In this edition , Bill Blum , MD , and Kristie Blum , MD , talk about working closely as academic hematologists . Both Drs . Blum are professors in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine . Dr . Bill Blum is Director of the Acute Leukemia Program at Winship Cancer Institute and Dr . Kristie Blum is co-Director of the Lymphoma Program at Emory .
Bill Blum , MD , and Kristie Blum , MD
Bill Blum , MD
Kristie Blum , MD
● Did you both always know you wanted to go into medicine ? Bill Blum , MD : I grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta as the second of four children , and there were no physicians in our family . My father was a water heater salesman and , while my mom is an RN , she did not become a nurse until I was practically in high school . So , I don ’ t think that her being a nurse had much to do with my interest in medicine .
Being a physician was something that I had thought of when I was young , but I wasn ’ t necessarily committed to the idea . Even as an undergraduate , I thought about being an astronaut or an engineer , but it became clear that I wanted both science and frequent person-to-person interaction in my career . I did not enjoy just sitting in front of the computer . At that point , I went back to what was interesting to me when I was growing up – that ’ s where science and people came together .
I was drawn to biology , as well as the possibility of helping people . To me , being a physician was an opportunity to stretch my mind and do something exciting every day , while trying to help people .
Kristie Blum , MD : I grew up in St . Petersburg , Florida , and , like Bill ’ s family , there were four kids and no one in our immediate family was a physician . What ’ s unique is that I have one brother who is two years younger , but then a sister who is 13 years younger and another brother who is 18 years younger . It was the experience of watching the physicians in the hospital as my sister was born that inspired me to go into medicine .
What brought you to hematology ? Did you consider any other fields ? Bill : When I decided to pursue medicine as a career , hematology was always my driving interest .
This interview has been edited for length and clarity .
Bill and Kristie Blum with their three sons at the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire .
Hematology had interested me ever since grade school . I remember looking at blood through a microscope in class and thinking how incredibly cool it was . I wanted to look at my own blood through the microscope !
That interest only deepened as I went through medical school , and , by the time I showed up at the University of Virginia for my residency , it was a done deal that I was going to do a hematology / oncology fellowship afterward .
Kristie : Honestly , I never considered anything else ; I loved biology and medicine felt like a natural fit .
Going into medical school at the University of Miami , I hadn ’ t narrowed down what specific branch of medicine I wanted to pursue . However , at Miami , I met J . Donald Temple , MD , who was a fantastic mentor and teacher who stoked my interest in hematology . Like Bill , I was drawn to the idea of looking at the microscope and realizing that I could see what was going on with patients just by looking at their blood smears .
Then , when I did my residency at the University of Virginia , it was again the influence of a mentor , Michael E . Williams , MD , that piqued my interest in the field of lymphoma .
What was it about Dr . Williams that made him a great mentor ? Kristie : Mike clearly loves all aspects of his profession . He teaches , he conducts clinical research , and he takes excellent and thoughtful care of patients , and enjoys every minute of all three endeavors .
Later , after Bill and I were married and we were completing our fellowships at Washington University in St . Louis , I worked with Nancy Bartlett , MD , who is another fantastic clinical researcher and mentor . She taught me how to conduct thorough and rigorous research , and provided a great example of how to balance your personal and professional life .
Bill , who helped shape your career path ? Bill : Douglas Adkins , MD , at Washington Uni-
16 ASH Clinical News March 2021