by Thomas Clarity (G2)
The APSA Committee recently welcomed back Vanderbilt MSTP alumnus Sameer Chopra, MD, PhD (Class of 2009) as this year’s keynote alumni speaker during MSTP Seminar. Dr. Chopra currently serves as Vice President of Clinical Development at Werewolf Therapeutics, a Boston-area biotechnology company developing novel immunotherapies for cancer.
Dr. Chopra opened with a program-wide talk discussing his role at Werewolf Therapeutics and the company’s mission to develop novel anticancer therapies, including their work leading first-in-human clinical trials. He offered a unique window into how cutting-edge cancer biology is translated from bench to early-phase clinical development in the biotech industry. Notably, Dr. Chopra emphasized that his clinical and scientific training remains central to his work — drawing on his MD-PhD skillset every single day.
Afterward, Dr. Chopra sat down with a group of students for an informal coffee chat, where he spoke candidly about his career trajectory — from initially pursuing the traditional physician-scientist career, to writing his K-award grant and realizing his personal and career priorities had shifted, and ultimately his transition into the biotech industry. The conversation was refreshingly honest and thoughtful, and it was clear that Dr. Chopra maintains a deep commitment and passion for advancing patient care. Dr. Chopra left students with some key pieces of advice:
- Be honest with yourself. Continuously reflect on what brings you happiness in your day-to-day life, what your personal and career goals are, and what you want your life to be like. Your career should directly align with these goals.
- Time is our most valuable asset. Don’t fall into the sunk cost fallacy. The time you have invested in a particular training path is not a reason to stay on it.
- Find what brings you joy, and the rest will follow. Prioritize the people and work that bring you joy. These facets of your life should drive your decision-making, and the smaller details will work themselves out.
We are grateful to Dr. Chopra for his time and openness, and for reminding us that a highly successful physician-scientist career can take many forms.
