Pulling Back the Curtain
Donna DiMichele, MD
In this edition, Donna DiMichele, MD, reveals the careers she imagined herself in
had she not pursued medicine, and how her first summer jobs established a lifelong
work ethic. Dr. DiMichele is the deputy director of the Division of Blood Diseases
and Resources at the National Institutes of Health’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute.
Donna DiMichele, MD
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Montreal, Canada.
My brother, sister, and I were
city kids – the neighborhood
streets and city parks were our
playgrounds. We rode our bikes
and roller-skated everywhere in
the summer, and in the winter,
we played in the snow, shoveled
it, and never missed school
because of it. And we grew up on
hockey, of course! I had a great
childhood.
I was raised in an extended-
family setting that included my
maternal grandparents, both of
whom came from large families.
Our home felt like Grand Central
Station, a constant hub of activity
with relatives and friends coming
and going all the time.
My heritage is Italian
through and through, so you
can imagine that everything was
centered in the kitchen and on
food – eating was a big part of
everyday life. Growing up in a
bilingual society and in an Italian
household meant that I was
immersed in different languages
and cultures. At one point, I even
thought about formally studying
languages and becoming an
interpreter.
What was your first job?
My working-class relatives gave
me my earliest job opportunities.
I started working when I was 16
years old and held summer jobs
until I stopped having summer
breaks. First, I worked on the
production line in a clothing
factory, then I sold shoes in
a department store, where I
eventually was promoted to the
payroll office.
Working these jobs with my
family taught me a strong work
ethic early in life and that there
is no shame in the work you do
– only the work you don’t do to
the best of your ability. I carried
these lessons with me into my
medical career.
16
ASH Clinical News
What was your most
exciting job?
There are two that come to
mind: First, right after I entered
medical school at McGill
University, I worked with
Balfour Mount, MD, a pioneer
in the North American palliative
care and hospice movements.
The time I spent with him was
formative, and I was fortunate
to learn profound lessons in
compassionate care early in my
medical training.
I organized a program for
medical students from McGill
University and the University of
Montreal to work in the drug-
testing operations at the 1976
Summer Olympics in Montreal.
We were only in our first year,
so we were just collecting urine
samples, but we got to be behind
the scenes with famous athletes,
like record-setting gymnast Olga
Korbut!
Was there any other career
you could see yourself in
besides medicine?
My childhood dreams certainly
did not include becoming a
physician. Medicine was a choice
I made in college that surprised
the heck out of my family and – to
some extent – me. The decision
“germinated” from an evolving
interest in human biology.
As late as my senior year in
high school, I had my sights set
on two careers: journalism or
veterinary medicine. I was even
actively exploring universities
specializing in either one.
I was interested in veterinary
medicine because I loved animals
and had all sorts of pets growing
up. I was fascinated by the
veterinarians who knew so much
about a variety of animals and
was intrigued by the challenge.
With journalism, I loved writing.
I also read newspapers as an
adolescent, and digging up a
story was appealing to me – and
probably explains my love of the
investigative aspect of medicine.
Did anyone in your family
work in the medical field
– and, if so, did that affect
your eventual decision to
pursue medicine?
No one in my family was in the
medical profession. The only
career that was common in my
family was teaching, and – even
though I enjoyed school – I
never envisioned becoming a
school teacher. Somehow that
influence persisted because I
chose pediatrics as a specialty
and have always loved my role as
an educator in medicine.
If there was one person who
influenced my decision, it would
have been my own pediatrician.
I grew up at a time when doctors
made house calls and practiced
out of their own homes. He was
funny, kind, and always made me
feel better. I was never afraid of
going to the doctor!
Later in your medical
career, were there any
mentors who helped shape
your path?
When you decide on a career,
and certainly a career in
medicine, there is no one more
influential than a good teacher
and a good student. Fortunately,
I have interacted with plenty
of both through the years. But,
undoubtedly, the person who
holds the highest place of honor
is my mentor from the University
of Colorado, William Hathaway,
MD, who had a profound
influence on my career in
hematology and hemophilia,