Juliane Bubeck-Wardenburg, MD, PhD

Division Chief, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
Donald B. Strominger Professor Researcher, Pediatric Research, Washington University School of Medicine, MD/PhD ’01

Why WashU – twice? As a WashU undergraduate, the medical campus was just across Forest Park, and seemed like a good place to have a lab job for one aspiring to become a medical student. The job I found initially afforded an opportunity to apply my skills at making solutions, but ultimately became a vantage point from which to see the collaborative research environment at the School of Medicine, and to appreciate the vast amount of medically-relevant scientific inquiry here. I chose to pursue my combined MD/PhD training at WashU as I was consistently impressed with the rigor of the scientific environment and the way in which graduate students were an integral part of ongoing research, and the focus of incredible investment by the faculty. As a student, it was simply exciting to be surrounded by discovery in both the clinical and research domains of the School of Medicine, but perhaps more importantly, by a cadre of physicians, scientists, and educators who were passionate about every aspect of their ‘work’.

Some 15 years after completing my MD/PhD, I returned to WashU as a member of the faculty. I returned for the exact same reasons I pursued my initial training here – the vibrant scientific environment, the spirit of inquiry that permeates the clinical and research arenas, the collaborative nature of the people, and the dedication to the next generation. When I was a student, I could not envision a better program in which to train as an MD/PhD; now as a faculty member, I cannot envision a better place to be a practicing physician scientist.