medicine and Pathology in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Cell Therapy, at Rush Medical College.

How did you become interested in hematology versus other areas of medicine?

As a medical student ( a very very long time ago!)  , I was fascinated and intrigued by the complexity and highly specialized role of each component of  what makes our blood. I remember thinking, how can red cells shed their nucleus and continue to function? The more I learned about blood, the more interesting it got! Furthermore, The growing body of science surrounding the field of hematology has grown and continues to do so in an exponential manner which keeps me challenged and I find it very satisfying to my scientific curiosity and interests in general. Finally, I find the concepts in hematology to be more abstract and “less palpable” than in any other field.  It is for all those reasons that I collectively chose hematology as a field of study and practice. I have never looked back!

What have been the highlights in your career, specifically in the area of MPNs?

Being a clinician and a pathologist granted me a much deeper understanding of  MPN’s as a disease entity and helped sharpen my diagnostic skills. I have participated in trials and witnessed the emergence of various effective therapies that I could now offer my patients which is greatly satisfying. I know we need to do more, but seeing the science in that area explode with the discovery of multiple disease-associated mutations, and the plethora of available clinical trials aiming to improve the response rate and duration in this disease, I know that we are coming on better times for our patients. 

As a female in this area of medicine, what advice would you give women grappling with career choices in hematology and medical research?

Know thyself! Identify an area of interest preferably early on in you academic career.  Identify a mentor who can support you through the process of establishing yourself as an investigator. Collaborate with your like-minded peers and never give up!