Dorothy E. Lewis, Ph.D.
- Please tell us about a significant event or moment in Cytometry that you experienced, in a lab, at a conference, or at an informal gathering. Humorous anecdotes, historic photos, brochures, papers, etc, are also welcome.
- My own experience began at Los Alamos in 1979. In the cold, cold basement where sorter II was located. The bench was covered with small electronic parts, nuts, bolts, capacitors and like objects I had no clue about. Pretty much every Friday, I would prepare spleens from 25 mice, drive to Los Alamos from Albuquerque to run on Sorter II in the afternoon. Three or four hours for 200 samples. It was 55 degrees in that room and I would sit there running samples wrapped in a blanket, wondering … is this all there is?
- What do you feel was your major contribution to the field of Cytometry?
- I have used cytometry heavily in my own science involving death and cell surface markers on lymphocytes. But in terms of the field, I think it’s the people I have helped with their own experiments and data analysis
- What drove you to this achievement?
- I really care about investigators, including post docs and graduate students, getting the best data and understanding their data.
- Why was it that your team was able to do it? Was it a special skill? Sudden insight?
- I think running a core service is special and that its important to really care about other people’s data. I think I translated that to all the people I have trained.
- Was someone else’s work or influence fundamental in driving your work? Please describe.
- Probably Janis Giorgi, but also others of my peer group. Jake, George B, Vince, so many others that I respect as scientists.
- How do you think your work impacted the field of Cytometry?
- Untold because you never know if you are of service to others.
- Dorothy E. Lewis, Ph.D.
- Baylor College of Medicine