Interview with Ghazaleh Tabatabai on Women in Science Day 2022

For Prof. Dr. Ghazaleh Tabatabai, the human brain and the control center of the human body, the nervous system, was a fantastic world of wonder even in school. Later, in medical school, it became clear to her quite quickly that she wanted to become a neurologist. She is driven by the fascination and the will to explore the unknown and to make new findings useful for patients. As a researcher and physician, she is passionate about understanding tumor biology and developing new forms of therapy. Currently 48 years old, she looks back on an already impressive career as Medical Director at the Center for Neurology at the University Hospital Tübingen, asas head of department at the Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research,
as research group leader in the iFIT Cluster of Excellence, and as spokesperson for the Center for Neurooncology at the CCC Tübingen-Stuttgart. On the occasion of the International Day for Girls and Women in Science, we asked Ms. Tabatabai what motivated her to pursue a career in science and what more can be done for women in science.

1. What made you decide to pursue a career in the natural sciences?

It was not a single defined event that moved me. There were probably many multifaceted circumstances and reasons that contributed to it. On the one hand, I was influenced by my family, but also by my school years, because I really had very good teachers in mathematics and all the scientific subjects. But I see the main contribution to this decision in the adventurous spirit that I have in me. That is, I love to explore the unknown and terra incognita, to discover and create new territory. For me, this still characterizes the deepest essence of science. You formulate unresolved relevant questions, you think about possible solutions, you propose them, and you look and ask yourself, what new thing am I discovering here? This new discovery must then be analyzed, evaluated, and put into context in order to generate new knowledge. For me personally, the subsequent question of how this gain in knowledge can be used and made effective, for example in the form of new diagnostic methods or new therapeutic approaches for patients, is always important. I perceive this entire creative chain as a journey of discovery, and the adventurous spirit for this is simply deeply anchored in my being. Somehow I always feel a special vitality especially when I work with people and for people and can discover and create new things in the process. But it also helped me a lot that I was incredibly fascinated by the content of the pure learning material that you have to master during your studies. So the curiosity and the joy of the concrete content were important aids for me, because I packed myself a kind of backpack with the professional and technical equipment for the adventure journey of the scientific career.

2. In what ways do you think your career can be a role model for girls who are toying with the idea of going into science?

Maybe simply by the fact that I was also once a girl who went to school and then embarked on such an adventure journey, regardless of any challenges. I think that when girls or young women who are at the beginning of their careers see that other women have also taken this path and are taking it, then that can have a certain role model function.

3. Did you have a role model or role models?

I have to answer that with a clear no. What has impressed me in general, of course, are people who have broken new ground and have stood up for women or women's rights, for example, but these were not role models for my scientific career. Of course, my environment, family and friends have accompanied and supported me on my way. But the motivation and the will to follow such a path was not shaped by a specific role model or person. This spirit of adventure, the motivation and the will came from within me.

4. What advice would you give to girls who want to pursue a career in science?

Embark on the adventure, go about your work with passion, courage, discipline and hard work, believe in yourself and your abilities! An important point seems to me to never stand still and to never stagnate complacently, but to constantly develop yourself and to always explore and learn something new. It will usually be the case that something doesn't work out right away, don't get discouraged! I think it is essential to develop a positive attitude towards effort, because further development is not possible without leaving your comfort zone, and that is of course very exhausting and tedious at first! With courage, diligence, perseverance, consistency and discipline you master such phases and develop further!

5. What would you like to see in the future for the advancement of women in science?

The good news is that the topic is on the political agenda. However, there is still a lot to do. If we look at the numbers of first-year students in the natural sciences and medicine, we have an overwhelming proportion of women, but this ratio collapses after the doctorate. So, very specifically, I would like to see that there is no dropout edge after the doctorate. I would like to see the prevailing norms, role models and routines in scientific organizations and institutions, which are still often based on male constructs and perspectives, continue to be constructively challenged and diversified. That women's achievements receive equal recognition and visibility. That work-life balance is not just something that is encouraged, but actively demanded in institutions. I am convinced that these and many other equal opportunity measures are not generous gestures of favor, but rather will enormously enrich and empower science. We are facing complex challenges and at the same time have an enormous amount of hidden talent that is not coming to fruition! This is untapped potential! If all those who could still contribute so much could also become visible and effective, then surely everyone would be helped! Therefore, it must be the interest of science to recover and develop these hidden "treasures". We cannot and must not afford to overlook them!

The interview was conducted by Steven Pohl

Mastering the balancing act between clinical and research routine is one of the major challenges, but one that is close to Prof. Tabatabai's heart in order to quickly bring new findings from the laboratory to the patient's bedside. (Images: Verena Müller & Fabian Zapatka)

About Prof. Dr. Ghazaleh Tabatabai

Position: Medical Director, Department of Neurology with Interdisciplinary Focus on Neurooncology, University Hospital Tübingen; Research Group Leader in the Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180), Spokesperson of the Center for Neurooncology at CCC Tübingen-Stuttgart.
Research interests: Neurooncology, molecular basis of acquired therapy resistance, therapy-induced vulnerability, early clinical investigator-initiated trials.
Year of birth: 1974
Studies: 1993 - 2000 Human Medicine at the Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf; 2002 Medical Dissertation (Dr. med.), Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf
Professional background: https://www.medizin.uni-tuebingen.de/de/das-klinikum/mitarbeiter/profil/1602