Michelle Campbell
Senior Developer, Translational Research, Innovation, and Test Development Office, Mayo Clinic; Assistant Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science; Adjunct Assistant Professor, Division of Clinical Laboratory Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
Qualities of innovative thinkers? The single most important quality in a truly innovative thinker is adaptability. You must remain open-minded and receptive to new information, as well as willing to change your perspective based on the data and results in front of you and feedback from others. Innovation thrives in the “gray area” – where ambiguity and uncertainty exist – so comfort with navigating and embracing these aspects of the discovery process is crucial for driving creative solutions and making breakthroughs.
Making the most of an invention or innovation? My role involves “inventing” lab tests (called laboratory developed tests, or LDTs). The secret to creating an innovative test is collaborating with and learning from others. I can spend countless hours on the bench in the lab applying all the analytical techniques I know towards creating a new test, but the real value comes from the insights I gain through open conversations with fellow scientists, laboratory directors, clinicians, and other members of laboratory and patient care teams. The output from my lab work and, ultimately, the quality of the test I create that is offered to patients, is most greatly enhanced by the perspectives and feedback received during these impromptu, unfiltered brainstorming sessions.
Book recommendation? I think all scientists should find a book (or author) that reminds them why they got excited about the field in the first place. I remember being in my first year of college and stumbling upon books by William Bass, who started the Anthropology Research Facility (more commonly known as the “Body Farm”) at the University of Tennessee. His book “Beyond the Body Farm” hooked me into the investigative nature of science and providing important answers to those on the other side of your experiments (whether it be patients or, in his case, victims and their families). When I re-read his books, my excitement about the field is reignited. I highly encourage everyone in laboratory medicine and pathology to find a book that gives them this same feeling so they can periodically revisit it and be reminded of their “why”.
