Dr. Nicole Kucine is an Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine and Associate Pediatrician at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. She is an advisor of our Pediatric & Young Adult MPNs focus.
How did you become interested in hematology versus other areas of medicine?
I always knew I wanted to be a pediatrician and found hematology/oncology most interesting, but during my residency and fellowship, I realized my heart was really in hematology. The variety of illnesses, the ability to see a mix of patients for both short-term and long-term follow-up, and the detective work involved in making a diagnosis appealed to me more than oncology.
What have been the highlights in your career, specifically in the area of MPNs?
I think working with children with MPNs and their families has been so rewarding. The fact that so many families want to partner with me and work as a team, and how dedicated families are to ensure we can learn more about these diseases has been so important and inspiring.
As a female in this area of medicine, what advice would you give women grappling with career choices in hematology and medical research?
Women still deal with gender discrimination in medicine. I would encourage any woman interested in a career in hematology and research to go for it. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t!
