Name: Gayle Slaughter

Title: Distinguished Emeritus Professor Of Moleculr and Cellular Biology

Organisation: Baylor College of Medicine

Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Diversity Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology Baylor College of Medicine Gayle Slaughter, PhD, grew up in small, racist towns in Louisiana. She won 1st place in the junior divison of the state science fair.

She helped the Louisiana Junior Academy of Sciences integrate and revitalize (beginning when she was 14) through 2 terms as Secretary, one as President and 3 years as Assistant to Presidents. She faced gender discrimination in gaining college scholarships, except in her hometown because faculty in the Chemistry Department had been her science fair judges. She earned her chemistry degree, then a PhD in biochemistry and biophysics at Iowa State University.

She completed a post-doc at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), supported by an NIH fellowship, then a NIH New Investigator Award and a coveted NIH R01 grant and was promoted to Assistant Professor. She was an invited speaker for international and national research conferences. Her research is cited in articles nearly 40 years after publication.

She was a reviewer for 13 scientific journals and state and national funding organizations She served as a leader, including Chair. of GREAT for leaders of graduate schools in medical schools. She is a Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Molecular & Cellular Biology and Former Senior Associate Dean of Graduate Education & Diversity for BCM.

Soon after she became an assistant professor, her interaction with college students led to BCM’s leadership drafting her to develop and direct the SMART Program with 100 undergraduates from across the US conducting summer research at BCM and participating in career development activites. She developed and directed 5 programs to help young people find their career paths and succeed in science and medical programs.

S3 included 120 Houston area high school students; SMART trained 2,800 college students; a post-baccalaureat PREP had over 100 under-repesented (UR) participants; 190 UR PhD alumni and 130 current PhD students participated in IMSD; an IRACDA post-doc research/teaching program helped transform curricula to be more research oriented at three Houston minority-serving universities that then secured $20 million for research.

Dr Slaughter secured $30 million in grants from local and national foundations, the Department of Defense, the National Science Fhan oundation and the National Institues of Health. She retired in 2017, but SMART, PREP and IMSD continue - funded by more than $10 million.

Dr. Slaughter received the 1st Molecular and Cellular Biology service/education award, BCM’s top education award, the Woman on the Move Award from the Houston chapter of Texas Executive Women, commendations from the City of Houston and the Texas Senate and the US Presidental Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. She has given more than 500 talks, 33 for national conferences and continues to mentor developing scientists.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

I hope Gayle's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

It was challenging to find institutional funds to support the operational expenses of 5 programs I developed and directed to help young people determine whether they wanted to pursue careers in biomedical science and to help them succeed in those careers.

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

My 8th grade science teacher saw my potential as a leader and had a fellow student nominate me for secretary of the Louisiana Junior Academy of Sciences. I then became President of the LJAS and wrote letters to students across the state by flashlight, so my parents wouldn't know I hadn't gone to bed. I resurrected a dying organization.

I was also President of a prayer group at our high school and led churches to host after football game parties that expanded our reach. At my church, I led the Girls Auxillary group to state recognition. In college, I helped restart a youth camp program and served as a counselor for 4 years. Then I focused on finishing my PhD and launching my career. My willingness to share what I knew with others, positioned me to be asked to give talks at meetings and to be asked to review papers and grants.

As a young faculty member at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) I was asked to organize a weekly seminar for undergraduates who worked in my department. I realized the students were scared of our prestigious faculty and decided to lead a rap session to talk about science. That discussion led to me organizing the seminars in a way to show why we were doing research.

That year BCM decided to have a coordinated summer research program for college students. I was asked to be on the committee to develop it, but was the only person who had a plan. The convener of that meeting, the Director of then MD/PhD program, had me meet with a Vice-President of The Pew Charitable Trusts who asked me what would do if I had $100,000 a year for a summer research program.

I told her - I had been thinking about interesting young people in science for over 20 years. The PCT did give us a grant - but it was for 120 students a year starting with the first year with the stipulation that I direct the program as a 2nd year non-tenure track assistnat professor. As I talked with faculty, they realized that I had experience and a passion for helping young aspiring scientists and physicians that would guide the program to success.

I had to take on many responsibilities that were assigned to others, but despite almost daily problems, our first year program was a success. The President of BCM asked me to give a 5 minute talk to leaders that was very well received. The Chanctellor, Dr. Michael DeBakey, said "This is the best hing we have done in 10 years". BCM and PCT leaders did not care how young or was or how early I was in my career, they saw leadership potential in me. My later leadership roles flowed from my willingness to help others succeed.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

I decided what to wear, based on who I knew I would encounter, the night before, then grabbed breakfast and when my son was young, drove him to school. We used the 45-90 minute drive to play logic, math, spelling or other games. Once I arrived at work, I had day planners with 15 minute blocks of time.

When I was working in the lab, I conducted multiple experiments at one time because there were always wait times in any one experiment. I decided what I wanted to present at a meeting and worked backward to determine what i needed to do to meet the deadline. I used the same strategy when applying for grants, writing progress reports and directing programs.

I'd make lists and markoff the time needed to complete them. I needed to attend 2 research seminars each week and occasionally others. Once I was eligible to eat in the faculty dining room, I tired to make time to do so several times a weerk. That forum proved esssential to launching educational programs.

I picked up my son from K-5th grade, sometimes bringing him to a late afternoon seminar (he colored) or a stop at the lab to finish something. If his dad was traveling we had dinner at my son's favorite place. I cooked most nights while my son colored and by the time he was 4 could work on the Apple 2E computer we bought to match the one I bought with my first NIH grant.

After dinner was mom and son time to play games; scrabble was the favorite starting when my son was 4 years old. Once my son was in bed, I analysed data or wrote reports or papers, some of which are still being cited 35 years after they were published. I arrived at the lab at 6:30am on Saturdays so I could finish in time to get to my son's ball games. On Sundays, I sang while I tended to rose bushes very early then went to church and did other family activities.

4. What's a recent leadership lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of?

Leaders need to be introspective enough to think about leadership and share our lessons with others. The Pew Charitable Trusts discontinued a study to determine what led to outstanding performance in science because none of the participants would give them any answers.

Knowing that, led me to think more about how I had overcome health problems and educational disadvantages. I was never supposed to accomplish what I did. Young scientists, that NIH officials directed to me for guidance, kept asking me how I learned to be a successful program developer and and grant writer.

I developed a talk about how life experiences prepare you to be a problem solver. The talk has been presented a number of times, one a month ago, with appreciative audiences from high school students and their parents to college students, to PhD students to post-docs. Overcoming obstacles teaches us valuable lessons. You accomplished many things long before you finish a PhD. You never know which experiences will be what you need to solve a new problem.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

When I was 17 and in the hospital,my sister went to then library to get a book for me. She loved Greek mythology so when she saw the title Atlas Shrugged, she checked it out and proudly gave it to me. I was enthralled by the story of a heirone trying to save the world from intentional collapse, but thought the author, whose Bio was so laudatory, was totally off base. Why did smart, creative people have to separate themselves from others to be productive and happy?

I had recently read B.F. Skinner's Walden Two, that had the same premise. Those books led me to think about how to create environments that would cultivate creativity and intellectual productivity without withdrawing from the world. I could never have imagined how much those books would led me to create activities and programs that have benefitted thousands of young people.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

Be willing to share what you know with others. Doing so will lead to greater outcomes, spark your own creativity and create allies.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far?

I was elected to the board of the GREAT group at only my second meeting, because I had helped so many of the members with developing programs for young scientists. When I was elected Chair, the liason to our parent organization was a bit shocked. He was East Coast educated and the former Dean of Stanford Medical School, while I was educated at a no--name college and only an assistant dean.

He had two goals he wanted me to help him achieve, one of which would involve changing the by-laws of the group. I had faced a similar situation when I was a 17 year-old President of the LJAS, but in that case I had no advance notice. The business meeting was a 2 hour disaster. That nightmare flashed in front of my eyes and I thought, "Not again". With a lot of discussion and 500 emails, the situation was handled very smoothly and my new admirer wrote one of my 12 letters from prestigious leaders for my promotion to full professor. I teach students to learn from bad experiences.