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Meet Our First Year Resident: Sara Tweedy, MD, PhD

By Lynn McCain | September 2

“The pathology program here is excellent in all subspecialties. You cannot go wrong, regardless of your career path. Additionally, fostering collaborative exchanges between different fields in research is extremely important to me. The Pathology Department has strong collaborative relationships across multiple departments and schools.”

Tell us about your background so we can get to know you.

I grew up in Ann Arbor. My parents met in graduate school (biochemistry), so I come from a very academic family. My mom initially wanted to go into medicine, then realized research was a better fit for her, she taught me the importance of basic science research and the effect it (eventually) has on health. After high school, I moved to Claremont, California to attend Harvey Mudd College, where I obtained a Bachelor of Science with a chemistry major. During the summer after my junior year, I worked on a project at U-M in the lab of Dr. Heather Carlson in Pharmacy. I was able to continue my project for my senior thesis, which was really nice. I enjoy math, science, and understanding how people work, so I was drawn to computational and biological research with an impact on health. I was introduced to the medical field primarily through soccer and (unfortunately) my four knee surgeries, although it took me a while to put those interests together.

Sara Tweedy and her mom at graduation. Sara's family was a strong support for her throughout her educational journey.What motivated you to pursue a medical-scientist career?
In the summer of my junior year, I took a summer research course where I discovered that I could combine research and medicine in a Medical Science Training Program (MSTP). After my fourth knee injury, I took an extra year so I could play during my final year of eligibility. That gave me the time to apply to the University of Michigan MSTP, where I completed my medical degree and PhD. In addition to its excellent medical school and faculty, U-M also has a collaborative environment between the medical and central campuses. I do computational work in molecular modeling, which requires this type of interdisciplinary cooperation. My PhD advisor, Dr. Charlie Brooks, is in the Biophysics Department on central campus. We worked closely with the Narayan lab in the Life Sciences Institute (LSI), and it was a great experience to see the full spectrum, from basic modeling through to its impact on drug synthesis and discovery. My thesis was on Exploring Key Molecular Mechanisms of TropB Catalysis with Theory and Molecular Modeling. In this project, we collaborated with a lab that was utilizing a fungal enzyme, TropB, and aimed to enable the facile synthesis of promising drug-like molecules with certain complex scaffolds. My role was to provide information about how this enzyme worked so they could understand it and related enzymes and engineer them to perform useful transformations.

Sara her husband, Stephen and dog, Yoshi walking on one of many trails in Ann Arbor.How did you decide on Pathology?
During my interviews for the MD-PhD program, I spoke with pathologists who described the research path and their choice of specialty. They spoke about how pathology is great if you like to solve puzzles and figure things out. That sounded like me, but I didn’t really understand much about pathology at the time and I wasn’t convinced it was the right field for me. As I went through medical school, I grew to see the importance of it and the profound impact it has on patients. I completed my pathology rotation relatively early in my elective time, and I knew this was it. I enjoyed the fact that it gets at the meat of what is going on. Pathologists inform clinicians about what is happening and assist them in determining the most effective treatment regimen for their patients. I have always enjoyed understanding how things work biologically, so I find that part fun. And compared to other medical specialties, it was the most rewarding for me.

You ranked Michigan highly for the Match. What attracted you to our program?

I considered going elsewhere, because I needed to consider all the other options to make the best choice. It came down to the fact that I love the people and I love the environment. It is a great learning environment and Ann Arbor is a beautiful town. The pathology program here is excellent in all subspecialties, so you cannot go wrong, regardless of your career path. Additionally, fostering collaborative exchanges between different fields in research is extremely important to me. The Pathology Department has strong collaborative relationships across multiple departments and schools.

Tell us about your time as a resident so far. Is there anything you would like to highlight?
I am currently starting my third rotation. Everyone has been supportive and helpful. It’s a significant transition from school to doing clinical work, as you typically do not gain much experience in pathology during medical school. It is great to have people available and willing to help. The folks I work with are warm, and they make me feel like they want to help. My first rotation was on autopsy. In this rotation, we figure out how people die and describe that for the family members, investigative teams, and the treatment teams. It is super rewarding to be able to provide answers to people. My next rotation was in Room 1, which is general surgical pathology. We diagnosed head-and-neck, thoracic, and bone-and-soft-tissue cases. In this rotation, we encounter a wide range of bread-and-butter pathology cases, as well as cases where the diagnosis is unclear, requiring us to order various stains and attempt to describe them. It’s an interesting mix of the simple and the complex. And now I’m on day 1 of my molecular pathology rotation, so who knows what that will hold. So far, I have been most intrigued by the bone and soft tissue pathology cases.

One of Sara's hobbies is paint-by-number painting. This is one of her finished pieces.What brings you the most joy in your work and in your personal life?
At work, being able to figure things out and problem-solve. I really enjoy that. Additionally, the people I work with make it fun. In my personal life, my husband Stephen and I have a whippet named Yoshi. He is our pride and joy. Currently, he spends most of his days at daycare with other dogs (which he loves!), but we will soon have a fence so he can also run around and play in the yard. That will be so nice!

Were there any mentors you would like to mention? If so, how did they impact your life?
I have had a ton of mentors. Everyone who has been a part of my training has been there for me in some way or another. My parents have also been incredibly supportive and influential. That said, the most significant mentor for me was my PhD advisor, Dr. Charles L. Brooks III, because he helped shape my thought process. He and my PhD lab mates taught me how to think about scientific problems and perform rigorous and meaningful research. Another influential figure was Dr. Troy Wymore, an associate research scientist in the Brooks lab. He worked closely with me in the first half of my PhD. He is one of those people that you can ask any question and never feel stupid. He always made work feel joyful, interesting, and important – even if it wasn’t always. As you know, keeping passion in a PhD program can be a bit challenging, so he really helped me learn and made that time feel worthwhile.

What is your strategy for finding balance between training and your other interests?
I’m still working on it. I think knowing yourself and what drives and revitalizes you is most important. For me, having time to spend with my husband and dog, and making sure that time is quality time, is a big deal. I also try to prioritize good sleep. The culture here has been very supportive of making sure you don’t push yourself too far. Yes, we work hard and learn a lot, but people encourage us to be efficient and reasonable.

What advice would you give medical students considering a career in pathology?

A PhD is an excellent background for doing rigorous scientific research.  If that’s your goal, it is a great way to get experience and training. Just keep pushing forward, and make sure you have peers to discuss it with. If you’re sure it’s what you want, and you persevere, then you’ll be golden. Of course, a good mentor and supportive environment go a long way too.

A self-portrait with penguins in Patagonia.What are some fun facts about you that we could share?

-I played soccer in college and served as team captain for two years, primarily playing at center-back. I was quite passionate about it for a long time. If you ask around the department, you may find someone who remembers seeing me play when I was younger. I don’t play much anymore because I really enjoyed going at 100%, and I have other priorities now.

-I also enjoy doing things with my dog, Yoshi. He is a whippet and enjoys playing, going for walks, and cuddling.

-I have some semi-creative hobbies that I enjoy, such as paint-by-number, and I occasionally knit scarves. I may learn to crochet someday so I can make dog toys and little animals.

-I like animals and have spent time photographing them up close in four different continents so far. I’m no professional, but I enjoy having the pictures to look back on.

 

We are glad you decided to stay at Michigan, Sara! You are part of a great team of residents in this year’s cohort. We look forward to watching your growth in both pathology and research.

 
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