For this Faculty Feature, we spoke with Liang-I Kang, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Anatomic and Molecular Pathology.
Tell us about your background. Where did you grow up, and when did you first become interested in science and medicine?
My family is Taiwanese. We moved to the US when I was an infant, and I grew up in Delaware. When I was in middle school, my family moved back to Taiwan for a number of years, and then I came back to the US for college and beyond. When I was in middle school and high school, I had some early exposures to science through field biology and the mini-zoo that the high school biology teacher kept in his classroom and in his mini natural science museum. He started an Environmental Science Club, and we would go on field trips into the mountain forests, catch bugs, and learn how to do taxidermy (pin bugs, stuff mammals, etc). Those experiences inspired me to major in biology when I went to college.
I went to college at the University of Delaware, which has a strong tradition of undergraduate research and HHMI funding to support it. In my early college years, I learned about the MD/PhD track and considered medicine (not sure why, to be honest), doing volunteering at a local community hospital. I joined an eye development lab at my university and learned how to do a variety of histologic techniques (including microtomy and cryosectioning), mouse work, and microscopy (our lab had our own confocal microscope!). I spent 3 years in that lab, and through my research there, was fortunate to have a number of abstracts accepted at national conferences, which were really special experiences for me. I really enjoyed research and hoped to go to grad school but also wanted to get more training/exposure to research that would be more translational. I also didn’t have any MD/PhD physician scientist role models at my university (which didn’t have a medical school), so I was having trouble envisioning how physician scientist career would work. When researching graduate school programs, I discovered the field of experimental pathology, and it was truly a light bulb moment when I next discovered there was a corresponding clinical field of pathology. I went back to the hospital I volunteered at and asked the volunteer office if it was possible to shadow or volunteer with the pathology department. That hospital had only one (!) pathologist, and he was DELIGHTED to show me around the lab. He showed me frozen sections and took me to a (very early morning) tumor board. That experience solidified my resolve to apply to MD/PhD programs, as I saw pathology as the perfect field for me to pursue a combined physician scientist career path. I tried to keep an open mind during medical school as I went through rotations in different fields, but ultimately pathology has always been my vision and passion.
What is your career path?
I am working to establish and maintain a career as a physician-scientist, with majority of my time in basic/translational research and part time active clinical practice. On the clinical side, I trained in anatomic pathology and did a Liver/GI pathology fellowship, and I currently sign-out on the Liver/GI pathology services. On the research side, I work under the mentorship of Dr. David DeNardo, whose lab studies the tumor microenvironment of pancreatic cancer. My own research program focuses on the tumor microenvironment in liver metastases of pancreatic cancer, and I am working towards establishing my own independently funded laboratory.
What are your favorite parts of your current role?
I love having both the research and clinical aspects of my job. On the clinical side, I like the problem-solving aspect, being able to provide a diagnosis that helps to explain the patient’s symptoms, or classifying a tumor so correct treatment can begin. Some cases are like a puzzle and it’s very rewarding to be able to figure it out with the help of immunostains or other ancillary studies. I also like teaching at the scope and showing the trainees fun incidental findings that are also important to recognize. On the research side, I really enjoy being able to use my anatomic pathology training in experiments and working with my hands. I like successfully troubleshooting things, how it feels when experimental results are repeatable, learning about really cool things very smart people are doing, and making unique connections with people across departments and institutions.
What is a memorable moment you’ve had while working in the department?
I’ve had a couple elective medical procedures during my time here, and it was very amusing to be on the receiving end of our clinical services, as a patient.
What are some of your favorite hobbies or activities?
I am an avid baker and recipe/cookbook collector. I am also the proud parent of a 12+ year old sourdough starter named Gus. I mostly gravitate towards baking simple cakes and cookies and bread. I’ve been collecting recipes since high school but really started baking more regularly when I was in med school, and I even dabbled in writing an amateur baking blog (which still exists on the internet but is long un-updated).
I also just love to eat things, and I love finding new favorite bakeries or restaurants around the city. Some favorite finds are Foundry Bakery (a Taiwanese bakery!), Wei Hong (old school Cantonese style bakery), the Tower Grove Farmers market (arepas! Hummus! Thai food!), Damn Fine Hand Pies (great pies and sourdough), Menya Rui (house made ramen), Union Loafers (great sourdough), Colleen’s (great breakfast and the best scones I’ve ever had), Winslow’s Table (great grain salads, pastries, and sourdough). For the sake of space, I’ll stop there, but I’m more than happy to give more recs to anyone who is interested.
What is your advice to aspiring people in your field?
Anatomic pathology physician scientists are a relatively rare phenotype, and the path is challenging in unique ways. I have benefited from mentorship and career advice from many valued role models here at WashU over the years. In addition to those career mentors, though, one needs to find people in your life who will be your unconditional cheerleaders and give you the pep talks when you need it, and who believe in your potential to achieve your goals. I am lucky to have friends and family and a research advisor and clinical colleagues who are my cheerleaders, and I would not be able to stand where I am today without them. Also, take care of your physical and mental health.
For those going into medicine or pathology in general, keep your options open and try to learn about traditional and non-traditional career paths. There are so many evolving roles for physicians and pathologists in private practice, basic and clinical research, pharmaceutical industry, AI, and academics. Just like how there are so many more options for people with science degrees beyond just picking between grad school and med school (pretty much the only two options people thought about when I was in college), having a PhD or MD has so many transferable skills, and it’s exciting to hear about great things people with our training are doing in different spaces.
