Lawrence Tabak (’81)
Director
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Bethesda, MD
We all learned from each other—students, postdocs and faculty alike. Our journal clubs were pretty intense. My classmates went on to very distinguished academic/research careers. We were taught to be intellectually rigorous and unafraid to try new things. I think all my classmates were able to exploit scientific advances in a very timely manner and in large part this contributed to their rise as academic leaders.
It has been an extraordinary honor and privilege to serve the community (as NIDCR director). A week rarely goes by where I do something that I have never done before. This constant challenge, the opportunity to learn on a daily basis from dedicated and talented colleagues at NIH and the satisfaction of being able to "give back" to a field that I owe everything that I have professionally—all of these elements make it the best job in the world.