Thread by @TheDoctorIsVin

This is my last week at @sloan_kettering after 8 1/2 years. No one had as much impact as @rosslevinemd, and so with my final MSK tweetorial before @cohesinlab moves to @columbiacancer to start @cohesinlab, a few of my favorite memories and pearls of wisdom from @rosslevinemd 1/25

In 2016 during the Vice President’s @CancerMoonshot initiative, there was a planned visit for @JoeBiden to come to @sloan_kettering. I heard the original plan was to visit the @CharlesSawyers lab, but Secret Service preferred the RRL building. 2/25

@rosslevinemd met and spoke with VP @JoeBiden then led him through each laboratory bay where a handful of us were waiting to tell him about our work with a “cooking-show” style setup ready. My station was a western blot (an old, super unsexy protein quantification assay). 3/25

It led to an amazing photo op as we looked at x-ray film held up to the light as Ross looked on proudly. @JoeBiden listened intently, asked thoughtful questions, then moved to the next bay. We went home inspired to redouble our efforts to improve the lives of cancer patients 4/

Ross is very active with @Cycle4Survival, an amazing organization raising money for rare cancer research @sloan_kettering. Ross and I both often speak at events, which are so moving, and we have become very friendly with the amazing development team headed up by Katie Klein. 5/

Katie emailed Ross sometime in 2017 asking for a pair of hospital scrubs. He passed the request to me and I left a pair on my desk for Katie to pick up. A month later my sister @arielleviny, a photo producer in LA, calls asking why she has my scrubs and white coat in her mailbox

It turned out my very used very dirty scrubs from residency were not so much “borrowed” but rather cut and redesigned by @virgilabloh @OffWht into a tracksuit which sold at auction, raising $5500 for @Cycle4Survival. And a video...7/25

Ross recently won the @ASH_hematology Dameshek prize at the 2018 Annual meeting. It is a huge honor bestowed upon an investigator under age 50 who has made a significant contribution to the field. Commensurate with this honor we threw Ross-a-palooza. 8/25

Hosted at a great outdoor venue with an open bar, DJ’ed by @mdmcmax, and 500 temporary tattoos of Ross’s face (my wife Aly’s idea). Former trainees, colleagues, and friends came out to celebrate Ross (and wear a tattoo of his face on their body)—a true testament of his character

Those that know Ross also know he is a teeny tiny bit competitive 🤪 Well, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of @rosslevinelab, he took current and former members to @Woodloch for a retreat with science, relaxation, and outdoor activities. 10/25

We bribed an @ASH_hematology admin to get the “ASH team” football jersey she wore at the year prior’s presidential reception on the field at @GeorgiaDome and that jersey is now framed in his office, signed by every trainee. 11/25

As a final activity we had a scavenger hunt. 3 teams, puzzles, games, physical feats. Wouldn’t ya know it, but Ross’s team won, earning woodloch medals. To this day, he will walk into the lab, his medal proudly around his neck anytime he feels he needs to reassert his dominance!

Ross was recently promoted to chief of molecular cancer medicine @mskcc and to celebrate him, knowing how big of a @Mets fan he is, we got a @cameo video from @BobbyValentine. 13/25 cameo.com/v/L8jOAj1nL

Better still, a great friend to the lab and giant in the field, @leonard_zon made his own video! 14/25 dropbox.com/s/xdlv2d28p2l8…

Last summer Ross and I met in his office to discuss whether it was the right time to start my job search. We planned, we strategized, and after giving a talk at @FASEBorg Hematology the job search had officially begun. 15/25

We talked through scope and focus of my future lab, he edited research statements, practiced chalk talks. Behind the scenes, he emailed and called key contacts. I interviewed across the country meeting scientists whom I greatly admire as I “ran the plays” Ross drew up. 16/25

Then COVID hit. Hiring freezes took 2/3 of the programs I had looked at from being options (tweeted in detail previously). Unsolicited, Ross reached out to the programs I was most interested in to offer his financial and laboratory resources to me for any transition period. 17/

The COVID pandemic was the most physically and emotionally taxing clinical medicine I have ever experienced (tweeted in detail previously). I would not have gotten through it without @rosslevinemd. 18/25

I confided in him that just before starting on service that Aly and I had just found out we were pregnant after a long time trying. He also knew my fears as a BMT survivor in getting COVID conflicted with my sense of duty to my colleagues and my patients. 19/25

He knew the best way to help was to ensure I knew he had my back (and he did). We communicate often by email, or slack, or text, but during COVID he called by FacetTime once if not twice daily. He was called to talk, yes, but he was also doing a realtime physical exam. 20/25

When I tell people interested in joining @rosslevinelab that Ross really and genuinely CARES, this is what I mean. The guy cares about his trainees as scientists and he cares about his trainees as complete humans. 21/25

My time as a member of the @rosslevinelab has been some of the best years of my life, spent with some of the most phenomenal, fearless, and innovative scientists around @bowman_rl @RichardKoche @lindemilesphd @shengfcai @Lindsay_LaFave @AbdelWahablab @gur_ola @Britt_icisms 22/25

@PedsHemeDoc @ElodiePronier Andy Dunbar, Alan Shih, Priya Koppikar, Neha Bhagwat, Michael Waarts, Aaron Stonestrom, Pablo Sanchez Vela, Troy, and Ines. 23/25

If you are a high school/college student, apply to summer programs in @rosslevinelab
If you are a college graduate, apply to be a technician in @rosslevinelab
If you are a medical student, apply for the @ASH_hematology HONORS program to spend a year in @rosslevinelab 24/25

If you are a fellow, talk to @rosslevinemd about joining the @rosslevinelab or at least make @rosslevinemd
If you are a PI, schedule a joint lab meeting with the @rosslevinelab
His enthusiasm is infectious, his mentorship inspiring. You won’t regret it. 25/25