From 0 to 100 in 8 seconds: how to successfully improve your career
David Groneberg
Institute of Occupational Medicine
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Freie Universität & Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Career: What do we mean?
Career: Is a term defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as an individual's
"course or progress through life (or a distinct portion of life)".
It usually is considered to pertain to remunerative work (and sometimes also formal education).

Career in which field:
Allergy and Clinical Immunology

An individual's "course or progress through life (or a distinct portion of life)"
Allergy and Clinical Immunology
ENT
Dermatology
Respiratory
Medicine
Immunology Pediatrics
Rheumatology
Occupational
Medicine

An individual's "course or progress through life (or a distinct portion of life)"

An individual's "course or progress through life (or a distinct portion of life)"
Surgical
ENT
Conservative
…..
Internal Pediatrics Dermatology ….
…..
Pneumology Rheumatology Immunology ….
…..
University Big Hospital Small Hospital Practice
Director Head Physician Scientist
Male Female
One Europe – but different national pathways …

An individual's "course or progress through life (or a distinct portion of life)"
10
3
Surgical
1
2
Conservative
100 careers
20
90
70
80
30 40 50 60
> 100 careers in allergy and clinical immunology

Career in Allergy and Immunology ?
Nobel Prize
Peter C. Doherty
Rolf M. Zinkernagel
EAACI President
R. Gerth van Wijk
Ulrich Wahn
Full Professor
…
Senior
Scientist
…
Head
Physician
…

Tips: You want to win the Nobel Prize ?
• No advice from my side.
• It is not enough to publish in
Nature, Science and Cell.
• I.e. ask Rolf Zinkernagel.
• Good luck.
Nobel Prize
Peter C. Doherty
Rolf M. Zinkernagel

Tips: You want to become EAACI President ?
EAACI President
R. Gerth van Wijk
Ulrich Wahn
• Again, no advice from my side.
• It is not enough to publish in the Lancet, JACI, Allergy …
• You need to be a good clinician, a good scientist, a good politician and a diplomate.
• Good luck.

Tips: You want to become a Professor ?
Full Professor
…
• There is no formula
• Field of allergology?
• Clinical professor ?
• Basic science professor ?
You need to be a good clinician, a good scientist,
> How to become a good clinician?

Tips: You want to become a good clinician ?
?
You
Head
Physician
…
• Field of allergology?
• Hospital size?
• Who is the supervisor?
• Additional research possible?
• Training programs of EAACI
• Big hospital
> clinical or basic research possible
• Smaller hospital
> clinical research / reviews / case reports

Tips: You want to become a good scientist ?
?
You
Senior
Scientist
…
• Field of allergology?
• Institution type?
• University department size ?
• Who is the supervisor?
• How are future prospects ?
1. High scientific quality
> high risk of failure of experiments but …
2. Lower scientific quality
> Easier way to get to results but …

Tip: The younger the better
Conclusion: You never get the Nobel Prize
… but …

Amino Acid research until the age of 40 years (1960)
Nobel Prize (Insulin structure)
DNA research until the age of 62 years (1980)
Nobel Prize for
DNA research
He retired when he was 65.
Conclusion: It is never too late

Usefull citations from Frederick Sanger
„Previously I had not had much interest in nucleic acids. I used to go to Gordon
Conferences on Protein and Nucleic Acids when the two subjects were bracketed together, and would sit through the nucleic acid talks waiting to get back to proteins. However, with people like Francis Crick around, it was difficult to ignore nucleic acids or to fail to realize the importance of sequencing them.“
Listen to other people
* 13. August 1918 in Rendcombe, UK
„Of the three main activities involved in scientific research, thinking, talking, and doing, I much prefer the last and am probably best at it. I am all right at the thinking, but not much good at the talking.“
Thinking, talking, doing.

Thinking, talking, doing.
Without being a good “thinker“,
> it is nearly impossible planing, writing, (…)
Without being a good “talker“,
> it is extremely difficult
Presentation of data
Convincing people
(…)
Without being a good “doer“,
> it is difficult in the beginning
Treating patients
Doing lab experiments
(…)

Follow your interests

i.e. Ghent
Francisco
Ciliated Epithelium Serous Cell Clara-Cell Transitional Cell Neuroendocrine
Cell i.e. Leuveni.e. South
Epithelial Hampton
Subepithelial
> 40 centers i.e. London
Neuron in Europe
Goblet Cell
Gland
Endothelium Chondrocyte Smooth Muscle Cell
Vessel
Smooth Muscle Cell
Airway
Fibroblast

Database analysis of EAACI meetings

Database analysis of EAACI meetings
Three Meetings:
2001, 2006 & 2007

Database analysis of EAACI meetings

What country?
You can start a career from almost every European country